Problem: What would be an example of an negative review?

Answer: being from milwaukee the name bartolotta has an emotional attachment -- there are so many great bartolotta establishments in the city. so when i was in las vegas for business i really wanted to try this place for that reason alone as well as hearing talk that, indeed, the place was great. blah blah blah the fish is flown in every day from under a rock in the middle of the mediterranean etc. etc. noone gets these fish anywhere in the world blah blah blah. i was excited! i'm sorry to say that while i certainly enjoyed myself i was underwhelmed with the meal -- especially since it cost SO much. i'm very glad i didn't have to pay. and even for free i'm not sure i would go back as there are so many great places to go in vegas. the competition is stiff in town and it seems to me that this place is now on auto-pilot. FIRST -- getting a reservation. this was one of the most annoying and insulting parts of the night. i called for a same day reservation realizing that i might not be able to get in OR i would either have to eat at 5 or 10. no big deal. totally expected even though it was a tuesday night and my instincts told me that we could get in. our ideal time would have been 7 or 7:30. when i called i was told 6 p.m. or 8:45. my party did not want to wait so i took the 6 and decided when i get back to the hotel i'll have the concierge call as sometimes tables are reserved for that very purpose. the concierge managed to get 6:30 -- a little better and we really wanted to go so i took it and cancelled the 6 p.m. when we got there the place was empty except for one table. seriously. we were seated in the back right next to the other table with people. annoying. so we proceeded with our meal -- details to come -- and as we spent at least 3 hours there, and spent a bunch of money, only one other table came in. so we could have come at 7 or 7:30 and the fact that we were seated directly next to another party was unnecessary for both tables involved. SECOND -- the meal. it was OK. there were some delicious moments for sure -- but worth the money? absolutely not. there were four of us who all liked to eat so we decided we would order a million different things and share them so we could taste as much of the menu as possible. this was our choice despite the server heavy-handedly trying to force tasting menus down our throats. some standouts were the grilled octopus salad, the rabbit loin, a risotto i forget but remember it was tasty and the parm-regg custard with wild mushrooms and brussel sprout leaves. we ordered the lasagnette primi that bobby flay raved about on the food network and it was just ok. it wasn't hot for one and didn't seem to have the love in it that it could have. now that i think of it that is the theme. no love in the food. AUTOPILOT. and you can tell the difference. we also ordered a whole scorpion fish that again was fine but not spectacular. NO LOVE! THIRD -- the wine. they have a great wine list albeit it completely overpriced. and we drank some good bottles. unfortunately the server didn't seem to know that much about the wines i was interested in so i picked between two finalists and it was delicious. white burgundy. it wasn't until we switched to red that i was informed there was a sommelier who could help me out. if i recall correctly his name is gordon -- and he was fantastic! he picked a red that went with about 10 different dishes and i wish he would have been around to advise with the first bottle. and stupid me forgot what the red was he chose because it was so unique, flexible and delicious i want to find it. oh well. when i travel (or not) and eat at very expensive restaurants i want to see value in it. meaning the food should be so great that i don't care how much it costs. and i'm willing to pay. this was a case when there was no emotional, culinary or financial value for the money and it totally bummed me out! i was routing for the home team. back to lake park bistro! or bacchus!

Problem: What would be an example of an negative review?

Answer: 1 star. What a surprise. Nice looking Irish boy needs a Birth Certificate to get my license? "you can go online to order one" I suppose if I was an international terrorist there would be no way in hell I might be able to get one this way as well. Nah. Even had my school transcript in my paper work. (from a time long ago mind you) No, sorry, your not in our "system". Ah well. I did see a part of town I was unfamiliar with. People live out here? Be warned. A safe guess is the crowds aren't a whole lot less out this way either. Damn sprawl. 8-) Oh yes, I will be back DMV!!!

Problem: What would be an example of an positive review?

Answer:
This is a great local grill/bar for good grub, drinks and gaming. They have a separate bar area from the restaurant so we ate first in the dining room and then headed to the bar for drinks and video poker. The decor isn't consistent or memorable but it's a quirky and comfortable place. The menu was large and there are great breakfast/lunch/dinner options. Oddly, breakfast is not offered 24/7 here unlike other similar places in the area. The service was good and food was out quickly. It is your basic diner/grill food but cooked to perfection and very delicious! We received excellent service at the bar and drinks were free while we gambled. I will definitely switch off between Timbers and Henry's when I'm in the mood for an evening close to home.