If you want to be ripped off like the dumb tourist they think you to be, absolutely come here. 4 courses (6 if you count the amuse bouche & extra dessert) in 1 hour 15 minutes, at a pace that clearly said “eat & get out”. The service was very attentive up until the very early point we ordered our meals & wine and then all but evaporated. This place is CLEARLY exploiting its established & highly regarded (4.5-5 stars) status on multiple vetted tourist resources, including Rick Steve’s. It’s time for Rick to update his guidebooks, we came here because it was one of the 3 high end meal options and was also praised on TripAdvisor. The food quality was on par w/ a high end New Jersey wedding circa 2002- fancy presentation gimmicks but basic wedding food that came out cold & somewhat dry on top. As soon as we finished a course, the plates would be whisked away and within minutes, the next course was down. The zucchini blossom appetizer I ordered was a single blossom filled w/ simple ricotta fried in a thick batter reminiscent of funnel cake & served w/ pickled red onions. There had been mentioned ham & dried tomatoes but there was none. The pasta course had no texture, was not freshly prepared, and had 2 1/2 tiny shrimp (the size of the tip of my thumb, more a garnish than ingredient). The fish description was fantastic; what I received was one bland but decently prepared piece atop a soggy piece over macerated pieces of potato & a scant amount of zucchini sauce w/ some dried out, cold, thinly sliced baby zucchini. Every course served had clearly been waiting in the wings to be whisked out. The salt shaker (which I had wanted) did not work & there wasn’t a pepper shaker or offer of pepper. The dessert (12€ a selection- do yourself a favor, get a gelato next door & set the other €7 on fire) was a joke. An older male waiter said “best tiramisu in Italy” as he set it down... it wasn’t even tiramisu. Dry chocolate cake(??) circles layered w/ tiramisu-style mascarpone in a stylized fashion. We came here for the reported beautiful, traditional dishes (nothing was traditional & the plating was a dated, annoying attempt at being impressive), family owned quality & history. The tiramisu comment put me over the edge because it’s knowingly deceptive. I would say they were having an off night, but that was clearly not the case. It’s a well-oiled machine. 3 glasses of wine (would you like the red or the white?) and wedding food for €135. If you’d like the dining equivalent of a Thomas Kinkade painting, make your reservation pronto.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8375 posts
This experience clearly has upset you greatly. You made your very first post on this forum so that you could tell everyone about it.
I’m sorry for you. I hope the rest of your trip is/was much happier.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Yes, it did & I didn’t want someone else to inadvertently waste a meal & an evening in this beautiful place! Il Buco was a gorgeous experience, Franco’s pizzeria was the absolute best, and our hotel the Palazzo Marziale was a sheer joy. Beautiful trip overall.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
And yet, trip advisor and yelp reviews show 4 and 5 star ratings so that's odd. The remark about a New Jersey wedding was a bit snotty, I thought.
Posted by
3245 posts
Your first and only review on TripAdvisor is the same one you posted here.
Was this your first restaurant experience in Europe?
My family in New Jersey has had some pretty nice wedding food.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5262 posts
I love 2002 NJ Wedding Food!
Posted by
California USA
3951 posts
And don’t google the restaurant and look at the 199 pictures of other people’s plated food...You’ll see that not all customers are having the same quantity of food from night to night (2 large shrimp vs 6 small shrimp, 1 batter dipped squash blossom vs 2, 10 mussels vs ?) but you will have a better pre dining experience of what to expect in the foods’ presentation, something the OP didn’t think was up to current standards.
Posted by
Last Frontier aka Alaska 🏔️
3226 posts
Perhaps you should consider a new career as a food critic. I thought your review was well written.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
It was well written but it has a nasty edge to it, not entirely necessary in an honest review. Just a bit over the top with the outrage.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23267 posts
Except that I have no idea as to your credibility. For me, a first time poster with a long rant and a duplicate of posting on another site, just strikes me as someone trying to dish dirt. Sorry it didn't meet your expectations.
...The service was very attentive up until the very early point we ordered our meals & wine and then all but evaporated....
That is closer to the European standard. Get the job done and stand back. Personally I am not a big fan of waiters constantly asking, "How is the food?" "Is it tasty?" "Do you want more water" And I hate the waiter that clears the plates of the person who finishes early.
We may have different standards as to what constitutes good service.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7297 posts
That's interesting, I thought Il Buco was precious (I mean that negatively) and current-American-fine-dining styled. The ingredients were certainly good, but the huge cash outlay was not necessary in a country full of fine food. It's true that dining in Sorrento runs the gamut. It is a good location for getting the last tender back to your cruise ship!
It's been written (referring back to Leo Tolstoy ... ) that all Five Star reviews are identical, all One-Star Flames are furious in their own way.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32747 posts
who is Thomas Kinkade and what are his paintings like?
Posted by
Minnesota 🎒
15807 posts
Here ya go, Nigel:
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/may/09/thomas-kinkade-dark-death-painter
"King of twee" is a fitting description.
Posted by
Coeur d'Alene
375 posts
I appreciate your review because it was specific in what didn’t measure up. Loved the Kinkade reference.
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
557 posts
I liked this review. Very well done and I know exactly the feeling of being ripped off that inspired it.
Posted by
northern CA
2458 posts
When there are a lot of choices to choose from at dinner time, I appreciate having reviews that do more than tell me a place has a crowd-sourced 4.5 stars: 'good spot for seeing and being seen' 'great for families' 'younger crowd' 'creative atmosphere' or what have you -- that's what we depend upon concierges and guidebooks to give us -- I've mentioned the fine folks who run the RS-recommended Hotel Amadeus in Sevilla: they know all the best places to send you for dinner, but who are you precisely? A foodie? Three-generation family group? Night owl? Their answer will, hopefully, be tailored accordingly.
Sometimes a 3-star spot is better for what I'm after than a 5-star spot, depending on what I'm after. One factor in considering the place in the OP is volume and turnover -- if you want made-to-order dishes and close attention, find a place with fewer chairs. The RS tours promote themselves as half-a-busload rather than a full busload, but maybe half-a-busload is still too big. I remember a creperie run by an old widow and her North African helper alone -- when the pan of clafouti was out, that was it, dessert was done.
sorry for mixing up countries