Ambrogio Restaurant

Unfortunately, it appears the place was sold and has become a Mexican restaurant.  Haven't eaten there so I can't comment on it.

I know the restaurant has been around for years but I do believe it has new ownership. Regardless, my family ordered one of the the specials they had advertised 2 large pizzas with one topping and 24 wings for $25. I was a bit hesitant because there are a few pizza places in the area we all really like but figured we'd give them a shot and maybe find another pizza we'd like. Well sadly it was disappointing. The pizzas were very doughy (we like a much thinner crust) and they were not consistent. One was over cooked and the other undercooked. the dough may have even been a little raw in the center. The wings were eh maybe even a little over fried. Not very impressed. I'll stick to the pizzas I know and love from now on.

What the hell happened?!?!  This was my fail safe, go to for home-style Italian cooking but after my experience last night, I may never go back.  So the night went like this- My very sweet girlfriend wanted to treat me to dinner as a celebration to the end of my PT (fear not friends, I am A-OK. That review is coming soon too).  For months, she has heard my brag about Ambrogio's and finally wanted to partake in my seemingly endless praise.  Instead of praise, I was embarrassed!

First off, we walk into an empty restaurant (not unusual for a Friday early evening at Ambrogio's) and are greeted... uh somewhat, by a boy in his early teens.  I don't judge, as I was in his shoes at one point, but he was ultra quiet and shy, so that set the tone for the evening.  After about 10 minutes of sitting, waiting for service, another woman brought us bread from the back.  Albeit still warm and as I remember, she brought it out with butter!  I politely asked for the olive oil and garlic, and to her credit, she promptly brought it out and it started bringing the night back, until we ordered 2 glasses of Pinot Grigio- First off, the wine was room temperature and second my glass was cracked.  I wanted to complain, but our server was nowhere to be found. Sad to say, this was the case most of our visit.

We decided to suck it up and go ahead with ordering bruschetta as an appetizer. about 15 minutes later it came out.  I have to say, not bad. Fresh tomatoes, nice spices, but the bread was soggy with butter.  I would have ate it with the bread rolls they served with dinner, but my server was nowhere to be found, so I couldn't order more.  Besides, he was too shy to talk to for more than a minute, but he was nice.

Next came what I was waiting for- Beans Escarole!  I was stoked, I was craving it, I was... Shocked!  What is it doing in a very oily tomato base??? This isn't what I came to know from Ambrogio's!  Then after two bites I found what appeared to be "fat" floating in the soup.  What the hell is fat doing in a vegetable based soup?  My girlfriend ordered a salad, but fared worse.  It was room temperature and loaded with canola oil and red wine vinegar... The "Italian dressing."  The only hope was the main course.

Nope.  I ordered Chicken Vesuvio and she ordered Spaghetti and Meatballs.  Upon it arriving to the table I noticed something very disturbing- my whole plate was fried!  This was NEVER how Ambrogio's prepared it.  They use to make sure the chicken was baked with the potatoes and married up with garlic and spices in a nice sauce- not this time.  I was left with tough greasy, fried chicken and potatoes covered in olive oil and chunks of garlic.  The Spaghetti and Meatballs were missing the meatballs, the pasta was overcooked and the marinara sauce was clearly out of the can.  Needless to say, we immediately sent it back (which is something I seldom do) and shared my disappointment with the chef.  To his credit, he offered to make us other dishes, but at this point we were an hour into our visit, frustrated, disappointed and still very hungry.  

Fellow Yelpers, I am sorry for praising this place so much and potentially sending innocent foodies into a false promise.  Clearly they have changed drastically from what I knew and loved in my heart. It was very embarrassing for me, but it made for a bittersweet memory.  I really hope they find their way and bring back the good stuff.