Donato Enoteca
| Address: | 1041 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA |
| Phone: | +1 650-701-1000 |
| Site: | donatoenoteca.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
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Connie Kwan
This place has gone downhill since I visited 7 months ago. I gave it five star last time, now its barely one-star. Aside from the seating and atmosphere being still nice, everything else was a flop. The service was terrible to start with. Our server displayed no enthusiasm at all of us being there. When I asked what recommendations she has and which pasta does not have cheese, she just told me to order the oxtail one without further explanation. And then she gave me a look like its just pasta how hard can it be for you to make a choice? After finally figuring out that most of the pasta has cheese on top rather than cheese inside, we ordered one of our past favorite which is squid ink pasta. We ordered the brussel sprouts which was good last time, and tried the sage butter squash tortellini. Like I said, it was a massive disappointment and everything was a flop. The pasta had no flavor whatsoever, even after adding salt, pepper and Italian chili flakes, it was just barely edible. When we asked for extra bread and dip, the bread came with no dip, and then I had to walk myself to the bar to ask the bar man to give me dip because the server was nowhere to be found. I had trouble getting the check as well, because again, we were entirely ignored by our server. I had to flag down a busboy to ask him to bring us the check. This was a far cry from our last experience, and Im never coming back again. We were debating Spaghetti Factory down the street versus this restaurant for lunch today, and I regret coming to this one. For reference, below is my review from 7 months ago, it seems like the restaurant completely changed staff because its a completely different restaurant now. Recommend that you avoid. ---------------- Awesome homemade pastas and excellent service. Indoor and outdoor seating are very comfortable here. Awesome and would get again: Squid ink pasta Mushroom pasta Broccoli side Good but will skip next time: Pork ribs pasta Tiramisu
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Fred Weissberg
My wife and I went to Donato last evening to celebrate my birthday. She informed the restaurant of this when she made the reservation. The hostess greeted us and mentioned that it was my birthday, She showed us to a table in the back room that was next to a wall and somewhat cramped. I asked her if we could move to a larger table and she said that she would check her reservations and get back to us. We never saw her again. Common courtesy would be to get back to us and let us know even if the result was negative. The appetizers came quickly and were just ok. I ordered the calamari and unfortunately the bed of fennel overpowered the taste of the calamari. My wife ordered one of the ravioli dishes for her entree and it was good according to her. I ordered the monkfish "osobuco" and was sorely disappointed. The flavors were all right but the size of the fish portion was unacceptable. It was only about a couple of ounces and most of that was bone. Also it was overcooked and tough. For desert we ordered the chocolate cake and ice cream and it was very good. Unfortunately no mention was made of the fact that we were celebrating my birthday. Not even a small candle was in the cake. This is an expensive restaurant which, in itself, does not bother me, However, when I get a main dish like the one I was served, I feel greatly ripped-off. Add to this the fact that no one came to our table at any time throughout the meal to inquire how our food was. This should be a basic consideration of a restaurant trying to impart the feeling of "fine dining". I hope they read this review and respond to these comments. If they do not, I would not feel comfortable recommending this restaurant to others.
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A Private User
This restaurant needs a shake up in the front of the house! We booked our reservations a week ahead of time and specifically requested to be seated in the back dining room. Upon arrival we were shown to a table by the bar...just what we didnt want...hence the request. We asked for a different table and were given a bunch of excuses about how busy they were and dont have time to accommodate all the requests they receive through opentable. They personally called us the day before to confirm...if they couldnt accommodate our request it would have been nice to know at that time so we could decide if we wanted to go elsewhere. If this had been the first time our request had been ignored, we probably would have been ok with it, but this has happened 3 times!! We wont be going back. The waiter and bus people were totally out of sync. Waiter was spread all over the restaurant. Took 20 mins to have a drink order taken. After our appetizer course we wanted to order wine to go with our main course. That took another 20 mins to get someones attention. Dinner arrived and our salad plates were still sitting on the table. Generally, bad experience although we did enjoy the food. Too bad all of this ruined a good meal! If this place can get the front of the house to be as good as the kitchen it will be a great place to dine out. Im not holding out much hope for that though.
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A Private User
I was on the fence between 3 stars and 4, but went with 4 based on the peer set in the peninsula. Donato came across as an authentic Italian place with a medium sized menu that included a pretty good selection. We started with an olive oil tasting that came with 4 different oils, one of which I would call great and one which I wasnt impressed with. For appetizers we had the calamari and the Nero Risotto (a black ink risotto with seafood). I looked long and hard in my risotto but couldnt find much cuttlefish which let me down a little bit. Entrees were the Sea Breem and the mushroom pasta. Both were good but the star was the hazelnut chocolate dessert, which was molten richness at its best. Id go back just for that. There are a bevy of nice Italian wine choices which is a must for any good Italian place. I did like Donato and came off with the impression of fresh ingredients, nice light taste and medium quality service.
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David E. Weekly
Lovey local high end Italian joint. While the a la carte menu isnt bad (the oxtail bigoli is wonderful as is the spaghetti negro), the real hidden gem at this place is the tasting menu, which is noted in such fine print at the bottom of the right page that most people miss it. Just ask for the tasting menu, how many courses you want, and any allergies or things you want to avoid and you will get some really amazingly tasty and inventive dishes that are off-menu -- and different every time! The chef Donato and his second Antonio are wonderfully welcoming. There is a great sommelier there; they have a good selection of Italian reds. The valpolicellas in particular I have found superb. Oh, and dont forget to finish off your meal with the chocolate lava cake. ^_^ This place is our go-to joint for a romantic meal in downtown and never fails.
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Darby Brennan
Donato Scotti brings an authentic, perfectly executed Northern Italian dining experience to downtown Redwood City. Few restaurants in the Bay Area offer as completely authentic a menu with wonderful expressions of antipasti, primi and secondi that instantly transport the diner to the lake country of Bergamo. Particular standouts include an appetizer of Chingale (braised boar) served on a wood grilled bruschetta, braised oxtail Bigoli pasta and wood-fired pizzas reflecting the more understated northern aesthetic but as incredibly flavorful as its Neopolitan cousin. The wine program directed by Eric LeCours highlights unique, predominately Italian offerings that are accessible and paired perfectly with the menu while delivering service that would be commonplace in a restaurant with a much higher average check.
