J. Lawrence N.
Yelp
I love Carmine. And, until tonight, I loved coming to Portofino. It has always been a welcoming and great place to grab a good Italian meal. But, George not only ruined our night, but he did so with such unprofessional behavior and rudeness that it would be hard to return back without feeling resentment for the inexcusable treatment.
With Tuscan Hills, which serves up exquisite Italian cuisine, with top notch service, only feet away, you'd think Portofino would do better by its customers, especially those of us who have loyally been coming here for years.
We first started coming here was just over two years ago. Usually we go there for dinner, but lately we've also been doing quick drive bys for a pizza and salad while out running errands. We've always enjoyed it. Carmine is the king of the place, and makes everyone feel welcome and at home. He is part of what makes this place a hot spot and the legend that it has become.
But I think George has been there a bit too long because he clearly has issues. A lot of issues.
First of all, I think it sums it up when your server and the restaurant "manager" spends more than a half hour sitting in the dining room off to the side on his cell phone the entire time. Classless.
But we were having a perfectly wonderful meal. We chose to go casual and just grab a small pizza and Caesar salad, as Jayson is still recovering from his trip to the ER after pulling his back out. at Lately, it's been a bit hit and miss. Sometimes it doesn't really feel like the rest of the staff puts much effort into things. They simply try to get by on their longevity in the area.
Service in the pizza area is typically pretty good. The guy who works the parlor is pretty attentive, which is not that easy since they do a considerable amount of take out and delivery. A+ there.
The individual pizzas are the perfect size, and they are some of the best in the area. I've even been known to stop by during the day and use it as my office away from the office.
I'm not sure why George took our table since 1) it takes away from the guy who actually waits on the table, and 2) he was too preoccupied with his cell phone, 3) resting his head on the table near by and 4) watching videos on his phone.
At the end of the meal, Jayson decided to try one of the desserts from the display. One bite in, it tasted stale and as if it had been there for a week or two. It was not fresh and it tasted vile. Jayson is not one to send back a dessert, so it had to be bad.
You would have thought we just ran over a group of children the way George reacted to Jayson sending the dessert back. He was rude about it and argued with Jayson, almost refusing to take it off the bill.
I've never, ever encountered a restaurant who reacted like that to a customer dissatisfied with a dessert or anything, especially for valid reasons. Jayson works in a fine dining restaurant in Manhattan. We dine out five nights a week, at some of New York's best bistros. This should have been a no brainer, and without controversy.
He was rude and completely made something out of nothing. It ruined our night and was inexcusable for anyone in the service industry to react like that or treat a customer with such disdain and disgust. It's even worse when it's an alleged manager doing it, and someone who's been a server at this particular place for a decade.
What has always made Portofino so alluring is it's old-school charm, harking back to the days before social media, when all the hoopla happens the minute you walk through the door and you're treated like family.
As much as I adore Carmine and our times at Portofino, tonight will be the last time we come here. There are much better places who want our business, and treat customers with dignity and respect.
