Della Mostra By Mulberry

Very disappointing. We went on Sunday evening Mar 22,.2015.They were out of 3 entrees (which is a lot since there isnt many to begin with) 1 appetizer and BREAD!!! Really? Service was very slow, it was a long wait for a drink, entrée, check. The food was good, sadly not worth the wait.

I have been here twice now before going to the theater. Both times I found the food delicious although slightly pricey for the portion. But I suppose that is to be expected in exchange for the convenience of dining in a restaurant connect to the theater. On my first visit, I had the Lobster Ravioli in Vodka sauce which was just delicious. On my second visit, I tried the homemade manicotti; also very good but $ 15 for only two seems a little much. Also, the menu is very limited because they are trying to serve things quickly before shows.
The service was good both times as well. The environment is a little strange. The main area by the bar is nice enough but then there is a dining area upstairs and a make-​shift dining space on the other side which is possibly a banquet room? Both times have been pleasant enough to return and it’s a fine place to dine before a show, but I’d be unlikely to come here otherwise. I think I need to check out the original Mulberry in Lackawana.

We went to Della Mostra before going to Shea’s and I thought the food was really great. I had the Homemade Manicotti and it was delicious. The atmosphere was ok it could have used a more décor. Great service and you are right next to Shea’s.

Don’t be fooled by the Mulberry name attached to this restaurant or you will be sadly disappointed. Having several good friends who swear by Mulberry, a group of us decided to go to Della Mostra before a Shea’s show, typical, right? When we first arrived I was less than impressed to see what was done to the space, competing with much better socialite gatherings in Buffalo. We had a drink at the bar while our table was being prepared, where the bartender was very attentive and friendly.
When it was time to be seated our waitress greeted us with a smile and began to taking our drink orders. At this point, circa 6:30 pm, myself and others were waiting for the last member of our party to arrive, so we decided to browse the menu. I would say I was less than impressed. The menu is full bland dishes and a limited selection of items. Unlike Mulberry, which is very friendly to those with any types of allergies, Della Mostra is not able to accommodate (even with a statement on the menu that reads, «please inform your server of any food allergies before ordering). During this time we made sure to check back in with our waitress, inquiring if we would have to order our food, for time sake. She continued to insist that we were „just fine“ on time, the time being around 6:45 pm.
Our last guest arrived a few minutes later and we placed our food order. We informed the waitress of the food allergies and did our best to make-​do with the extremely limited menu. At this point, I am going to explain several dishes separately because they are all noteworthy for one reason or another. First, I ordered the Pasta Broccoli with gluten free pasta, adding shrimp to the dish. I made sure to ask the waitress if this was possible and she gladly obliged. I also made sure to ask if the olive oil sauce on the pasta used butter, to which she responded „no,“ after checking with the kitchen. Two other people at my table ordered the same dish, one specifying clearly, „no shrimp or milk“ because of a seafood and milk allergy made aware to the waitress at the beginning of the meal.
Our dishes took almost 45 mins to arrive, even though we were considered by the manager to be „the last table.“ Upon arrival, the dish ordered without shrimp or cheese arrived with both, my dish was drenched in a thick, cream like sauce (definitely butter, not olive oil), and the last almost had no „sauce“ at all, rather just sticky, clumped noodles. Ironically, two of the three of us ordered gluten-​free pasta and we all received a different type of noodle. How many gluten free noodles are you stocking?
Needless to say, the night turned out to be a disaster. By the time the food arrived it was 7:45 pm and our show was in 15 minutes, not enough time to remake the dishes, or apparently make the situation right either. The waitress brought over the check, we quickly provided payment, and then requested to speak to the Manager, Stephanie. Let me start by saying that I have the utmost respect for workers in the service or retail industry, but Stephanie was, by far, one of the most rude, condescending and uncaring managers I have ever met. She arrived at the table, taking her time I should add, and we explained to her the situation. Her first question to us was, „Well weren’t you late for your reservation?“ This was not the case. She went to explain that the kitchen does not do any modifications to their dishes… We informed her that we had made sure, several times, with the waitress that our modifications were okay, she gladly processed them for us. Stephanie’s response? „Yeah, well that waitress does that, trying to be nice, but we don’t do modificiations.“ First off, she blamed the waitress, who was very nice the entire time, and if this is the case then why would you request for patrons to inform you of allergies if you cannot do anything about it? By this time, it was five minutes before the beginning of the show. We requested that the meals that we didn’t eat be removed from our bill, as I would expected to have already been done by an experienced restaurant. WAIT FOR IT. Her response…“too bad you already paid and you have to go to the show.» Yes, I am not joking. She said that it would take her too long to do because she needed our card and that we would miss the start of the show, «Sorry» she said, serving up more attitude than any of us cared to eat, as starving as we were.
I decided to call Joe, at Mulberry, to see if I could get some resolution on this issue. I called twice and my phone call was never returned. I am very disappointed with this experience, especially because it was so convenient to go to Della Mostra for dinner as season ticket holders and Mulberry has such a great reputation. Unfortunately, Della Mostra does not, and I doubt it could, ever hold up a reputation near other fantastic Buffalo restaurants with its limited menu, lack of accommodations, and inexperienced management. Too bad, Unilocal doesn’t let me vote NO stars.

Joe Jerge of Mulberry Italian restaurant in Lackawanna has brought his craft to patrons of the Theater District in downtown Buffalo with the opening of «Della Mostra by Mulberry».
Located between the box office at Shea’s Theatre and the adjacent Smith Theater Della Mostra is open 2 hours before most performances at Shea’s.
Della Mostra offers smaller portions and quick service for theater patrons with limited time.
For our appetizer we each had the Crab Cake offered with a delicious roasted tomato remoulade. We ignored the mesclun salad. The Crab Cake — with a tasty sausage incorporated into the crab mix — was served an appetizing golden brown. The Crab Cake was however average. I’ve had better at both The Bijou and Crazy Jakes.
For an entrée my fellow phantom diner ordered the Homemade Lasagna with 3 meats (beef, pork and veal). The pasta was cooked perfectly with fresh ricotta and the sauce — while a little thick — was tasty. The flavor of the beef, pork and veal were, unfortunately, lost in the sauce.
For my entrée I ordered the Mezze Paccheri alla Norma described as Neopolitan pasta rings with Roasted Eggplant, Basil Pesto, Cherry Tomatoes and Buffalo Mozarella.
The pasta was also perfectly cooked, the tomatoes were flavorful and delicious and the breaded eggplant was excellent. We both sampled this dish and found it to be excellent — a perfect entrée. Kudos to Chef Joe and to Sous Chef Tim.
For our dessert we selected the homemade Cannoli made with citrus zest. The shell was crisp and flavorful and the filling was light with just the right sweetness. (So many cannoli fillings are overly sweet.) The lime zest was integral to this delicious dessert.
We recommend a visit to Della Mostra by Mulberry. I know we’ll be back!
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