Umbria

07/12/2008 Posted by awilliams727

It appalls me that this restaurant manages to maintain a 4.5 star rating. Several complaints: First, the food could not be more tasteless and boring, especially considering the price. It was below average-- I'd guarantee you'd be happier at Olive Garden. The "yams and Brussels sprout lasagna" that accompanied my bacon wrapped pork had a piece of something small, sharp, and clear in it. I took it out of my mouth only to find that it was the appearance and consistency of a finger nail. At first I thought, no matter, it's probably not a finger nail. Then I found several more in my next bite. I finally just stopped eating it since it was all ending up in my napkin anyway. While the sheer quantity dispelled my finger nail concern, one should never find something like that in their $34 entree. Second, my boyfriend's dish was so salty he could barely eat it. Third, I wasn't going to get wine because I just wasn't in the mood to drink enough to spend $10 on a glass. Instead, I decided to compromise and just order an inexpensive glass of the house red. Everyone knows you order the house wine because its the polite way of ordering the least expensive selection. Well, when the bill came, we were charged $15 for each glass of house --it ended up being more expensive than any glass listed on the wine list!! This is a tricky and cheap practice. Even after complaining politely that this was misleading, the waiter was rude. Lastly, I went on a Friday night expecting some kind of ambiance but it was dead. And the staff just sat around watching baseball on the big screen. Really romantic. Also, though we were only there at 8 pm (not clubbing time), there was some kind of non-stop stomping and loud banging going on upstairs that disrupted the entire dinner. Unfortunately, I would give this restaurant NO STARS if that were a possibility, even if it WASN'T expensive. If you are looking for food worth the price, go somewhere else. I'd recommend Florentine in the North End for starters.

04/08/2008 Posted by katiekat60

I recently made a reservation for 10 ladies two weeks in advance. The evening was a celebration of a co-worker having married. By the way, we are all 55+. We were greeted by waiter telling us we had better order quickly because they were busy. After spending over $650, and approx. 2 hours at our table, as soon as we finished our coffee and paid the check we were asked to vacate the table because they needed it! Very embarassing to say the least. My complaint to the manager illicited no response in the way of any compensation, this was after a personal discussion with her, a follow up phone call and an e-mail which was never answered. There are now 10 ladies in Boston who will never frequent this restaurant around the corner from our office nor recommend it to anyone else. Beware if you have a large group!

Cons: rude and rushed service

10/19/2007 Posted by paced

Very overpriced for average at best food. Entrees ran around $40 each. For that price I expect them to step it up on the quality of the food. Lamb was not very good and the Filet was average. Portions rather small. I left feeling like I had just gotten ripped off. Dinner for two with tip and a reasonably priced wine was pushing $200 (no dessert). Service is average and the atmosphere is nice. The bar seems a nice place for a drink, but I would not recommend. This was for dinner.

Pros: Nice atmosphere

Cons: Overpriced, average food

09/19/2007 Posted by kakraig

I go to Umbria fairly regularly for lunch (I have never had dinner here), generally on an expense account. The service is a bit inconsistent -- sometimes it is great, sometimes very slow. Usually when it is slow, the dessert is free. The restaurant can get very crowded at lunch, and the tables are close together. I have enjoyed most of the meals I have had. I typically have either the eggplant and mozzarella dish or the market fresh salad to start. The eggplant is good but very filling for an appetizer. The salad is frequently underdressed, so it can feel like a large plate of greens. The soups are typically quite good. For an entree, I tend to alternate between the gnocchetti, the pappardelle, and the risotto specials, all of which I enjoy (though the gnocchetti can often be served too hot). I have had the chicken ravioli as well, but it is made with dark meat and quite a lot of butter, so it is generally richer than I like. For dessert at lunch, there are only three choices -- bread pudding, tiramisu, and gelatto. I love the tiramisu (and appreciate that they change up the presentation).

09/16/2007 Posted by kmc1128

Don't be fooled by the ambiance: candle-lit tables, exposed brick. The open kitchen was nice as well, although after we recieved our food, I was convinced it is just for show. We went on a Saturday night and were seated right away (should've been our first clue). We started with the fiori de zucchini appetizer - stay away! I'd describe their taste as a mix between grass and chalk. Trying to get rid of the taste in my mouth with bread was difficult since it was stale. I was hoping the pasta we ordered would be better - I ordered the cappellini with rock crab and scallops in shell fish sauce. My husband ordered the parpardelle with mushrooms. The cappellini dish was overwhelmed by the taste of fish, and there was no meat in the crab. The parpardelle was decent, but as I write this review now my husband and I are both nursing incredibly bad stomach aches the next morning. Overall, I'd recommend staying away from this place. Even if its just for your own health.

Pros: Ambiance (but not worth it).

Cons: Paying $130 for a stomach ache.

09/13/2007 Posted by elvistaco1

Pretty good food, and eager, but erratic, service. Warm atmosphere; brick walls, open kitchen, cozy and modern. Poor wine selection for less than $50/bottle; lots of interesting stuff over $50. Call me cheap, I guess. However, we got tasty wines by-the-glass. Appetizer of Bufalo Mozzarella lacked any basil, and "summer tomatos" were gassed. "House-cured" proscuitto was good, but also lacked the featured goodies (I couldn't find any speck or guaranciale!). I had anticipated the Pappardelle with Mushrooms, and it was very satisfying...fresh pasta and hearty mushrooms. Not only was the quail garnish unnecassary, but it did not add anything to the dish. Also, the menu said "shaved truffles", and I could not detect any. The waiter seemed to rush us to order (the house was only half full on a Saturday night), and then the food came out too quickly. They serve a white bean dip with the bread that is fantastic! but we couldn't enjoy it because the waiter removed the bread when he brought the apps. He had recommended the spaghetti with stuffed lobster to my wife, and when she ordered it, he said they had run out. To compound his error, he said that the couple next to us had ordered the last two, but we noticed later they they did not. We may be tourists, but we aren't stupid. She had instead the lobster ravioli, which she said was OK, but not exciting. The waiter redeemed himself in my wife's eyes when he brought us complimentary Limoncellos after dinner. Desserts were OK, molten chocolate cake with "hazelnut" gelato/mousse but it was peanuts. Lemoncello cake. Tasty.

Pros: good selection of interesting pastas

Cons: the menu gets a little ahead of the food

01/06/2007 Posted by tt7

My boyfriend and I recently went to Umbria and had a fabulous time. The food was really amazing. I started with the seafood trio and was impressed that the squid was cooked perfectly - very tender. A lot of chefs tend to overcook it so it gets tough. My boyfriend had the spinach soup which was nice and creamy with a really nice olive oil drizzled on top. For the main course I had the osso bucco which was falling apart tender and had an intense flavor. I know that it had been slowed cooked for hours to get that concentration of flavor. We received some help from the staff in picking out several wines along the way. They suggested wines at different prices points each time we asked for help - which I really appreciated, and everything we drank paired very nicely with the food. One thing you should definitely try if you go, is one of the digistivos. They are a really nice ending to a large meal and, I think, somewhat unique here in Boston.

Pros: Excellent food and wine, knowledgable, helpful staff

12/15/2006 Posted by jlamay1213

A girl friend and I went to this place after work last night for a couple of drinks and some appetizers. From the moment we walked in we received nothing but rudeness. The hostess was snotty and after we asked her if we could sit out by the bar, she immediately asked if we had a reservation. When we said we didn't (and also noticed that no one else was in the place, aside from the five people sitting at the bar), she made a big point to look at her computer to see if we could sit there. Once it was deemed "okay" to sit there, she even acted miffed that we declined her offer to check our coats for us. Then there was the waiter. Once he saw that we 1) weren't wearing suits (even though we had come directly from working in the Financial District and still had our dressy work clothes on -- the fact we weren't donning suits evidently made us less in his eyes) and 2) didn't look like we were from Old Money, his attitude definitely took a turn (and these two assumptions were later confirmed when the three couples sat down beside us who were wearing suits and looked like they were loaded because he fawned all over them). He took our drink orders and actually made a face when I ordered a vodka gimlet. We decided to order two prosciutto appetizers on the menu (I'm copying this from their menu to make a point later on) -- 1) the Involtini di Speck Tirolese, which was imported smoked prosciutto rolls; and 2) Prosciutti di Cantina & Scamorza, which was Berkshire and black boar prosciutto. My friend asked for "Two of each of the prosciutto appetizers." Instead, he brought back two of #2. My friend pointed it out to him and then he started to argue with her and said there was only one prosciutto dish on the menu and brought it over to prove it. My friend pointed out the other dish and he tried to tell her she was pronouncing "prosciutto" wrong. He finally got the order right but not until he made a great point of making it seem my friend was wrong.

Pros: The upstairs lounge may be cool -- haven't checked it out yet

Cons: rude service, incompetent, food average

12/12/2006 Posted by gy123175

I can't agree more with the other reviews posted here. The service was very unprofessional for the price point of the restaurant. We had a large group with a price fixed menu. The waitress couldn't even tell us what was included or what the price was - she had to keep running to her manager for every question. The fixed menu gave us no choice for appetizer - everyone was forced to get the exact same thing and the entrees were way overcooked. Of course my expectations were high when the entrees of salmon or steak were roughly $35 -$40 each if you subtracted the appetizer and dessert individual prices from our fixed price. The bread pudding was awful, over cooked and tasteless. Then when we left the hostess couldn't find our coats and after several failed attempts I suggested that I go to the coat room to find them. When we go there she snapped "there in the corner - those are the coats for your table" and walked out as if it was my fault she couldn't find our coats.

Pros: Good conversation with our friends

Cons: Service, food, attitude

08/04/2006 Posted by winegaroo

With all the gossip surrounding the departure of Marisa Iocco's guiding hand at Frank De Pasquale's finest restaurant, one might be a little concerned about the quality of the food. Put all doubts aside. New Executive Chef Gianni Caruso is ready for the big time. The food is phenomenal; from the hand-made pasta to the fat, juicy steaks and the only poached salmon I would ever consider eating, the food is way ahead of any competition. The service is also excellent although some of the servers, fresh off the boat from Italy, have pretty strong accents--but isn't that part of the the charm? The dolci, too, were delicious. The closest thing to cannoli I've had in Sicly are available at Umbria. A well-conceived and priced wine list is another bonus. And it all goes on in one of the city's prettiest dining rooms offering a delightful note of rustic charm.

Pros: Night club upstairs