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Post by andrewd on Nov 20, 2006 18:04:15 GMT -4
I gave La Fontana a try and for the most part is was very good. I had lobster raviolis with a pink cream sauce. Very good. The service was a bit off because we waited a long time to be seated and things like parmisan cheese had to be asked for several times, but they're new. Food was great though.
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Post by Rich Fisher on Nov 21, 2006 10:07:15 GMT -4
We went there for lunch on Saturday and I liked it a lot. I had shrimp fettuccini and my wife had a small pepperoni pizza. Both were very good and the service was ok too. We liked it so much that we were going to go for dinner last night , but when we got there it was too crowded so we went to Lisa's instead. Lisa's was great as usual too...
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Post by mikey on Dec 4, 2006 9:58:30 GMT -4
1 hour to get our dinner. Almost left.
But the food was good.
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Post by shadow1 on Dec 4, 2006 12:25:01 GMT -4
We ordered carryout Saturday evening. My wife said the place was packed when she went to pick it up, and that the whole area just inside the door was loaded with people waiting to be seated. I don't see how you could sit at the tables in that area and enjoy your meal with people standing above you. The food is good, but I refuse to stand and wait for more than 15 minutes, especially in an area like that.
Maybe they didn't expect to get the business they have, but in the long run it could cost them some customers.
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Post by Frank on Dec 4, 2006 15:00:37 GMT -4
Not many places on the island you can get into in less than 15 minutes on a Friday or Saturday night! La Fontane has a lousy seating plan but if things stay this busy, I'm sure they will expand.
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Post by baycitydan on Dec 5, 2006 12:44:40 GMT -4
I heard that La Fontana is owned by the same people that own Carini's. Can anyone confirm that?
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Post by ljp on Dec 5, 2006 14:04:01 GMT -4
ok, spoke with the owner of LaFontana and talked with a few people about their experiences. I have high remarks for the restaurant. The owner is, contrary to what some have said, a very nice guy! True Italian. The restaurant is not to be compared with Squisito or Pizza Hut or some other pizza joint. They are a fine dining establishment. As with any new business you should expect some kinks in the beginning while they adjust to flow, customer base and their desires, etc. They use the best pasta, the best available basil etc. which is why they add a surcharge for extra of certain things. Quality products means higher food costs.
I strongly suggest for those of you with bad experiences the first week of opening to try them again. The quality speaks for the prices. In this world you get what you pay for and you get what you are paying for here. Maybe they would be open to suggestions about things like free refills etc, rather than complaints?
...my 2 cents.
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Post by Frank on Dec 5, 2006 15:21:39 GMT -4
Yes, the owner of LaFontane is the previous owner of Carini's. "Vico" sold Carini's several years ago to open a sitdown restaraunt in Delaware. It went over so well he decided to try the same thing here again.
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Post by Rich Fisher on Dec 5, 2006 16:38:40 GMT -4
I'm going there tonight! The last time that I ate there the food was really good. After what happened to me last week at "Maria's", I'm definately in the mood for some good Italian food!
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Post by Frank on Dec 5, 2006 17:19:07 GMT -4
OK, I'll ask. What happened at Maria's?
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Post by Rich Fisher on Dec 5, 2006 17:28:13 GMT -4
Check the "Annapolis Forum" section. I posted it in there. It was aweful, and not just the food.
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Post by Mike on Dec 5, 2006 17:29:09 GMT -4
my toes itch
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Post by bchevy on Dec 5, 2006 20:39:47 GMT -4
Bad service will never make up for great food..... or maybe it's the other way around.
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Post by Chris on Dec 5, 2006 22:57:37 GMT -4
I ate here tonight and it was great. The service was ok too. Maybe they worked the kinks out then because I really like this place and for the money I think that it's great. I didn't try the pizza though. It looks good, so maybe in a few days.
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Post by Rich Fisher on Dec 6, 2006 0:26:57 GMT -4
I'm a fan. Not only is their food great, but they are supporters of this site. Please give 'em a try. And their pizza is tops too.
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Post by Frank on Dec 6, 2006 9:05:00 GMT -4
I won't go back to "El Squisito's". Nobody could speak enough english to get my order straight. When I tried to get a calzone with sausage, they brought me a sausage roll. When I took it back to the counter and said something, nobody could speak english. It really pissed me off! After 5 minutes of debate, I was told the food is pre-made and and it is not made fresh. So now I have to assume some of there food is frozen Sysco crap. I special order in LaFontane and get exactly what I want. Other than that, I will go to the Italian restaraunt behind Best Buy in Annapolis or Mama Lucia's.
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Post by baycitydan on Dec 11, 2006 11:30:42 GMT -4
It took me longer than expected to get around to trying La Fontanas but I finally did on Friday night. I had the Lobster Raviolis and my wife had stuffed shells. It was really good and I'm definately going to go back here often. Good idea posting the menu here because I knew what I wanted before I even got there ;D
I think that I'm going to try the pizza next time. The specialty ones look really good. I forgot to ask if they do take-out for pizza, but they probably do. Anyone know?
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Post by Steve on Dec 11, 2006 11:35:39 GMT -4
Went there for dinner with family on Saturday eve. La Fontana seems to be an authentic Italian restaurant. Great pizza, calamari and antipasto. The prices were very reasonable and the service was fine.
The basic and important difference between La Fontana and Squisitos is on the ingredients and that almost everything served at Squisitos was frozen and not fresh.
KI needed this place. Hopefully this will spark some improvement and competition among the other local joints. Seems like we can't complain that all we have is crabcakes ans steaks.
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Post by shadow1 on Dec 11, 2006 15:00:34 GMT -4
BCDan
I've ordered subs and pizza carryout from there.
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Post by Greg VS on Dec 30, 2006 3:11:11 GMT -4
I had the meat lasagne tonight. It was excellent. Service was great too. They don't have a liquor licence yet, so no booze, but the food is easilly better than anything in Annapolis, let alone KI. Finally something other than crab cakes on ki.....
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Post by baycitydan on Dec 31, 2006 14:30:05 GMT -4
I had the chicken parm pizza last night and it was really good. I'm diggin' the new joint a lot. Cheap too.
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Post by bchevy on Dec 31, 2006 17:06:38 GMT -4
1. Better than anything in annapolis? I doubt that a lot.
2. That line is really old and anyone who thinks crabcakes is all you can get on KI needs to get out a little more.
3. I doubt there's any truth to that one too. it'd be about impossible to have almost everything served fresh not frozen
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Post by David Blumann on Jan 1, 2007 16:52:19 GMT -4
Hello to all of you...
My name is David Blumann and I am a very good friend with one of the owners, Vico.. we talk often about the restaurant business he is in. I've met Vico while I was on a mission in the embassy in Rome. I consider him as my close friend and we still keep in touch since I relocated to the eastern shore and I still keep in touch with his family in Palermo, Sicily...
Vico told me about Kent Isle online and about this forum... I've seen all the reviews... And I would like to comment first of all about Vico and second about the restaurant...
Ok, about Vico.... Vico is a New Yorker who has opend over 14 pizza and italian restaurants all over the eastern shore. As I stated earlier, Vico and I have been close friends for a while and I can vouch for him anytime... I've seen in some reviews that he was seen a stuck up person but the truth is that Vico is a very down to earth person.
Now enough talking the person... let me clear up some concerns about the restaurant:
Let's start with some historique:
Vico, with the help of his friend, Antonio Costagliola, opened La Fontana in Dover, DE in 2004. Antonio is a creative Chef with presidential credentials. He was a stand by Chef for the Italian Marines Generals and the President of Italy. The recipes that are used in La Fontana are all either a creation of Chef Costagliola or one of his twists in traditional recipes. When La Fontana in Dover opened up, there was a 70seating availibilty, however, due to the extreme popularity with Social Doverites including the Governor of Delaware and members of the Senate, Vico had to expand to 170 seatings to avoid long wait times. The owners ( the same owners as the Dover location) of the shopping center in Kent Isle offered Vico and Tony a location. With Vico's experience in the area (he owns a few properties).
Vico is a perfectionist and that is the reason why the restaurant took so long ot open. he oversaw everything form the decoration details to the amount of wood put in the pizza oven. However, for the eyes of Vico, the wait was all worth it. he also had some issues with the contratctors (electrical, HVAC, etc..) He ended up investing a couple of hundred thousand dollars over the budget. Vico often regrets the hiring of contractors from Philadelphia rather that local help. Vico wanted to bring to Kent Isle area the experience of Antonio's recipes and the Italian Fine Dining.
Vico also talked to me about the frustration of finding a great wait crew. I always had to explain that from personal experience, people had to get acustomed to the computers and to the menus.
I've read that someone was sick after dining at La Fontana. let me clarify something, La Fontana, since it's opening, has been averaging between 75 and 125 dinners so the odds of the reason behind the sickness of that person in my opinion are close to null providing that noone has yet to made such a claim against La Fontana. As most of us know, food sickness does not kick in untill 24h after a meal so how can this person have felt sick immediatly lafter eating at La Fontana? I stand waiting for a correction....
Vico, I hope that if you read this that you will not get mad at me but the people have to know the truth and I really care about this.
I often eat at La Fontana with my family and I know that Vico and Antonio will never answer to comments online whether they be good or bad.
I love La Fontana and will hope that Vico expand and adds more restaurants closer to home in Annapolis.
Happy New Year!
David B.
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Post by ljp on Jan 23, 2007 14:59:02 GMT -4
Liquor license approved, now selling beer and wine.
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Post by bchevy on Jan 23, 2007 20:49:29 GMT -4
Does DB's post seem a little odd? Or is it just me?
yeah, I know, it's ME
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