NoRTH

Really atrocious service, food was ok

I've been to North 3 or 4 times over the past several years.  Just recently Christmas Eve.  My friend and I went to the lights at the Botanic Gardens.  A light snow falling and a beautiful evening, our thought was the very famous bar in the area but it was closed.   Next was a boutique hotel which I've given a good review in the past.  However, we were in their very small restaurant and waited for over 15 minutes and no one even acknowledged us.  Okay, understood the night before Christmas.  

So, we walked over to North.   It was pretty empty but we were greeted with a huge hello from the bar staff where we sat.  They let us know that the kitchen was about to close but didn't rush us at all.  Kudos!  We ordered pizza.  While we waited they brought us bread with their butter.  The bread was good but they did let us know they ran out of "their" bread because their regular vendor didn't come because they thought they were closed.  The bread was actually from Whole Foods next door.  It was all good, but if you are looking for fresh bread made at the restaurant, go somewhere else.  

The pizza was good, had a lot of greens on it.  Another  friend didn't like so much on a previous visit. as well.   Personally, I dig any where that I can sneak in greens and it tastes good.  The pizza was tasty.  I like a thin crust but both times I've had the pizza it was a little too thin.  Cracker thin is not what I'm looking for.  I wanted it thin but a tad doughy as well.  

Overall, the food was probably a 3-3.5 star but given the ambiance and service, I give it a 4 star.  I'm all about the total experience.

I really enjoyed my meal at North (despite the weird capitalization of its name) when I went with wife and friends for my birthday dinner.  We tried the Zucca chips based on recommendations here, and they were very light and airy to the point where I couldn't even taste the zucchini, though my favorite appetizer was the calamari, which was battered with tempura to make it even more delicious than other places.  I really enjoyed the chicken & prosciutto, and my wife's pizza was also very good.

Everyone enjoyed the food, though there were some complaints later about the abundance of garlic in certain dishes, the wine list was good, and the portions were nicely sized.  The staff was very attentive, and the waiter even comped my dessert when someone told him we were there for my birthday.  

I recommend this place for a great dinner out, though parking can be touch-and-go sometimes.