Caf D’Arte. Four baskets of bread. Two appetizers. Twelve entres. Ten desserts. Three hours. One bad attitude.
Before the Guilford Formal, 12 of my most well-mannered friends and I decided to spring for a bit of fine dining at the posh Caf D’Arte on Dolley Madison. The results: ambiance A+, food B+, service C-.
The authentic Italian restaurant looks like an old, inviting house both outside and in. Inside, flickering candles, rickety pine floors, and tables tucked into cozy nooks created a comfortable, intimate atmosphere.
My party had a reservation and was seated promptly at 7 p.m. on the restaurant’s second and top floor. Three tables were pulled together for us so that we could sit in our own semi-private corner.
The menu was extensive, offering a wide variety of appetizers, soups, and entres. Although it wasn’t in my budget to sample an appetizer, I noted that the caf offered a wide variety from fresh bruschetta, to shrimp parmesan, to muscles marinara. Appetizers ranged in price from $5.25 to $9.25.
While we perused the menu, two baskets of warm, crusty bread were brought to the table. While the bread was “upper crust,” it was not enough for 13 ravenous college students, and our request for more was met with a sluggish response.
Four members of the party, including myself, ordered the farfalle pasta (think small bow-ties) with peas, mushrooms, and prosciutto in a cream sauce ($11.95). We all gave it excellent reviews. My only complaint: the prosciutto was a little overpowering. Smaller pieces of the potent pork would have complimented the cream sauce better.
Kara Richardson, one of my dining companions, ordered a traditional beef lasagna ($12.95). It was a healthy portion and Richardson described it as “yummy in my tummy.”
Only one member of our party felt that their entre wasn’t worth the price. Grant Murphy ordered a filet served with lobster ravioli ($22.95). Although he enjoyed the ravioli, when asked about his steak Murphy replied, “You know how a filet should fall apart when you cut into it. Yeah, this was more like a piece of shoulder.”
Caf D’Arte offered a special on desserts to Guilford students on the night of the formal. Dessert was free with the purchase of an entre and a valid Guilford ID.
My party took full advantage of this deal.
The dessert menu offered a plethora of choices: peach sorbet, tiramisu, and two flavors of cheese cake, just to name a few. We sampled the sorbet, tiramisu, and pumpkin spice cheese cake, all of which were decadent and delicious. However, the dessert menu and prices frequently rotate, so there is no guarantee our favorites will be there the next time we go back.
Our Caf D’Arte dining experience would have been nearly perfect if not for the quality of service we received.
As a waitress, I understand that large parties can be difficult and that it generally takes a little longer to get them in and out of a restaurant. Nevertheless, three hours is absolutely absurd. My pet rabbit could have become a great, great, great grandmother in the time we spent at dinner.
The entire evening we were waiting on something: Waiting to have our drink orders taken, waiting to have our orders taken, waiting for another basket of bread, waiting for refills that would never come, waiting for our entrees, waiting for our desserts, waiting for our checks.
We waited so long for our check that we finally had to send someone downstairs to the hostess station to ask for it.
When the check finally did come, our waitress told us that one person could pay the entire check, or we could each pay an average price per person. When we requested separate checks we were told, “Okay, I can split the check, but that will take another 15 minutes and I only have one phone line to run your credit cards on. I thought you all had somewhere to be.”
This is not the kind of attitude I expect from the wait staff at a restaurant where the final bill (less gratuity) comes to over $180 and a gratuity of $60 is added in. For sixty bucks anyone should be able to fake a smile.
Some members of our party would consider going back despite the service, others would not. Either way, I would urge you to think twice before making reservations at Caf D’Arte.