I love the justification for food consumption that this blog has provided. On Tuesday, I called my friend Rose and said, "I need to eat somewhere awesome so I can update the blog". Sounds reasonable to me, and she was a more than willing participant. Rose is a great resource for delicious eats in Scranton- but I insisted that it needed to be somewhere new to me- and believe it or not, I'm starting to require some major insider tips! We started a haphazard cruise and saw a little Mexican joint on Cedar that was illuminated by a curious blue light, but when the lady inside showed us a day old "buffet" consisting primarily of beef gruel, I mumbled something about not eating meat and moved on. Thank goodness that Rose remembered Alfredo's! Nothing like a little Italian grub to help one eradicate the vision of "meat-product".
Alfredo's is located in South Side, right on North Washington. Thank goodness it was close, because a hungry Jessica is a not fun Jessica. Visually, it's a nice place- a pretty outdoor eating patio, with plenty of foliage to create a little space from the road. Upon entering the restaurant, the bartender checked us out- and then ignored us.... and then another server looked up and quickly looked down and walked away, like a less stealthy version of spy, I was actually surprised she didn't hold her hand up to hide her face. Eventually (and I do mean in no less than 5 minutes) someone came and sat us. We ordered a tasty appetizer as soon as possible- An oven roasted butternut squash with sage pasta, and a sinfully sweet brown sugar brandy cream sauce with walnuts. It was as good as it sounds- the sauce especially worked well- the touch of brandy added a rich note to the sauce, while still allowing the other flavors room to work their magic. For our meals Rosaleen ordered a Caesar salad with grilled chicken, and I ordered gnocchi with pesto sauce. Rosaleen's salad was a good portion, and the dressing was a traditional Caesar. My gnocchi portion was humongous and delicious! Rather than a thick pesto sauce that seems favored by some of the other Italian eatery's I've visited locally, this sauce was light while still flavorful. The gnocchi were also cocked correctly- which ultimately means that yes, I gorged myself. Rosaleen's husband Michael joined us about halfway through the meal- and thankfully they both helped me with my meal.
The good things: They're open late on week nights and the pasta dishes are tasty and highly recommended, the lighting and ambiance are all well done. The bad: On this particular night, the service was disappointing. Our server forgot my salad, served me clearly burnt coffee and the bowl of soup we ordered for Michael ended up being a cup. I can and often do excuse a server for silly mistakes, because I've served tables for over 10 years and we all have those nights- it isn't a life crisis. However, what did put a bad taste in my mouth was that although they are open late, the waitstaff made it clear they'd prefer not to be.
Still- that butternut squash was pretty outrageous.
Hours
Monday - Thursday
11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Friday - Saturday
11 a.m. - midnight
Sunday
11 a.m. - 11 p.m.
Let me start off by saying how much I've been enjoying your blog! As someone who loves our local restaurants, it's great to get a fresh perspective on places I've tried, and better still to learn of a great new place to dine!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, you're not the only one who has had this kind of experience at Alfredo's. I have a few friends who love the place, but I can't bring myself to go there with them anymore. Although the food is often good (not great, but certainly above average), in my experience the service has been consistently poor. Like you, I can easily overlook a simple or silly mistake, but I found the disappointments to be the most consistent part of the service.
Although their dishes are tasty, we are lucky to have an abundance of local restaurants in NEPA that can dish out delicious meals and great service!
That unfortunately was our experience as well. We are lucky to have so many locally owned restaurants that have their act together- When we think about it, this is the first time on the blog that we've had to comment in a negative way about service, and percentage-wise that speaks pretty highly of our local hot-spots. Thank you so much for reading and sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteHey Jess. I also had the same experience both times that I've been there. Good thing you didn't order pizza or you would have sat there starving all night long with not even a refill on your drink!
ReplyDeleteCome on Alfredo's! Get it together! Their pasta was so good, it's a shame!
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