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La Taverna


dazedconfused92037

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My wife and I went to La Taverna the other night. I wasn't super hungry so I ordered a tuna salad of sorts and a bowl of minestrone soup. The salad came first and was really big. I called the waiter over (the gringo type waiter with the bad attitude who's been bounced from several other eating establishments around town) and told him to cancel the soup. He comes back a few minutes later and tells me that it's already prepared and I have to take it.

This is a 35 peso bowl of soup. I'm not going to make a scene over 35 pesos. So I said OK. Here's the deal- - -it's not like they specially prepared a bowl of soup for one. There's a big honkin pot of the stuff. They ladle it into a bowl and serve it. So it's kind of insulting to one's intelligence to say that it's "already prepared". Good will and common sense would have dictated that they simply pour it back in the pot and go on to the next case. But no. That whopping 35 pesos was just toooooooooo much to resist. $2.80 in USD was just the difference in profit and loss for the place. Nonsense.

So in the interest of glomming that 35 pesos they lose me as a customer. And I do a post on here about the experience. Someone might read it and think before they patronize the place. There's a lot of good Italian places around these days. And one's just down the street from La Taverna.

Common sense and stupidity are miles apart. Particularly in Mexico!

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We hardly ever go to La Taverna simply and specifically because of that same waiter, even though its located close to us. Its a wonder the owner there doesn't realize how many customers that guy has cost him. I'm sure we're not the only ones who dread being seated in his section. His attitude is terrible and I resent having to tip him when we get stuck with him.

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Guest Gringal

We hardly ever go to La Taverna simply and specifically because of that same waiter, even though its located close to us. Its a wonder the owner there doesn't realize how many customers that guy has cost him. I'm sure we're not the only ones who dread being seated in his section. His attitude is terrible and I resent having to tip him when we get stuck with him.

Has anyone spoken to the manager about this?

I went there once when we first moved here. Ordered a caesar salad and a pizza. The salad was good. The pizza was terrible. Adios. There are good pizzas in this town. Add a waiter with a bad attitude and you have a real loser. <_<

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Well, after all the praise some folks on here have given La Taverna, I'm happy to hear the truth. Here's my take on the place from my experience and others.

I've been here 8 years and went there about 7 years ago. I had a spaghetti or linguine dish with red sauce. God awful sauce, the WORST I've ever had anywhere here or in the US. It was so hot from chiles in it, I could hardly eat it. I swore off the place and agreed to return a couple years ago with our Dinner group. The sauce was better, not spicy, but still was NOT good. This guy is from Livorno Italy. You'd think he would know what he's doing. My friend and I make authentic Italian sauce that puts his to shame.

I had another instance related to me when some friends went there with guests and were served Lamb that was so tough, it was like shoe leather. Then when these people complained, the owners gave them a hard time.

Wonderful way to run a business.

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Guest Gringal

Hmmm....just wanted to say La Taverna is one of our favorite restaurants in the Area. I love the Italian food; it really reminds me of Italy. Also, we like the snot-nosed gringo waiter. Just our opinion, but we like him.

Just curious...what's to like in a "snot nosed" waiter? :unsure:

And...which other Italian restaurants in this area have you tried for comparison?

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Hmmm....just wanted to say La Taverna is one of our favorite restaurants in the Area. I love the Italian food; it really reminds me of Italy. Also, we like the snot-nosed gringo waiter. Just our opinion, but we like him.

I second the post by Cyn2. It's one of our favorite places. Just an FYI - The waiter mentioned moved down here because his grandmother lives here. Now he's married to a Mexican girl and has one child - even though he looks quite young. The chef is the wife - not the husband!

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Very sorry to hear about the OP's experience and I think if I'd been treated that way I might not go back either. The waiter was way out of line and is clearly a liability given the numerous reports of snotty service from him.

We've probably eaten at La Taverna a dozen times over the past 5 years and for what it's worth have never had a bad meal or service. Having spent a lot of time in Italy we appreciate that it is real Italian - not Italian-American - food. About the only way it could be more uncompromising would be for them to do as the Italians do and serve pasta only as a first course in small portions and insist you order a secondi of meat or fish - and then they surely would go out of business!

To John's point about the sauce (made ad nauseum here): they have many different sauces, not one sauce, and you'd have to have ordered pasta arrabiata to get a red sauce with chili in it (they are so NOT into catering to the Mexican penchant for chile on and in everything they won't even give you hot pepper flakes for your pizza). If you want red sauce, red-and-white checkered vinyl tablecloths, Chianti in flasks and a side of starch with your starch you should have stayed home and stuck with Olive Garden. Say what you will about the one bad waiter, but this is authentic Italian food folks and we're damn lucky to have it here.

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Kevin K - I would never order pasta arrabiata because it would be way too spicy for me.

Are you Italian and do you make your own sauce the way your Scicilian father taught you to do it? NOT. But I do. Everyone in our Dinner group will not eat there, yet they have eaten at our house time after time after time with sincere compliments every time. I can ASSURE you that he does NOT make sauce the old world way. Too much time involved cooking down the sauce.

If any of you want REAL Italian food, go to Angelica's Bistro just before Panino on the same side of the street. Pablo makes his own sauces and has frozen handmade Ravioli, etc.

If you've been here long enough, you'll remember that Pablo was the owner of La Traviata in the location where Roberto's is now.

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We've probably eaten at La Taverna a dozen times over the past 5 years and for what it's worth have never had a bad meal or service. Having spent a lot of time in Italy we appreciate that it is real Italian - not Italian-American - food. About the only way it could be more uncompromising would be for them to do as the Italians do and serve pasta only as a first course in small portions and insist you order a secondi of meat or fish - and then they surely would go out of business!

We always order a salad or antipasta, a pasta, a meat/fish/poultry dish, and a dessert to share--and they do seem to appreciate it.

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I go there when I want good veal Marsala, and I like the waiter in mention. I think what it boils down to is that some people go to restaurants looking for trouble (you know the people who always complain,send their food back, and connot be satisfied), and some people go with the expectation of a good meal and time out. Having eating in all the restaurants scores of times over many years I know that there will be bad experiences from time-to-time in every restaurant.

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