This place is a small Italian place with an outdoor patio. There's a bar when you walk in with some TV's showing the food network. Brownie points for that! There were booths on one side and table on the other. We were greeted by a gentleman whom I believe was one of the owners. He sat us down and was quickly asked about drinks. The place wasn't full, but it wasn't empty as well. The noise level wasn't loud, nor too quiet. We dressed up for this place a little bit, but there were customers there who had shorts, or jeans, so I'd say the atmosphere is casual.
For drinks, we decided on a half carafe of red wine and had our orders taken. We started with some zucchini sticks, and I ordered the tortellini con funghi and the boss ordered gnocchi. The appetizers came out very quick, and it was hot, plentiful and very tasty. Bread was also served, but was never offered more when the bread bowl was empty. While waiting for the main course, the place started to fill in more. It still wasn't packed, but it wasn't busy. We got our food, and was offered fresh ground pepper and parm cheese. This is when I noticed that the table behind us, who was there before us, still had not gotten their appetizers yet. Ignoring that fact for the moment, I dug into my food. The cream sauce was very rich, and the portion was very good. It was good, but it wasn't the best I've had. I found the sauce to be almost too heavy. The boss dug into her gnocchi and was very disappointed. The pasta itself was decent, but the tomato sauce has no flavour at all. There was no fresh herbs in it, so really, everything tasted bland. To sum it up, that dish was edible, but not enjoyable.
The service is really what got to us about this place. The food took a little longer then expected for how busy the place was. It wasn't until I was 3/4 done my plate and the Boss half done with her plate before anyone came over to ask how our food was. By the time we got our bills, the table behind us, that was there before us, got their food. I could overhear them saying how they asked a few times to have a faster meal because they were going to Bluesfest. There just wasn't enough staff in the place. There was the owner doing one side, the waitress, one lady who didn't seem to do much, and the busgirl.
The price of the meal was ok. I would not call it a cheap place to eat, but it was not overly pricey either.
Overall, the decor was excellent, but the food and service brought the place down. Would I go back? Not by my own choice, but if someone wanted to still go there, I'd still go.
Review (out of 5):
Food: * * *
Value: * * *
Atmosphere: * * * *
Service: * * *
Price range (dinner): $15-$30
Website: http://www.napoliscafe.com/
