Il Fornaio

Great place for happy hour.
Try to sit at the bar, service is quick, fast and attentive there. Table service at the bar is slow and very inefficient. My food comes out before my glass of wine and waitress is just very slow, inefficient and absent minded — it’s always frustrating when there’s no bar seats!

Last night I visited the restaurant to taste the food of Lombardia which is my 12^th region in a row. I scanned through the menu but, unfortunately, I didn’t see anything typical of Lombardia like risotto alla milanese or cotoletta alla milanese so I chose pappardelle gialle ai funghi, described as «fresh wide ribbon saffron pasta, porcini, crimini and shiitake mushrooms, Taleggio and Grana Padano». The plate arrived and it had a smell that wasn’t good but neither bad: it just smelled weird. The first issue with the dish was probably caused by the unnecessary pairing of 3 kinds of mushrooms, 1 of them not even native to Lombardia (shiitake). Most Italian dishes derive from the rural tradition and therefore do not require intricate pairings of ingredients. It’s the proper balance that makes the dish so putting together 3 types of mushrooms and 2 types of cheese just doesn’t make a lot of sense (sticking with 1+1 would have been just right). The second issue with the dish was the texture and hardness of the pasta which was a little undercooked and it lacked flavor. Basically, the pasta was unimpressive. I ate half of the dish, forcing myself to understand if I just didn’t like it or if it was not cooked well. I eventually gave up. The manager on site came to check on us, we both took the same plate, and I told him that, with all the due respect, I was dissatisfied because we felt it was not a good dish. I eat just about anything and I love to try new courses but this is not about liking or not liking a dish. It was simply the fact that the dish did not have personality or any kind of flavor. The manager listened and then he offered to replace the dish but we opted for desserts, taking a tiramisù and an affogato al caffè (che tiramisù was somewhat and surprisingly heavy on mascarpone, they typically do it right, but the affogato was good).
Our experience with the food of Lombardia is arguably our biggest disappointment in our regional gastronomic experience. Our server was nice and friendly. I cannot hold anything against him. I hope the next region will have something better to offer because last night was not a great night.

3.5 Stars On Monday night I met my sister and nephew for an early dinner at Il Fornaio located in the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto. Out of all the Il Fornaios that I’ve been to this one was the least impressive space. Low ceilings, cramped bar and non-​discript dinning room.
I got there early and ordered a Ice coffee and sat down at a table in the bar. Next to me was a guy finishing their meal. As I was fiddling around with my phone /​yelp, I see the guy get up go to the host podium and speak with the host and leaves. About 10 minutes later the waitress comes by upset wondering where her customer went. After a couple of minutes wondering I chimmed in and told her the guy went to the host and left. (defruaded innkeeper) (left without paying). The waitress then went on and on about how crappy the day was and hoping that she would not get fired, and that she had just left them for a minute. etc… The host who was there seemed indifferent.
So goes the drama. My family comes and we order food. I got the ceasers salad which was completely tasteless and under dressed. I almost never leave food but let the server clear the salad because my entrée of grilled seafood arrived. The grilled plate had salmon, a white fish, shrimp, scallops, calamari, potatoes and broccoli rab, it was excellent.
Service was good. Plenty of parking in the lot located right next to the restaurant.

We came hungry to take a decent Italian food, we were highly disappointed!
We took the house salad, the flat bread, butternut ravioli the green ravioli w sausage and the minestrone soup.
The salad was dry, tasteless, the butternut ravioli had too much flavor of nuts, and the green ravioli was worse than the ones you can buy in Costco!
And the soup was too spicy that even my baby could not eat it.
The only decent portion was the flat bread and its goat cheese on top of that. What really bugged me is the service:
1. He ordered for us the large ravioli portion when we wanted the small ones. When we complained he said, that if we don’t mention he always bring the large ones, but given how bad they were we did not really to pack the left overs (80%…)
2.when he asked how is the ravioli, and I said: so-​so, he did nothing… did not suggest anything
To summarize, poor pricy food, I don’t think they deserve the 3 stars they have in Unilocal

There was no seating so we sat at the café/​bar area off the side instead. We had the insalata del fornaio and the Cristina pizza. I really enjoyed the light salad to start off with and the pizza was also quite yummy — it had a nice blend of the salty prosciutto with the flavorful mushroom and truffle oil. The pastas weren’t very unique and came in a much smaller portion. It seems like a great place to come back to in the summer — the outdoor seating looks beautiful.

The food is fine, but nothing special.
Pros: Affordable, decent atmosphere, some good dishes
Cons: very Americanized «Italian» food, most dishes aren’t anything great

I’d like to talk about the appalling sanitary conditions I witnessed while there, but to spare someone from being fired, I will mention the overcooked obviously from frozen seafood in my seafood pasta, the stickiness of the menu, the snootiness of the host staff, and the cheese being sprayed all over the table from the grater on my friends dish (luckily, I don’t mind cheese, even though I didn’t ask for any). I will never return.

Horrible service! How long does one wait to speak to a waiter or get their food with an empty house? Older gentlemen running around by himself and paying no attention to his tables. They need to hire more experienced staff. Waiter brought out menu, but said the right hand side was not available. Asked him for specials or if other items were available, he did not know what they were serving. He had to check? As well, placed a an order and received the wrong food.
Between lunch and 5:30pm menu seems a bit more limited.

The service was appalling. Our waiter was an older gentleman who seemed to be irritated with his job and impatient with our party even though we asked politely and patiently for basic things — water, refills, heat adjustment, dessert menus. We felt as if we were walking on eggshells around him and this was our Holiday dinner. It is absolutely unacceptable to receive service like this and from prior reviews it seems like this isn’t the first time this has occurred. It was a highly disappointing experience and I would never suggest this establishment to anyone.

I visited the restaurant on Sunday. I came with my family, my wife and two kids. The waiter was super impatience. He didn’t allow us to spend more than a few seconds to take a decision. He didn’t offer any drinks or appetizers to accompany the main course. He constantly offered to come back trying to avoid any question we had. Poor experience if you come with your family.

We had a terrible experience with the valet parking, first when we arrived the valet was vacant, the sign said valet parking with the hotel name and the Resturant name. We parked and asked the Resturant staff who said that it is ok to park at the designated valet parking and he would come and get the keys from me when the valet folks want to move the car.
Once we finished our lunch and came back to the car, the valet folks from the hotel showed up claiming that we are not allowed to park there and that there is a $ 10 charge for Resturant guests using the valet parking.
When I went and asked the Resturant folks as to why the valet was demanding money they said that the valet is only for the hotel. The original guy from the Resturant whom we had asked and confirmed that we could park was no where to be seen. The Resturant folks did not even try to look for him instead asked me to deal with the valet folks directly.
After a lot of arguing (not a pretty sign) I left the place, I am never going back here and it seems like the valet and the Resturant folks are willfully misleading Resturant customers so that they can make a few extra bucks

Met a friend here for brunch. Customer service was great. The food was yummy and served quickly. I’ll definitely be back. I want to try lunch and dinner. Not too sure how prices are since this was a treat.

Best pizza ever. Come during happy hour to get 18 – 20 dollar pizza just for $ 6! The people here are super nice and you will feel at home.

Came here for a team dinner one evening. The restaurant was alive with the remnants of the night’s happy hour, but we were promptly seated. We each ordered a pasta dinner and an app to start. Everything seemed fairly average, but our waiter was slightly aloof.
Pros:
Super warm, fresh bread with olive oil and vinegar — yum!
The food comes out quickly!
Cons:
The pasta dishes were kinda bland. I had the linguine and thought it was meh. And the server didn’t offer to bring any cheese or pepper.

My friends absolutely love this place, but I never feel full after eating here. Atmosphere is chic: high ceilings, modern decorations, and dimmed mood lighting. If you are big on guacamole and marguerites, you’ll love it.
The service is hit or miss. One time, we came here late in the evening and ordered a few drinks just because we sat down. The server not only carded but questioned me condescendingly to the point where I was like, «Look, if you think it’s fake, don’t give me a drink.» He ended up serving me, even though I didn’t really want it after all the trouble he gave me. At the time, I should’ve said something, but I haven’t been back since.

We had a nice birthday meal here on a Sunday night.
RESERVATIONS: 6:30pm for three on a Sunday night, and on Stanford graduation weekend! Not sure how in advance the reservation was made.
THE SERVICE: Very professional. Our server gave good recs, but it sounded a bit recited. Does make sense as the menu’s quite long & overwhelming.
THE COST: Someone else got the bill, but I think it came out to about $ 100 before tips for 2 drinks, 1 app, and 3 entrees.
THE FOOD: See my photos for additional details!
* Beef Carpaccio — 3.5 stars.
The meat had good flavor but was a little too thinly sliced. The arugula on top was lightly dressed.
* Cappellachi di Zucca (butternut squash ravioli) — 3.5 stars
This was a very tasty, though very heavy dish! The full entrée came with five pieces, which surprisingly filled me up. They were also quite drenched in oil. The texture was a tiny bit overcooked, but I did like that it was soft. I liked the crunch in the filling from the walnut.
* Pennoni Alla Vodka, with shrimp added — 4 stars.
A recommendation from the server, including the shrimp part. This had a delicious sauce, and the bacon gave intense bits of flavor! They could have been more crunchy.

One of the best happy hours in the area $ 6 for a delicious pizza and $ 6 for cocktails!
Great place
Happy hour M-​F 4−6pm

I expect some one get in touch with me for better customer satisfaction !!!
But guess what ! they go after happy customer !! Offer them appreciation :))
I am very surprised !!!

Saturday night, prime time, dinner at 6:30. We came with an Open Table reservation. Upon arrival, we asked for a patio table, were told none were available, which was OK. But, the hostess also said that Open Table reservations were never given patio dining. For that kind of reservation, she advised us to call. This statement came as a surprise, as we’d assumed patio reservations came on a first come first served basis. But, no.
Cesar salad comes with a hard boiled egg. it wasn’t seasoned in any way exceptional. Something you’d expect to be served in Cleveland, OH.
The butter-​nut squash with walnuts ravioli (Cappellacci di Zucca, served with tomato sauce, brown butter, Grana Padano and crispy sage) was also OK, but not exceptional… a rather tame rendition of this classic Italian dish.
The Capellini al Pomodoro, angel hair pasta, chopped tomatoes, garlic, marinara sauce, and fresh basil, was the highlight of the meal. Pasta was cooked al dente, the tomatoes fresh, and a lot of garlic. It zinged us into pleasure.
We skipped desert, thinking we’d try the ice cream store down the street.
The atmosphere was fine, but the building looks a bit dated at this point. One wall is mirrored to try to make it bigger. I would only dine here again if we felt we could get a patio table. But, that’s just me.
Our server would have been better if he’d not had so many tables. He was all over the place and it seemed like he had the whole front of the restaurant. His service was spotty… we reordered house wine and never saw it, but we had two visits with parmigiana for our pasta.
Enjoy!

Bad service.
I came during the happy hour, just because I ended up being next to it and it looked like people outside were having a good time, so I walked in for lunch.
First of all, it took a while for someone to come up to me
«Do you have any salads?»
«No»
“You don’t have any salads?”
«No»
“Like at all? Not even on the dinner menu?”
«No»
“What about the dinner menu?”
«Yes, but it’s happy hour»
«Do you serve dinner menu right now?»
«Yes, but the salads are not on the happy hour menu»
«That’s fine, can I see the menu that has salads in it?»
She leaves, then it takes her over 5 minutes to bring me the menu
«Can I have a Tom Collins while I wait?»
«We don’t have it»
«What? I saw a cocktail with gin in it on the happy hour menu! Tom Collins is just gin, soda, water, and lem…»
«I KNOW, but it’s not on the HAPPY HOUR MENU»
«I know, I saw the happy hour menu. And it’s fine. I want a Tom Collins»
I also ended up ordering calamari, because I saw someone else eating it (and it WAS on the happy hour menu, so I didn’t have to do the whole thing again”, but she forgot to put my order in… And people who got there after me got their stuff way before I did

Klasse Italienier. Fängt schon mit dem Frühstück an und geht den ganzen Tag weiter: Hier trifft man sich, um sich über die neuesten Geschäftsideen auszutauschen.