PDA

View Full Version : Tutto Italia -- Disappointed



MCFantasia
10-17-2007, 04:57 PM
I know this restaurant opened some time ago but I have been boycotting it out of principle. Alfredo’s was one of my favorites and I was so sad to see it go. That being said, I decided to finally give the new place a whirl a few nights ago and it was horrible.

Firstly, I was a little put off that (unlike every other restraint in Epcot) the menu didn’t provide English translations of the offerings. Before our food arrived, we were brought a plate of bread and raw vegetables. The bread was tough and chewy and the various toppings for the bread were not good at all.

Main Course: I ordered pork medallions and my friend ordered some sort of pasta (he wasn’t sure what he had actually ordered because the only word on the menu he made out was ‘pasta’). My pork was dry, tough and tasteless... except for the peppercorns it was encrusted in; my side dish of boiled spinach was truly inedible. My friend said has pasta was reminiscent of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese with some extra cheese added... very bland.

Needless to say, I really didn’t want to bother with desert. So we just asked for our check. I really didn’t see there was any need to complain, as it wasn’t the service or the preparation that was the problem; it was simply the menu (not to mention someone from WDW Research was interviewing random guests as they left).

The check came, I gave my credit card and the server took it away. Five minutes later the restaurant manager came and returned my credit card; he said that our meal would be complementary because it was not of excellent quality. Now, don’t get me wrong... I appreciate the effort. However, if I didn’t complain and you still knew the meal was horrible, why did you serve it to me in the first place? I would have rather paid for my meal and gotten “excellent quality.”

Despite the free meal, the whole experience has totally put me off and I won’t be returning to Tutto Italia under this format. I may give them one more shot once they reopen in their final format; for now, I’ll steer clear.

mcb0420
10-18-2007, 05:43 AM
That is disappointing to hear, as I have an ADR for 12/14. Has anyone eaten there lately with a good experience?

LibertyTreeGal
10-18-2007, 08:18 AM
Free meal or not, that's time wasted.... I'm sorry it was so disappointing!

SBETigg
10-18-2007, 08:43 AM
Oh no! That sounds awful. I really didn't like Alfredo's and I was hoping for a wonderful Italian place to come in. Maybe they just need more time to get their bearings.

JWDisneyFan
10-18-2007, 08:57 AM
So sorry to hear it was a disappointment. DH and I were going to eat there in Dec, but I think we decided to wait until the complete changeover. Yours isn't the first bad review I have read unfortunately!

KarenP
10-18-2007, 10:21 AM
I am so sorry you had a bad experience. We just ate at Tutto on Sunday evening and our experience was the complete opposite. Both the food and service were excellent. Our server was Vivianna and she was awesome. We knew exactly what we were ordering as there was a description in English right beside the name of each dish. We asked what came with the antipasto since that was listed as the chef's selection of various appetizers and specialties and she told us everything that was included. I was also debating between 2 dishes and she was able to give her recommendation. Our party had the Bucattini Pasta, Paccheri Large Pasta Tubes, and the Ligurian Trofie Pasta. All were very good. I had the Cannoli for dessert and it was out of this world! This was our favorite meal this trip.

5fromabove
10-20-2007, 07:56 PM
Sorry to hear about your bad experience.


That is disappointing to hear, as I have an ADR for 12/14. Has anyone eaten there lately with a good experience?

We actually had a WONDERFUL experience at Tutto Italia on 10/4. We were a party of 9 and while the appetizers were a bit confusing :confused: (couldn't understand menu on those either and they were odd anyway--the kids didn't eat them, but DH and other adults liked it), the regular food was AMAZING. Our server, John Henry, was fabulous. He really took extra time to make sure everyone was happy, chatted about Italy, etc. My DS-11 ordered the lasagna and it was very tasty and my mother couldn't stop raving about the pesto pasta. Anyway, I'll do a full review as soon as I get the chance, but I wanted to say that we did really enjoy Tutto. Oh, and the tiramisu is incredible!!

I'm sorry about your experience though.

Jared
10-20-2007, 08:13 PM
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. Remember Tutto Italia is only a temporary solution until the Patina Restaurant Group opens a permanent option in the Italy pavilion.

Polynesian Dweller
10-20-2007, 11:32 PM
Sorry about your experience, that kind of disappointment one should never had. We had the opportunity to talk to a CM who was doing opinion surveys of diners leaving and were told that the restaurant is doing lots of surveying to figure out what will and will not work with the vacation crowd at Epcot. Not all dishes will show up in the actual restaurant when it opens. Might want to try it again when the final product is in place but it should be an improvement if they listen to the feedback.