First off, there isn't a restaurant in the world that is trying harder! From the hostess that bumped somebody over so we could sit at the bar, to the manager who came over and introduced himself, to the bartender Chris who wickedly and seamlessly substituted the vodka redbull that I originally ordered for the vodka concoction he prepared in its place, to the expediter that explained the salt and chili accompaniment to the bread, service and attention to detail off the charts. Now the food. We only sampled giadas favorite platter, a $50.00 sampling of sweet peppers, stuffed dates, and the antipasto assortment of calamari, ahi crostini, etc., and while nothing was bad, nothing really crushed it for us either. The bread presentation is a lot of sizzle and less steak, even with the fresh rosemary bread they bake in a ramekin. Probably not fair to rate a restaurant on one appetizer plate but this was all we ordered. I was really struck by the attention to detail everywhere. Servers looking at glasses to see if they needed polishing, bartenders wiping off the side of the glass because a bit of foam trickled down, etc..They have assembled a terrific team, and this is obviously not the case of a celebrity chef just stamping their name on the front door, but a labor of love by an obvious perfectionist who has invested a bunch of blood, sweat, and tears and isnt about to let someone else screw it up.

positive

Pretty funny!

positive

If you want a great dining experience, don't go to Chestnut Fine Foods and Provisions in Phoenix. Just don't. You'll walk in to the breakfast and lunch spot, like I did on a recent Sunday morning, and you'll be greeted by a crowd of people standing in disorganized lines to order -- not exactly a relaxing way to start your breakfast. Then, they'll be out of your favorite drink -- in my friend's case, it was the Lavender Honey Iced Latte. The person taking your order won't be friendly, just indifferent. Even when you tip more than 20 percent at this order-at-the-counter eatery, don't expect great service. The girl who delivers the coffee latte you had to settle on will scowl as she sets it down on your table, which, by the way, has no silverware or napkins. Now, the fun part -- my pal and I waited 30 minutes for our food, watching as tables who sat down after us received theirs. When my pal finally asked what was up, we found out our ticket had been "burned" -- meaning the order had mistakenly been perceived as already delivered -- which means our food hadn't even started to be cooked. This message was delivered by the sous-chef, who actually told my friend and I, "I'm delivering the food because everyone in the kitchen is messing up." If only that was followed by an, "And your meal is free because we're giving sucky service today." My friend received her coffee 15 minutes before I got my orange juice, and when we finally got our food, the disappointing experience continued. Sure, my Lemon Ricotta Waffles ($7.25) were OK, but my friend's Green Eggs and Ham ($7.50), she said, was horrible. It came with poached eggs, prosciutto, pesto and arugula on an English muffin, and she said the English muffin was hard, the egg was runny, there wasn't enough pesto, and the ham was undercooked. Even if I wasn't vegetarian, I would still think that was really gross. Maybe we would have left with a better taste in our mouths if the people working at the Chestnut actually seemed like they cared about the people eating there. For now, I'd recommend never going there. Ever.

negative

So sad to hear that Oct 17 is the last day for this museum. It is a great place!!
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