Recently went on a Friday night-nice decor,seated promptly with our reservations. Dress didn't seem to matter, saw some real casual jeans and Tshirt types.no matter-I don't care for dressing up. Had fantastic glass of merlot, don't remember the name. We ordered the chefs board antipasti--loved it, but should have skipped the artichokes. Entrees were a decent variety but no lamb-which I usually order if it is on a menu and I don't think the duck was available.I had the seafood risotto which I could see many bowls around the room. Hubby ordered the braised short rib and our plan was to split the two. Well the short rib was on the skimpy side surrounded by 2 large squares of potato gratin-an odd arrangement I thought and I wasn't interested in potato. Risotto was ok-soupy and bland. Desert was the tiramisu-deconstructed I guess but the ice cream slab was so solidly frozen we couldn't get our fork through it and crushed the delicate cake underneath. Staff was very nice, overall good food but don't know if we'll go back or just keep trying new places. read more

Went to Trattoria da Lepris last Saturday night. Husband got a bonus and we were celebrating. We used to go there regularly and told all our friends about it. Stopped going because it lacked consistency. Have a great meal one time and one not worth the money the next. We has tried their new Lepri's Grill and had an excellent meal so decided to try Trattoria's again. We were surprised their was no wait. The man hosting said now that they take reservations there's not usually a wait. I've been there since they started reservations and there were always a lot of walkins. He then made a big deal of saying how we got the only table open for the night. Well, the two tables behind us never filled and the others never refilled once those parties left. Saturday my husband got the red snapper. He said it wasn't bad but not great. I tried it. It was just bland. No flavor. I was trying to decide between the ( safe) scallops because I know I like them or the riskier duck. I've had duck I love and duck I hate. After talking with the waitress decided to chance the duck. Bad choice. It was cooked right meaning not greasy, but it was so salty you couldn't eat it. Even my husband who loves salt said it was too salty. Waitress never asked how my meal was but should have especially when I didn't want it wrapped. Won't be back at $110 before tip and without dessert. I gave it two stars instead of one because the limoncellos are to die for and our apps were good. (crab cakes and seafood cocktail) read more

Would never know by the location that this is a fabulous little gem. Had the scallops that were perfectly cooked and splurged on the flourless cake. Next time I'm starting with the cake. Great service as well by Tracey. read more

A much anticipated 'return' to what I recalled as a hidden gem in Ellington, CT. What wonderful dinners we enjoyed. Impressive wine list. Starters were 'right on' ... Roasted beets over baby arugula with deep fried goat cheese ... and house-made wild mushroom Agnolotti finished with black truffle oil. Each beautifully presented, rich and flavorful. Mains pleased as well ... house made gnocchi with spicy sausage, fresh basil in a 'kicked up' tomato sauce ... and Lump Crab and Parmesan crusted cod fillet, presented over green beans and potato medley, dressed with red pepper chili aioli. Service: knowledgeable, friendly, attentive. Ambiance: Simple, clean and crisp, fresh, well-kept. Value: $$$ but worth it! We will not wait long for a return visit. read more

I was looking forward to dinner, unfortunately the wait was too long. I think this restaurant needs to consider reservations. I would not wait hours to be seated in a town that offers nothing else to do. We fortunately found a wonderful restaurant in tolland called Zest that were willing to accomodate us, The food there was awesome, the service was good, the ambiance was good, and, they take reservations for us in the future. read more

Horrible dining experience.......will NEVER return!!!!!!! March 09, 2011 Went in December for my husband's b.day; drove 55 minutes to get there! Had very yummy meals before and birthday person chose this as his special dinner....TOO BAD FOR ALL OF US! We arrived and were told a 25 minute wait. At 25 minutes I approached the young hostess to find out how much longer we'd be waiting. Her snippy response was "I did tell you 25 minutes." When I reminded her that it was 25 minutes now, she told me it would be soon. We were then seated in their "new" back room and were quite cold when we sat. I asked our now infamous waitress, Jen, if there was any heat in this room, she told me that there was none! The evening proceeded with horribly slow service, appetizers were not served all together, and we waited approximately 40 minutes after appetizers, to be served our meals. I finally had to get up to inquire as to where our meal was and was told it was coming. It arrived-10 minutes after that. We complained, voiced our dissatisfaction, were asked if we wanted anything else and when we declined, we were given our check...after a total of being there for almost 3 hours. The waitress knew it was a b.day and we were offered NOTHNG to make up for our poor service or to honor the b.day. When I called Frank, the owner, he spoke to me at length, apologized profusely, said he wanted to make this up to good, repeat customers and told me to call when we wished to return. He offered to cook my husband and me dinner and said to just ask for him. I called 3 weeks ago and spoke to his wife and asked to have Frank call me. She told me that after talking to her husband they changed their minds; decided a dinner (as promised) was way too much, but if we'd like to return they'd love to see us and would maybe treat us to dessert. She said Frank would call me back, but he never did. Why would we drive almost an hour to patronize them again?????? We had a miserable evening and Mr. Lepri did not stand behind his word to make our poor evening up to us. WE WILL NEVER RETURN; good food, but awful service and a lack of integrity on the part of the owner. There are plenty of lovely restaurants with great food a lot closer than this place. read more

Unusual menu that changes. Three star ambiance. Four star service and food. Knowledgeable staff that can describe any menu item. That's pretty unusual too. It would be difficult to recommend any particular item, because it likely would not be available. In general, the salads were excellent. They had Eastern European food on the menu the night we were there, but no one in our party ordered that. The French food items are reasonably priced, as well as, the more unusual selections. Other more ordinary items, such as some pasta dishes and some wines, are a bit high in price. Overall, there's enough of a selection to keep you going back. read more

If it was possible to not rate any stars I would. This is the section I was looking for. I am a military vet, full time single mother to twins, student an I am employed full time. I was excited to spend a nice meal with my family. My kids were complete angels the whole time. The waitress we had was beyond snotty, not what you want to deal with while just trying to get some food and enjoy conversation with loved ones. She refused to ask with one of the dessert if they would split the ice cream and the cake on separate plates because the presentation would be ruined. She's an ex reins deli employee who was quit after stealing money from her own work. The night finishes up the sub par waitresses were making us borderline not feel welcomed at this point. My little guy stands up and to make the night worse gets sick all over the very back dining room floor. Great. Well it happens he's a baby. I turn and the family sitting nearby is rolling their eyes and sighing loudly like my son was some drunk sailor puking because he drank too much. I brought him into the bathroom where I stopped to tell the waitresses that my son had just gotten sick. The skinny blonde says, what is this a fucking joke? I assured her rude self that it was not a joke. This is the clincher that solidified that I will never ever return and I will tell everyone I know not to waste their time or money. Go to Briccos in Glastonbury it's worth the drive, the people are so nice and it's about the same price scale for more and better portions. Bigger drink selection and menu. I am on the bathroom cleaning my little guy who is crying how sorry he is. For throwing up?? I hear banging on the door I open it and the short overweight waitress is telling me I need to leave the restaurant now. I am beyond appalled. Humans act like this?? If I saw this happen to another mom I would offer all my help. She followed me out the front of the store with my son telling me I'm a real f^#+ing class act. I was trash and didn't belong there. I grew up in Ellington went to high school there...what makes me any less of a person. We paid the bill? I turn around an asked her for the owners name she then pushes me physically out the doorway. Tells me she's going to call some of her friends if I didn't leave. Oh please, lady I'll sign them out of the nursing home for you. I said some choice words and left. My dad had me come back in to identify her to the owner where I was once again verbally assaulted by this rude waitress. I WILL NOT ever return to this place. What a shame too, guess no matter what you do in life career wise, you can't learn to be a good person and have manners at least not at this joint. read more

The owner and her Dad (who is the host) are very welcoming. The bar is on the smaller side if you like to sit there for dining. They are very accommodating and the food is always fresh. A must try!! read more

My cousins and I have been meeting for dinner there on Wednesday nights for the past few years. The entire staff is always welcoming and the food is tremendous. I always look forward to the change of seasons, as the menu always features something new. Deb and her father Dick, have done an excellent job of keeping the menu fresh. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who hasn't tried it. read more

TOTAL SHAME!!! I took my mother for her 73 birthday, owner ruined the experience when I asked for the ice-cream that came under the cake on side. I was given a speech about presentation by a curt woman who said well I' m the owner and the answer is no. Then after we decided to pass on the desert and end the evening ($100 dinner for two later) The owner followed me to my car, aminated and speaking at me saying "MAYBE YOU CAN GO SOMEWHERE WHERE THEY SERVE FROZEN FOOD". I guess she didn't think that was appropriate to say IN her restaurant for other customers to hear. I have been blessed to eat at some of the finest restaurants in the world, and have never had such a disappointing experience, I went home, upset and queezy after dropping off my elderly mother who had been in tears. Happy Birthday mom... Next time we'll do Cavey's in Manchester, delicious and great customer service. read more

My 4th time at this restaurant. When they opened, I was excited too, like the others in reviews here to have something East of the River. Overall, an 'ok' place (although, my husband will not step foot in there again - his 2nd visit). Yes, it does seem to fill up fast with long wait to be seated, but we sat at the bar on Saturday evening. we ordered a glass of wine, no water offered. Our glasses were empty for 20 minutes before we had to ask for another glass. Bartender was friendly, however, not attentive. We ordered cheese board and was going to wait to order dinner; she suggested we order all together for a 'good experience' of wait time; so we did. cheese board came out at a decent time; however, dinner didn't arrive; so we waited 45 minutes, then an hour, then by 1 hour 45 minutes - the bartender says, please save room for dessert it will be on us since you had to wait (wait - I think they forgot about us after the first hour). We decided to cancel our order; just then the owner came out, didn't apologize, but did say, your order got buried under others (how does that happen??) she tried to get us to take our dinner, but we didn't want it. My husband didn't take his; I did (only cuz I was hungry) although it was good, but they didn't offer to pay for one or both or even apologize; how does someone expect us to return??? So that was our experience and will not return to a place of poor service or attention. (come on, it's only Ellington) and they act like its NY! read more

After a great meal at the Lepri Grill, we thought we should try this location. The food was very creative, going beyond the simple renditions. The scallops came on a wonderful corn/white bean/squash succotash, with an added corn burre blanc! And the calamari not only was very well prepared, and contianed enough arugula to be its own app and salad, the drizzle of limoncello aoili was increidble! The risotto my wife had was equally well flavored. We will have ot go back to actually get the menu version - they were out of lobster for the risotto, so used scallops, shrimp and crab instead. Not disappopinted, but looking forward to the next meal. And to finish with one of my favorites - bananas foster sealed the deal. And like the rest of the menu - it was on top of a warm banana bread with vanilla bean ice cream. BUT - my pet peeve is to go to these fine restaurants, where prices are on the higher side (though warranted), and they cahrge me $2 for each club soda served, and in a small glass to boot. A small portion of the overall bill, but I do feel its not warranted. I have been to many other restaurants where the bar sodas are usually one charge (regardless of refills), and sometimes free. But tif you take advantage of their fine drink selection or order off the wine list, you should be happy. As designated driver, I paid almost as much as the glass of wine my wife had for two club sodas. I will go back. Its not enough to keep us away. As I said, principal is one thing, great food is another. read more