Firenze Ristorante Italiano

02/22/2008 Posted by chefsgirl

My husband and I both really enjoy the food at Firenze. What we have not enjoyed is the inconsistant service and variable pricing. We have found that when we come in with several friends (ie - we are a large party) we are treated extremely well. When it is just the two of us, we find that we are lucky if we get our water glasses refilled. As for pricing, I tend to order the same four or five dishes. Each time, I have been charged a different price. The most embarressing incident was when I suggested to my work team that we have our lunch meeting at the restaurant. The five us of all had wildly varying charges for our meals. Why do we go back? Because the food is really, really good. Very fresh pasta, top quality ingredients, and amazingly consistant quality. That having been said, I think the next time we have a craving, we will order our food to go.

Pros: Fantastic food

Cons: inconsistant service, variable pricing

11/01/2007 Posted by crazyfist

I am owner of a restaurant and, I used to work as a server for many years. I have many years of experience in restaurant business and this is purely my opinion. I've read most of the reviews about restaurants and some people are being unreasonable and some can actually understand value of a restaurant as a money making business. If you order in a restaurant glass of water and two salads or pasta split, you can not expect "red carpet" treatment. Restaurateurs are in the food making business and if you are not making profit, it is hard to welcome you back with smile and open arms. They're pushing specials, because it cost a lot of money to get fish or steak, and profit is not as great as a price you're end up paying. If you want to experience a great treatment and good time in any restaurant, the best advise I can give you is SPEND MONEY! If you can't afford go out and eat, stay home!Neverthless,I do agree that service should be outstanding and you should feel welcome and have a great time. Although, you can't aspect servers do all the entertaining and you as a customer can't even answer to a simply question as "how are you?" I came across to many customers, that required what we call in food industry “special treatment", and ask you to modify their food and they ask you for something else every time you come to table, and that is difficult to do when you have 6 or 7 tables at the same time. And in the end they barely give you 15%tip, that is just hard to make a server smile when he see you next time. It is a hard business and I am not trying to make excuses but there is always two sides to every story. Some people expect to get a lot for almost nothing. Make a even trade when you come next time to a restaurant and I guarantee you, you will have a great time!

Pros: Great Food+Great Service=Great Experience

Cons: On busy night be prepare to wait

10/11/2007 Posted by stevej_bellevue

Firenze is our family's choice for Italian on the Eastside because of its dynamic range. You can dress it up with its white table cloth-draped tables, or go casual in jeans and bring the kids. Salvatore (the owner) is always around to welcome back old friends and welcome new customers. His waitstaff are efficient and always willing to get you what you need. Half orders, family-style service, can we sit over there, "no mushrooms on that", or split-and-marry have been "no problem" whenever we've asked for things like this. Assume the best, and you will have a good time here. One note-- on super busy nights, the kitchen can get swamped and the waitstaff scrambles. That's the time to keep it simple and start with a great bottle of wine and make a real evening of it with them, it will turn out great. The front of the house will make you feel at home regardless of the situation, but the FOOD is the real reason to go to Firenze. This is not the place where you'll find dulled-down Americanized Italian food. It's Tuscan, always made fresh, and there is a huge range. Definitely try the Tomato Bean soup (takes 20 minutes, made to order each time.) Spaghetti Bolognese is really meaty and delicious. Penne Gorgonzola is light on the sauce, but the sauce packs flavor-- really memorable. Spaghetti Carbonara made to order, no creme, very good. Also look for a special fresh fish or beef recipe of the day. Desserts are basic (gelatos, which are more like ices) in their citrus fruit shells-- but maybe are just enough after you've stuffed yourself because you couldn't stop. Good Italian wine selection-- you don't need to break the bank to get out of the house wine and into a Ruffino Chianti, or maybe a Barolo, Amarone, or maybe a Brunello. Salvatore has high-end wines from other countries on hand (Opus 1 from CA, and 1st growth left bank Bordeaux), for special occasions. Firenze has delivered for us consistently for the last 10 years. Highly recommended.

Pros: freshly-made preparations, staff establish relationship with customer, owner available

Cons: can get super busy, kitchen throughput can be maxed

08/10/2007 Posted by mandolin82

We have been here twice, both times hoping for the best since we'd love a great Italian restaurant close to our house. To tell you the truth the service was so bad I don't remember how the food was. The first time the service was bad with a surly waiter. We decided that every restaurant has an off night/employee so we decided to try again. The second time has actually made a funny memory for my husband and me. The waiter spent all his time "serving" the group of lovely young women who looked and dressed like they had just arrived from California. He so blatently ignored us that it became a joke. Too bad, we usually tip quite well. Needless to say we won't give it another try.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Atrocious, rude service

05/07/2007 Posted by tsboy

The food was ok, but as the other reviewers have mentioned, we were overcharged for the dinner. What we thought was going to be a $70 meal came up to a whopping $110 excluding tips. It's the last time we're ever going there for an Italian dinner.

02/10/2007 Posted by jkcddd

We have been to this restaurant twice. The 1st time was a delightful experience with excellent food and attentive service. I believe the owner or manager (who is from Florence, Italy) was there and very charming and friendly. Thinking this was a nice Italian restaurant to bring the Italian family visiting from NJ, we returned. The food was again excellent however, the service was very surley, bordering on rude and then they overcharged us on the final bill. We brought this to the waiter's attention and the young manager's attention and they snickered and laughed and refused to adjust the bill. May I add that the charming owner/manager from our 1st visit was not there that evening. Needless to say, due to the poor service, we will never return nor would I recommend to any friends.

12/19/2006 Posted by brucehuy

Let me start by saying I actually like the food, the ambiance and the service. Unfortunately the waiters seem to be overcharging on food items to give themselves a bigger tip. Of the last 2 times I've been there, I noticed that many items were being charged $1-$3 more then the menu price. When you multiply that by 2-3 items per person, it really adds up! The last time I was there for lunch I had the Tortellini Alla Panna (menu price $11.95) and a side caesar the size of a bread plate (menu price $2.50). The lunch was delicious, service was adequate and expeditious, but when the waiter brought the check he had charged me $13.50 for the pasta and $5.50 for the side caesar. When you factor in the tax, he had charged me an extra $5 or 31%!!! Unless you're willing to pay a premium, it's simply not worth the hassle.

Pros: Good food, good ambience, adequate service

Cons: Waiters overcharge above menu price

11/19/2006 Posted by tygirljojo

This is where we typically go for a nice dinner. My boyfriend is picky about his Italian food (he grew up with Northern Italian cooking) and this has been his favorite Italian restaurant in this area for years. As another reviewer mentioned, you might not expect much from this place considering it's almost right next to a movie theater and a part of a mall, but the inside decor is definitely meant for couples looking for fine dining. The food has always been great - if they have steak on special those typically tend to be very good. Prices are very reasonable for the regular pasta dishes (or even the specials) especially when you compare their prices to that of places like Olive Garden. Only difference is here you get more authentic Italian fare. If you go in simply for a pasta dish and a drink, you'll get out with a reasonable bill, or if you're like us and go in for a special occasion, you'll get out with a slightly larger bill but also enjoy the meal so much more as we typically start wtih a salad and end with tiramisu and a couple glasses of port. If you plan on going here for a special holiday (i.e. Valentine's Day) I can guarantee you won't get in without a reservation. If it's a normal weekday (or even sometimes weekend) night, reservations shouldn't be necessary. Service has always been good, of course on those special busy nights, it may take a bit of time, but then again, it'll be the same anywhere else you go on nights like that. I really do not know if my review can do this place justice. All I can say is, if you enjoy northern Italian cusine and have the mindset of a European (where they don't "rush, rush, rush" like us) you'll more than likely find a new favorite place here.

Pros: FOOD, atmosphere

Cons: Location

05/24/2005 Posted by wasmik

I just happened on this place by accident and was very pleasantly surprised. Having just gotten back from a trip to Italy, I was not expecting much from this unassuming place in a strip mall. The food was top notch...one caveat is that I've only been there once, and have only tried one dish (beef tortellini with proscuitto) and ceasar salad. I tried a couple bites of the chicken w/ gorgonzola sauce. Both were so good, that I will be coming back very soon. Also, this place is NOT EXPENSIVE. I don't understand the $$$$. Everything was reasonably priced (pastas ~$13, meat ~$16-$25)

Pros: Easy Parking, Casual, Inexpensive

10/23/2003 Posted by leejo

Though the ambience is still there, the food is not. I was almost dismayed enough to have them send back the calamari spaghetti, it was al dente but the sauce was obviously burned (tomato sauce does not taste so good blackened) and the calamari had freezer burn. My prawns were a little on the small side for prawns in an unlively sauce... and all this for the low price of $40.00! (overpriced). Firenze, which should be called, Sicily, maybe, offers Sicilian food - which is different from Tuscan cooking. Unfortunately the quality has gone down hill dramatically. They should spend some time refocusing on their cooking efforts.

Pros: restaurant ambience, good parking

Cons: poor quality , expensive