The Old Downtown Guy
12-18-2007, 10:08 PM
Stopped in Vito's on May Avenue Just south of Wilshire and sadly very little good to report. We had made a trip to Beau's Wine Shop to stock up for the holidays and when we are up that way we usually have a bite at La Baguett, but decided to try this place for a change. I think they have been open for quite a while and there were a couple dozen people there . . . place seats about 60 or 70 I think . . . I can't imagine they were regulars, though they did seem to be having a good time. But enough chit chat already.
Service . . . pretty good
Food . . . pretty bad
Atmosphere . . . went well with the food
At the sight of all the plastic ivy, and cheap framed old photos . . . of Vito . . . I assume, we should have left, but you never know about a restaurant, you know. Our judgement was clouded by hopes and dreams of this being a little hole in the wall Itallian joint with good, well prepared simple Itallian fare . . . no such luck. The owner, who said she made the the red sauce and several other items fresh herself took our wine order from their not expensive and not extensive wine list. So we were thinkin', okay this could be good . . . wrong.
The bread was not bad and came with an olive oil and garlic dipping sauce and the house salads were decent . . . nice greens . . . good vinagrette dressing . . . We were feeling pretty good at this point, but it didn't last. The entrees arrived and they were nice and hot . . . but that's the end of the good news. The lasagna was really gooey and had some wierd very non Itallian tasting cheese in it . . . my pene with meat sauce was only just a little better. The meat sauce was pretty tasty, but the pasta was cooked absolutely to death . . . just barely hanging together . . . awful.
We picked around in the food for a little while, drank the wine, paid and got out of there . . . never to return. On a scale of one to ten . . . I can't find a number that works.
Service . . . pretty good
Food . . . pretty bad
Atmosphere . . . went well with the food
At the sight of all the plastic ivy, and cheap framed old photos . . . of Vito . . . I assume, we should have left, but you never know about a restaurant, you know. Our judgement was clouded by hopes and dreams of this being a little hole in the wall Itallian joint with good, well prepared simple Itallian fare . . . no such luck. The owner, who said she made the the red sauce and several other items fresh herself took our wine order from their not expensive and not extensive wine list. So we were thinkin', okay this could be good . . . wrong.
The bread was not bad and came with an olive oil and garlic dipping sauce and the house salads were decent . . . nice greens . . . good vinagrette dressing . . . We were feeling pretty good at this point, but it didn't last. The entrees arrived and they were nice and hot . . . but that's the end of the good news. The lasagna was really gooey and had some wierd very non Itallian tasting cheese in it . . . my pene with meat sauce was only just a little better. The meat sauce was pretty tasty, but the pasta was cooked absolutely to death . . . just barely hanging together . . . awful.
We picked around in the food for a little while, drank the wine, paid and got out of there . . . never to return. On a scale of one to ten . . . I can't find a number that works.