Melillo's for lunch today

I had lunch at Melillo's today as I was in the mood for something hot and Italian. It is a cool day so I was looking forward to the warm up. I was dining by myself and was promptly greeted at the door. The hostess was very pleasant. The server was moving kind of slow. It took her several minutes to greet me, with the welcoming "would you like something to drink?" I ordered iced tea, it took the same length of time to get the tea. By the time it made it to the table most of the ice was melted. She may have brewed fresh tea.

I will assume the servers name is Lauren as was printed on my receipt. Lauren told me about the vegetable sandwich special. It sounded great, but I was in te mood for something hot. I ordered the Brooklyn (meatball sandwich) with pasta salad instead of chips. The food came very quickly! It is not often that food comes faster than a beverage. The food was excellent. I love the sauce, lots of garlic and hints of olives. The ciabatta bread worked well for this sandwich. I hate it when you get soggy bread which happens when you use cheap bread.

Lauren did offer dessert that seemed to be an after thought, I asked what they had and ordered a cannoli. I am not a big sweets person, but I miss cannolis from my years in New York. The cannoli was great, topped with lemon zest and artfully decorated with a raspberry pureed "M". I was a bit diappointed in the shell, it was thick and I assume was purchased. Overall lunch was very good a little brush up on service and it would be top notch. I got the hot meal I was looking for, but should have skipped the cannoli. I am ready for a nap.

Very good Michelle!

Hi Kurt-
Thank you so much for dining at Melillo's today, and for giving us a great review...on the food I remember you from today and coincidentally, you did get fresh brewed tea. Lauren should have told you that AFTER she introduced herself to you.

She has been with me for almost three years. I don't know if she had an off day or if we need a refresher on how to greet and serve tables. Regardless, thank you for bringing it to my attention; I'll certainly bring it to hers.

As for the cannoli, we do purchase the shells. When we first opened, we tried to make them, but just couldn't keep up with the demand, so we looked around and found one that was really good. It was made by a company in New York and came to us via a distributor in Michigan. About three weeks ago, we got our order and the cannoli shells were out of stock/discontinued. So, they sent us "the next best thing" ---in their book, I guess.

Again, thank you for coming in, and thank you for posting on here. Next time, please introduce yourself (I'm the hostess ) and your dessert's on me.


Ashley Chesman
Manager
Melillo's

Ashley,
I have had Lauren as a server on at least two occasions. I know this because she always has a good time with our daughter of the same name. On both occasions she was very good, efficient, and professional, so it does sound like she may have been having an off day. She never has to ask us for dessert, as we always ask if the Milky Way Cake is available when we order.

PS. I hope to get back soon as this is our favorite restaurant in Louisville, an recommend it to anybody we know that is looking for a good restaurant.

Hi Kurt-
... I don't know if she had an off day or if we need a refresher on how to greet and serve tables...

Every server (they are people like us) has off days. I kind of enjoy the people at Mellillo's and how they are sometimes not "polished" like some places. For me, the relaxed atmosphere and the personal attention make for an enjoyable experience. We keep coming back for that reason. Plus the food is consistently good. Thanks for being here.

Wake