Tratoria Pasta Grotto

First time I’ve been there.
Meatball sandwich — reasonably sized. Fresh bread. Meatballs were small. Sauce was not great. Must have been made from sun-​dried tomatoes. Not appetizing brown color. Taste was average, not particularly appealing.
I would not go back, mainly because the sauce was just not my expectation for Italian sauce.

This place is a Foster City staple. The food is almost always great and the people are extremely friendly. The Rosti Abondanza (sp?) is tasty and unique. Worth a try as I have only ever had it there.

This place is located in the isolated strip mall that also houses Tokie’s and the post office. So, parking shouldn’t be a problem.
We had intended to go at an Indian restaurant in the same complex, but it was closed. So, instead of packing into our cars and going elsewhere, we decided to try this place.
They’re running a special where virtually everything on the menu is 7.95. Split the Caeser Chicken Salad w/​someone and it was quite good. Lots of chicken and they grill it fresh for the salad too. I thought it was a bit heavy on the dressing, but I tend to be a bit on the bland side.
We also had the Meat Lasagna (Unimpressive. The sauce was watery) and the Fetuccini Alfredo w/​Chicken (Again, generous w/​the chicken, but the sauce was uninspired).
Finished up w/​the Tiramisu (I think it was store bought frozen).
Service was fine. A bit on the slow side, but didn’t have the problems w/​the owner being rude or abrupt that some other Unilocalers did.
All in all, I’d go back for the Caeser Salad w/​Chicken, but not too thrilled w/​anything else. 2 ½ stars.

I’m giving the restaurant 4 stars only because my family has been going here for years and they make a special dish for us whenever we go. The owner knows us by name, and for that is an extra point. My boyfriend and I used to go there all the time, and there were a couple times we were not impressed with the meal… but like I said…4 stars for them knowing what we like and treating us well.
When my parents order food from there, its fantastic, everytime. Always take out, and ready in 10 minutes. It is a spinach mushroom angel hair pasta dish with their signature rose sauce. When I went with my boyfriend for the first time, it was amazing. He ordered the Veal Zurich (I ordered my usual special), and I damn near ate half his plate! The mashed potatoes were in this… gravy like substance that was divine, and they tasted so unique it was wonderful. However, when we returned for Valentines Day… we weren’t very impressed. What made it worse was that he ordered the same thing because it was so good the last time, and it was bland! :(. We returned again and went all out for every course, and while not disappointed, I would rank it 3 stars.
I have to mention though, they have this berry dessert that is fantastic. I can’t get over how good it is. When my boyfriend and I shared it, we had to fight for the last few bites :). Their wine selection is good, a bit expensive but the cabernet-​syrah is worth it and I am asking everyone even just to taste it!
Their «crostinis» are huge and hard to keep the ingredients on when you try to cut it. Too much brie on the grape-​brie crostini, but still great flavor. I love the italian wedding soup. A couple of the dishes are a bit weird on tastes – avocado on a potato pancake with chicken? Sounds like it might be good but it doesn’t compliment it as well as I hoped it would.
We always end up spending ⁷⁰⁄₈₀ dollars there – but really, 40 to 50 would be the best for prices. (sooo. a little too expensive).
Other than that… I really would like to give them 3 stars, but they do treat us well. In the difference between European dining and American dining is that they really don’t rush you, at all. It’s almost like they ignore you, but really their just giving you a bit of time to chat. There’s a boundry between letting you chat and ignoring, and sometimes they cross it but most of the time they’re letting you enjoy your meal.

I’ve eaten lunch here a number of times, and in every case the food has been excellent. The owner sometimes has an abrupt tableside manner, but you try cooking for and serving a hundred picky California eaters a day, pretty much on your own.
Smoked salmon potato pancake (rosti di salmon?) and chicken potato pancake (rosti abbondanzo) are especially good. The chicken pancake has a mountain of fresh vegetables (avocados, tomatoes, etc) and grilled chicken on a crunchy potato base. The smoked salmon pancake is richer with sour cream and capers.
Visit earlier or later than the typical lunch or dinner rush, listen to the owner’s suggestions and don’t waste his time haggling over the particulars of each dish. Sit outside and enjoy the nice weather and you won’t be disappointed.
Note: They’ve recently changed the name of the restaurant, I didn’t catch it; something like «Café Tocini» maybe.

This is a nice neighborhood place… nothing fancy, kind of cozy. Service is good in general and price is relatively fair. Food we’ve tried are good. Always have an interesting selection of wine — all very reasonably priced. He will give you a taste if you can’t decide… I recently saw a couple enjoying the cheese fondue — it looked pretty good. If you like bread pudding, it’s a must!

My 1 year old daughter went there on Monday for lunch just because it was either there or KFC so we decided to try this place out. We had the meatball sandwich. It was only okay. My daughter couldn’t eat it because the meatball required a lot of chewing. Taste was okay, sauce was on the tangy side. The wedding soup was pretty good. VERy small portion ! I asked if I could get a little bit more of the macaroni that was in it and the cheap (i believe owner) said it was too hard to get it out of the soup. What a cheap bastard! Then the other waiter got me a small portion of this other kind of soup with these small little pastas – pastini? Anyways by that point, she didn’t want to eat any more of it. Didn’t get asked if I wanted a drink. I ended up asking the person that wipes the table down for some. OF course she didn’t speak english, but luckily I can say «agua con jello» or ice water in spanish. –so overall food was only okay. The older waiter or owner was not friendly. I think he fell off the wrong side of the bed. Because we were sitting inside, I could hear the older waiter complaining the whole time to the other waiter. Couldn’t remember what food went to what table and etc. Definitely disorganized that day! They need to have more help on Mondays since they should know that the other restaurants in the complex are closed!

This food is tasty and reasonable. Parking is plentiful and the atmosphere is very casual. The one huge negative about this place is the portions. A bowl of soup is closer to a cup. This guy is cheap, cheap, cheap. You’d be lucky to get ½ a bowl of soup. Don’t hesitate to point it out to your server. Let him/​her know that you ordered a bowl and not a cup. I hate that when any restaurant pulls that stunt. Really, how much does it cost to give your customers a full serving of soup — 25 cents maybe??? Also, beware when ordering wine. Same issue here. This guy will poor closer to ¹⁄₃ glass then ¾ glass. Don’t hesitate to call him on it. It’s too bad, because the food is pretty good.
I won’t go again, until this cheap owner straightens out his act!

You will be greeted by the charming owner who will lavish you with attention and food advice. Lunches are $ 10 or less, Dinners are $ 30 or less. Food is fresh, gourmet, has a beautiful presentation and always a delightful suprise. The staff are polite, friendly, and very professional, you will never be rushed. A most pleasant dining experience. We never went in before early 2006, because we thought it was a «pasta place». It definitely is not, it is more Northern Swiss and Northern Italian. The name should «The Swiss Gourmet». We now go every Friday for lunch (I drive from Sunnyvale!!) and will be at the grand opening BRUNCH this Sunday. We have also notice that a lot of people take-​out, especially on week nights. Worth every penny spent!!!

I have not been there in a long time. I used to go with my wife about 3 years ago almost every week, then we moved. My wife loved their Carbonara. She said no other place does it this good. I used to go for the Veal, medallion lamb or beef. You do have to check their Swiss selections!
I also ventured in specials that are not on the menu since the owner kind of called us by our first names after the 3^rd or 4^th visit. If you are looking for the formal classy look and stuff, then this is not your place. We go there for the food. The tables are old, the location is clunky in the middle of a mini shopping center but the food is great and that’s what matters. We always went there for dinner so i am not sure if the lunch crew have a different menu or different staff. I have to go back and visit soon, I kind of miss it actually.

I had a craving for a simple Italian meal. I looked on Citysearch to find something near work since Unilocal did not have what I was looking for. Overall, all of the reviews looked good. My co-​worker ordered a veggie sandwich, and I ordered some pasta roll dish stuffed with chicken. Hers looked ok, standard sandwich. My dish had sauce was this brownish mess with chunks of god knows what. The «chicken» rolled into the dried out pasta looked and tasted like that fake crab meat you find at cheapie sushi places.

Regardless of the remarks about their interior, this place has good food. It’s different and it’s very tasty. And the service was great. I love having friendly wait staff, and that they did have.

I opted for the Swiss-​Italian offering that seems to be the signature dish. It’s basically a crunchy-​soft potato pancake topped with well grilled yet most chicken-​breast along with fresh greens. The sauce reminded me a lot of a Big Mac’s secret sauce but surprisingly goes very well with the dish. I quickly wiped my place clean without hesitation after the first bite. The service was good and prompt without being overbearing.
It’s an out-​of-​the-​way location hidden behind the post office in a mostly residential area. If you manage to find it, your tastebuds shouldn’t be disappointed.

I came here for lunch with a colleague of mine, the sandwiches are mediocre but I definitely enjoyed the wedding soup. This chicken broth based was filled with Swiss-​chard, meatball chunks, and tons of tiny pasta it’s really good.

We were craving for some Italian meal on our way to our kid’s preschool, and this place came to mind, and then I noticed the Swiss selection. I ordered the veal Zurich and hoped it would be good, and it was. The meat was a bit chewy but tolerable. The sauce wasn’t rich at all, just the way I like it. It also came with a potato patty/​pancake. Hashbrowns? My wife ordered spaghetti w/​meatballs. The sauce was decent enough, but the meatball obviously wasn’t homemade. Still, I I wouldn’t mind coming back, but I’ll be sticking to the Swiss side of the menu.

This place is not as expensive as it looks. Don’t be fooled by the cloth tablecloths or real flowers on the tables. You can get a 7 dollar sandwich or 10 dollar pasta for lunch. Prices for dinner remain unknown. I had a well-​done polenta with homemade red pepper sauce and peppered mushrooms.
Swiss-​Italian. Unique, no?