Monday, October 17, 2005

Rossilli's - Findlay, Ohio

Rossilli's
217 South Main Street
Findlay, Ohio 45840

That little known holiday, Sweetest Day, was on Saturday and Andrea chose Rossilli's for our night out on the town. Some friends of ours were in town for Ohio Northern's homecoming weekend and they happily joined us for the night.

We made reservations with no problems for 7:45, not bad when you call at 5. The group headed over early to get a drink at Boo's Lounge, a relaxing martini bar upstairs from Rossilli's. Unfortunately it was closed for a private party so we headed inside.

We were seated immediately, 10 minutes early and had a table in the fast lane. Actually, unless you got a booth, you were directly in the middle of the highway between the kitchen and the bar. This always bothers me some at restaurants, but I never had a sever run into me and the atmosphere was pleasant.

the service was slow but good, a strange mixture of waiting and then being happy with the knowledge and efficiency of the servers.


The drinks:

Andrea (Mrs. Fat Dan) - Shark Bite - This is a martini with Hypnotic. It came with a glow stick in the drink which makes it a little showy. She has had this drink before at Boo's Lounge upstairs and she always enjoys it.

Debbie (College Friend, girlfriend of Sharpe) - Cosmopolitan - This classic drink was a bit too sweet for Debbie. She speculated that they used a premix, which of course is always too heavily sweetened.

Sharpe (College Friend) - Great Lakes Brewing Company Beer (can't remember which variety) - Always a favorite. The waitress rattled off a long list of bottled beers. I am sure they had something for every taste.

Fat Dan - Coke - Don't ask. Long night on Friday, it was best for me to just have a Coke.


The Menu:

The menu had several Italian dished that you won't find anywhere else. It took me at least 15 minutes to decide what I wanted to order because everything sounded fantastic. Of course, price helped in my decision, at this point in my life I cannot afford "Market Price". Unfortunately this cut about 30% of the menu. I would rather see a meal cost $45 than be "Market Price" I am not one for surprises.

The Food:

Andrea (Mrs. Fat Dan) - Chicken Caesar Salad - Bad idea. Tasted great but was the same size as the salads that came with every entree. I guess if you really wanted to starve yourself, or the girl you just met ordered like two dinners at "Market Price" then I guess you should get this.

Debbie (College Friend, girlfriend of Sharpe) - Bowl of Minestrone and a Mozzarella Salad - the minestrone tasted a little like Chef Boyardee. Not bad but not that great, kind'f bland. The salad looked fantastic. It had large chunks of Mozzarella, and I mean real cheese, not like the cheese squares served up daily at your local welfare office. When she had it down to one chunk of cheese and the bus boy asked if she was finished I thought she was going to stab him. She definitely wanted that last piece, so I guess it was tasty.

Sharpe (College Friend) - Blackened Tuna with Asparagus and Cheese Grits - the cheese grits were new to Sharpe and he enjoyed them. They looked good and their were a lot of them. The asparagus had a hollandaise sauce on it, which I assume was good, because if you have ever had a bad sauce you know what I am talking about. The tuna was reportedly fantastic. It looked to be cooked perfectly, seared black on the outside and bright pink to red on the inside. A very good looking dish.

Fat Dan - Meatloaf - I thought this looked a little strange on the menu, and I have found that things that look out of place are usually the best item on the menu because they are special. I don't think I was wrong in this case. The meatloaf was out of this world. It was blackened with some tasty seasonings and then drizzled with a sweet sauce that gave it a candy taste. It came with garlic potatoes which were good, although not as good as some others I have had. The portion was just right as I was completely full after eating all of my meal.


the entrees also all came with a cup of soup and a house salad with a sweet poppy seed dressing that was very good. All of us had the minestrone soup so no news there.

The Bill:

I didn't get to see Sharpe's bill but ours came out to around $33:50 which is not at all bad for the type of meal we had. I was expecting a much higher bill like I would have gotten at Diamond River or somewhere. With tip we walked out at an even $40.


The Grade:
B+ The servers seemed to be rushing everywhere but never getting anything done. There was a long wait for the waitress. The food was fantastic. The price was right.

I recommend it.

7 comments:

Darklawdog said...

I am glad you enjoyed your meal at Rossilli's. They also have a large selection of wines.

The restaruant is to small and there isn't much room. If the place is busy, a person is practically shoulder to shoulder.

I did not think that the food was the greatest, but average at best. I would personally rate it as a C. Not great but not bad.

Anonymous said...

My family ate dinner at Rossilli's on 3-4-06. The service was very slow. After we ordered, we waited at least 20min for our soup, which when it finally came out was cold. After that we waited at least another 15 minutes for a salad, which was good. During my salad I was told the the entree I desired was unavailable and had to choose another. So, I chose chicken marsala, which was NOT good at all. It didn't taste like marsala...it tasted like chicken broth sauce with mushrooms, that were raw, on top, and the side dish was supposed to be some sort of pasta which tasted like fettucine tossed in Campbell's tomato soup. Not good at all! I barely ate half of my meal, which is unusual for me. The evenings special, which is what my husband ordered, was very dissapointing. The "bacon wrapped filet" wasn't wrapped in bacon, and the "crab stuffed shrimp" was one (1) shrimp, and the asparagus was about 6 or 7 very small cut up pieces, not spears. It wasn't $25.00 worth, very dissapointing.
Needless to say....we won't be returning any time soon if ever. Recently, I've had 4 different people tell me that they thought the service and the food were going down hill, but I was hoping their experiences were isolated. Guess not.
We had out of town guests that we wanted to entertain and impress, instead we ended up apologizing to them.

On an up note...the bus staff was very good! and our waitress was good, but she was at the mercy of the kitchen staff.
So sad considering I've always loved Rossilli's, I hate to see them in decline like this :(

Anonymous said...

I suggest that the next time you eat out you try the olive garden because it sounds like its right up your alley, you must not have alot of exeperience in restaurants, I have never had a bad meal or service and I have been dining there for years and just for the record none of the drinks are made with a pre-mix. so check your facts and go somewhere else, I'm sure the loss of your business will bo bankrupt for them.

P.S. Ceaser Salads are for lunch try ordering dinner

Anonymous said...

I am Meg Rossilli and I own Rossilli's restaurant.I would like to respond to anonymous who ate at our place on 3-4-06.
After talking to my waitstaff and looking at our computer reciepts, It wasn't hard to conclude who the table was- So, I would like to address 'anonymous' now.
The party was a party of 6. I block off 2 hours for groups over 4. The 1st. drink order was entered at 7:19 pm. The FINAL ticket was run at 8:49 pm. I dont wish to make this lengthy,I just want to make a point. For 6 people to spend 2 hrs. (1 and a half) in our restaurant, 3 courses at least, on a sat. nite, at prime time dinner hour is considered by most seasoned diners a QUICK meal out!! That being said-
Let me address the nitely special price.(which by the way was a filet topped with a bacon wrapped shrimp Not a bacon wrapped filet)
PLEASE remember, that our price on ALL of our entrees INLUDES- Homemade rolls (which NO one does anymore,Because it is too costly) Homemade soup (which is getting harder to find) AND salad! No other restaurant(that I can think of) offers ALL of that in the price of an entree! I could Mark the entrees at a MUCH lower price- 5 or 6 dollers less, and offer every thing else a la carte 3 dollers for soup, 4 or 5 dollers for salad, But i dont. I think custumers like all that they get in that price! We have considered it though.
I talked to your server at length and in detail about this table and she assured me that NO ONE AT ANY TIME EVER INDICATED THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM WITH ANY THING!!!!!!!!!!! (and no one certainly came to me!!)
IF your soup was cold. WHY DIDNT YOU TELL YOUR SERVER!!! I wouldn't sit in a restaurant with cold soup and i DONT expect my custumers to!!!! Had you told your server,she would have gotten me,I would have gone STRAIGHT to the kitchen and checked the soup warmer.In the busy kitchen maybe the dial got bumped off or the plug accidently kicked out!!! This has happened!
WHY didnt you tell your server the marsala was not good????!!! Again, she would have gotten me and I would have offered you dish. I would NOT have charged you for your marsala! Sometimes, when we are busy with 5 servers serving dinners, we are not aware we are out of something-unfotunatly-until you are into your soup or salad. The kitchen possibly rushed the marsala to get it out to the table at the same time as your guests meals. NOT an excuse, just an explanation. I believe anonymous when she says her dinner was not good. I would not have charged her and I would have apologized,but I was not given the opportunity.
we serve hundreds of meals to hundreds of guests each week. Do we make mistakes? Absolutly. Does food make its way to the dining room that shouldn't? Unfortunatly, yes,sometimes,hopefully seldom.But it happens in every single restaurant!!
I enjoy my custumers and am VERY grateful for there business(especially with so many restaurtants in Findlay) but this is frustrating! How can I help you if I am not aware there is a problem!!!!!!????
It hurts me that you had a negative experience in my restaurant, It really does. But, I think it is unfair to US that you chose not to say ANYTHING to your server OR me then, go home, and express your disappointment via the internet for all to see!!! That doesn,t sound like someone who " LOVES" Rossilli's and "hates to see us in a DECLINE" Quite the contrary!
Let me close by saying this,If you are having a problem in a restaurant,let the server or manager or owner know! Then, If you don't get taken care of,write a nasty anonymous e mail!
P.S. thank you for your support other anonymous person! and everyone else!!!

Fat Dan said...

Meg -
Thank you very muchfor posting here. It is good to know that you are concerned with the opinion of your restaurant even it is the opinion of some idiots on a blog.

I enjoyed your restaurant very much, and when another oppurtunity to dine there occurs I will be back. Like I said, the food was fantastic when I ate there, and the price was lower than expected for a fine dining experience in downtown Findlay.

Thank you for visting and please visit again.

Fat Dan

Anonymous said...

dear fat dan Thanks for noticing!!I AM concerned about the opinions expressed about my restaurant! Thanks For your kind words! so long for now!!!

Fat Dan said...

this messege is for Meg Rossilli -

Meg, has the lounge upstairs closed down completely or is it open some times? Used to love going up and getting a couple drinks. Was the best place in Finday to go have a drink with some friends if you actually wanted to talk.