Fratelli's

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• 1

  This was by far the worst dining experience I’ve had in the 23 years of my life. I was here with my extended family to celebrate my grandmothers 80th birthday. When ordering drinks we were informed that since I have a PA license that is vertical they would not serve me alcohol. I am 23 and have a valid license from PA where it is common to have a vertical license until 24 because our license are valid for 4 years. The manager came over and lied to us when he stated that it was a state law to deny service of alcohol to anyone with a vertical license. (Which it is not http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/lcb/index.cfm?ID=110 ) We were obviously not happy about this but at the time we believed it was state law and a few members of our party just asked to cancel their drink orders (before they got to the table). Within a minute or so drinks were brought to the table including the ones that had been canceled. The manager came along with them and a combative attitude and stated he would not cancel the order and that the drinks would be on the bill. He said something along the lines of (The drinks will be on the bill. As a manager I have to take into account losses and I will not be responsible for the cost of those drinks.) He then continued in accusing me of not being responsible saying “If I was responsible I would already have a horizontal license”. (I find it particularly annoying now knowing this policy is in fact not a law but only a common store policy in Maryland. Furthermore the fact that a manager who doesn’t even know his states liquor laws called me irresponsible is a bit absurd.) At this point the managers combative nature and verbal insult of me sent me over the edge and I regrettably responded with “f*** you, don’t call me irresponsible” Then I and three other members of our party were told we were being kicked out and that there were plenty of other people who would like to have our table. Had I not been there myself I would have gladly left before it got to this point. When my grandfather came over to talk to the manger to try and defuse the situation the manager pulled back violently yelling don’t touch me. I don’t know what was said between the two of them but the situation was diffused and those who weren’t too worked up to eat had their meal but the evening was obviously ruined. I will never understand the manager’s combative attitude or his refusal to cancel a drink order before it even hits the table, or his lack of knowledge of what is law and what is store policy. This drama would have been easily avoided had the manager not come out with a combative attitude, and simply stated it is store policy and canceled drink orders for those who requested it. We would not have been very happy with their policy but the situation would not have escalated from there.

  Posted on 09.29.14 cm5231

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• 1

  This is a work place of very unhappy people. The 24 year old owner George  has an anger issue. He frequently harasses his employees . Your brought back into his office for a demeaning "f- this,f- that" screaming until he feels satisfied in his Napolian fashion.
  He is uneducated and never went to culinary school . Yet he will take responsibility for the meal.there have been many people from cooks,bar tenders to waiters that have quit.others unhappily putting up with it. If you have a young adult wanting a job do not send them here or you will be dealing with a very stressed out child. I suspect the behavior of this young man is going to escalate over time and this business is going to suffer. I have hired a labor lawyer to look into his harassing behavior. This is a bipolar individual preparing your food or the food for your children. Ask around town there are many ex employees in the Hampstead area that will support my impression of this owner.i hate to say he has bad genetics but the complaints about the rude woman at the front on other blogs is his mother. And she is a bitch.

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  Posted on 02.15.13 Pip Z.

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  This place is pretty awesome. I arrived and was greeted with a smile. I asked to be seated by the bar so I can watch some TV while I had my lunch. The bar tender immediately approached me and asked what I would like to drink. I did not come here for a drink but I couldn't turn down the offer. After reviewing the menu for a couple of minutes, I've decided to start off with the prosciutto wrapped asparagus and take on the godfather panini. So here's the break down:
  
  Beer: Ice cold Heineken - Perfect
  Prosciutto wrapped asparagus: The prosciutto was a bit on the salty side but the asparagus balanced it off very well. Yummy.
  Godfather panini: Not too big, not too small, just the right size! Crab cake, cheese, a mustardy-tartar sauce, united together in a panini.... need I say more? You can't go wrong with that combination.
  Dessert: N/A (I did not have room for dessert)
  
  Check them out!

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  Posted on 12.06.12 David L.

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  We were excited to hear of a new restaurant opening in Hampstead, although a third mediocre Italian is not quite what the town needed. The promise of homemade pasta and seafood dishes was alluring, so we tried it on three separate occasions. General consensus is that the service and decor are good (not fantastic), and the food is just OK.
  
  On two of the three occasions the older woman at the hostess stand was rude and unaccommodating. We requested a booth on one occasion, and she told us we couldn't sit at a booth, although several were clearly open. Another time, she was clearly annoyed that our party included 3 children, although it was not a busy time at all. This is a family community and the management will do well to remember that.
  
  Regarding the food, I am pleased with the choice of kids' menu items (although there is no actual kids' menu...).  My daughter enjoyed the fettuccine Alfredo. My cheese ravioli were OK, but the chicken Parmagiana was very greasy. On another visit, I had the chicken Marsala, which was awful. The chicken was over-floured and gummy, and the Marsala sauce was thick and bland. The entrees are pricey for the offering.
  
  We will give Fratelli's some more time to get their act together, and perhaps give it another try. The location is convenient and the inception is promising.  For the most part, when we want passable Italian we'll head down the road a mile or two.

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  Posted on 11.26.12 Shannan E.

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  Fratelli's opened up about a month ago and my wife and I wanted to try it. It always has been busy so we did not get go until recently where my wife, her family and I decided to give it a shot for her birthday dinner. We had a relatively large party (7) so we made a reservation earlier in the day.
  
  We arrived right at the time of our reservations and were told our table was not quite ready. Seems the party at our table was taking a little longer than expected. It was a busy Saturday night and there were probably about 7-8 people waiting for tables. It was no big deal as we waited about 10 minutes before we were called.
  
  The wait gave me a chance to look around. The decor is probably the classiest in Hampstead...which isn't really saying much but still a compliment. The decor is contemporary in earthy colors with dim lighting. The bar is nicely sized with 2-3 tables and 2 flat screen TVs. There were only 3 beers on tap which was disappointing but one of them was the Sam Adams Seasonal (Winter Lager), which pleased me.
  
  We were a bit disappointed to be seated a booth that probably is best seating 4 but can seat 6...oh wait, 7 if you stick a chair on the end. There was enough room on the table but everyone was shoulder to shoulder on the benches. Once the plates and the bottomless breadsticks and salad came, it became a shuffling game to move things around without spilling drinks. It was manageable, it was a busy night and we were a significant size party so I can't complain too much but it just wasn't ideal.
  
  The claim to fame for Fratelli's is their pasta which is made fresh daily on the premises. They even have the pasta machine on display in an alcove off the dining room. As you may have read from my other reviews, I'm not big on pasta so I got a pizza but the rest of my party got pasta. 2 people got the Seafood Primavera made with Fra Diavolo sauce, another got the same dish with the marinara sauce, another got the Shrimp Gypsy and another got the Lasagna. The consensus from those was that the marinara sauce tasted like it was out of a jar. The noodles were relatively flavorless and the meat/seafood did not taste seasoned. The lasagna apparently tasted good but it looked like it was microwaved with half melted cheese on top and it was cold in the middle. The portion sizes were hearty.  I was relatively pleased with my pizza. Different than the other places in town, they serve a deep dish style pizza (think Pizzeria Unos). It wasn't the greatest I had but it was good to satisfy a craving for deep dish.
  
  I will say that the service was good. Our waitress (Kellie, I think) was on point and there when we needed her. One weird thing that I chalk up to their stupid POS system was when we paid the check. We wanted to split up the check amongst 3 cards. In any other restaurant I've been to, this is not an issue. She returned with the receipts and noted that we could only add a tip to one of the cards (we told her to put an amount on 2 of the cards and the balance on the 3rd - the 3rd was the one we could add tip). If I had known that beforehand, I would have calculated tip into the original amount but I was forced to go to the bar to get change so we could leave her a decent tip.
  
  Overall, I think Fratelli's will do ok in Hampstead. Their food is average, but as I've found out, Hampstead-ites love their mediocre pasta (see my New York J & P review). I think their food could be much better if they seasoned it better. Their decor and bar area is much nicer than their competition. Service wise as long as they keep it up, I'll come back for a deep dish pizza and perhaps when I (or more likely my wife) has the odd pasta craving.

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  Posted on 11.21.12 Brian S.

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  Well I was hoping for a decent restaurant in Hampstead.  Fratelli's is not it.  The food is edible but only barely.  The waitress was wonderful, very helpful and friendly.  The music was obnoxious.......tinny and a little too kitschy Italian (just like the cheesy decor).  I can handle bad decor and music but the food is pretty bad.  And the prices for the quality were a little high.  The quantity was good if that's what you're after.  The wine list was very limited.  Ok - now to the food..........my husband's chicken was very tender, the crab cake had a distinct mayo/vinegar taste but the meat was nice and chunky.  My salad had a very bottled vinegary dressing on it that almost made the salad inedible (and a chunk of hard as rock tomato) - the salad included ONE olive, ONE pepperoncini, a couple slices of cucumber, the chunk of tomato, and lots of iceberg lettuce with a couple of baby spinach leaves.  The 'bread' sticks could have been made by the Pillsbury doughboy - gummy and not Italian in the least.  The shrimp scampi was not anything to brag about - extremely tart sauce that only hinted at some butter and lots of that familiar vinegary taste.  The shrimp were slightly overdone and the pasta was literally swimming in the sauce.  I try not to set my sights too high when a new restaurant comes to town so it seems par for the course.  I'll keep driving to Timonium to eat........(or Greenmount Station for better crab cakes).

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  Posted on 11.18.12 nancy d.

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  There's a ton of potential to max this place out on a weeknight given it's location; it's a shame that it's not.  The interior decor is wonderful.  I wouldn't change anything on the appearance or even the service.  I was very happy with both my hostess and waiter.
  
  That said, the food is terrible.  It may be that I was there on a bad night, but that isn't an excuse.  I ordered a Gypsy Shrimp dish (Shrimp, black olives, tomatoes over pasta with a white wine sauce) and the noodles were DRENCHED in olive oil/"white wine sauce".  They were so drenched that they actually dripped from the plate to my mouth and I had oil splatter marks all over my shirt.  The sauce did not taste right either.  I can't put my finger on it at the moment, but it just didn't seem to have any flavor other than oil.  Additionally, the shrimp was either over cooked or gone-off or BOTH.  I've never bit into shrimp before where the meat actually crumbled in my mouth like blue cheese.  I ended up spitting it out after freaking out that maybe it had gone off.  My company had the eggplant parm and that was pretty bland as well.  The breading they put on the eggplant as well as their fried zucchini appetizer is not complimentary to the food whatsoever.
  
  I did look around at other tables to see what other local patrons were eating and no lie---there was an entire family that each ordered meatballs and spaghetti.  Maybe that's what they're known for?  I feel the owners could visualize the restaurant they wanted but they aren't doing something right with the food.
  
  Also, there is a dessert cooler on the far wall of the restaurant.  I wouldn't bring this up at all if it weren't for the blinding lights it produced every time a waiter/waitress opened it up.  Plus, I find it curious that so many people are eating dessert, given the amount of times the cooler opened (patrons weren't filled by their dinners?)  They really need to reposition that so customers aren't blinded every time it opens.  Waiters even apologized to me when I gave them the glare.

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  Posted on 11.15.12 Amber A.

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  We tried Fratelli's for the first time last night. We have been looking forward to this restaurant opening since we heard it was coming! Overall, our experience was pretty good.
  
  We were seated right away. The restaurant was very busy. Service was prompt and friendly, although our server seemed very nervous. Entrees come with bottomless salad and bread sticks, which bear a close resemblance to Olive Garden. Very tasty.
  
  For our entrees, we had lasagna and Veal Oscar, both of which are listed on the menu as house specialties. Both entrees were delicious, although the Veal was not what I was expecting. It was literally drowned in sauce. The veal was delicious, the asparagus was cooked perfectly, and the crab meat was plentiful and good. However, it was very difficult to find the crab meat in the white cream sauce. I really could have used about a third of the sauce that was on the plate.
  
  For dessert, we had a very delicious cannoli that was the perfect crispness - I dislike it when the cannolis are obviously made earlier and have taken on a soggy quality. None of that here!
  
  Overall, I give this 4 stars - they lose a star for the imperfect Veal dish. I would not order the Veal Oscar again and would try something else. However, the food was overall delicious and this is a welcome addition to Hampstead. We'll definitely be back.

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  Posted on 11.11.12 Kimberly K.

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  A new restaurant in Hampstead.  Nice decor and the atmosphere is inviting.  I had the lasagna and the meal includes breadsticks and salad.  The prices were reasonable.  The staff was very friendly and very pleasant to deal with.  We met the owner and she was nice to talk to and really is hoping to build a loyal following.  We'll definitely be back for another bite of the apple!

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  Posted on 10.18.12 Mike F.

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