Restaurant Review: Casa Filippo, Caldwell

Last night Tammy worked late and we decided to go out to dinner in town. Our neighbor Brian has raved about Casa Filippo so we gave it a try. It's located on Bloomfield Avenue, on the second floor above Metropolitan Surgical Supply. At the top of a big wide flight of stairs there are 2 beautifully appointed dining rooms. Linen tablecloths decorated with seasonal colors and fresh flowers adorned the tables. I had called ahead and asked if there were any tables available and was assured that there were. When we arrived we were seated promptly and our wine was whisked away and returned opened.

Then, nothing, for at least 10 minutes. Servers darted to and fro, but it seemed like we were invisible. We perused the menus and finally a young lady approached and seeing our wine, asked if Sophie would like something to drink. Tammy said "we're ready to order too" which seemed to surprise her, but she took our order and went to bring Sophie a glass of milk.

The menu selections were varied and everything looked good. Prices were in the $6 to $8 range for appetizers and $12 - $18 for entrees which is pretty much standard these days for decent Italian food. Tammy settled on risotto with wild mushrooms, Sophie ordered tortellini, and I chose veal saltimbocca.

Then, nothing, again for at least 10 more minutes. No bread, no glasses of water. Sophie was a little fidgety until her fried calamari appetizer appeared, as did some very good bread and our caesar salads. The salads were just the right size (many restaurants put a small mountain of lettuce on caesar salad) with shaved parmesan cheese and croutons. The calamari was lightly breaded and tasty with a tangy sauce along side.

By the time we finished our salads we had also depleted our bottle of wine (waiting more than half an hour for your food will do that). I ran down to the car to retrieve another bottle and got back to the table just as our main courses were served. I asked the young lady to open the second bottle but she dashed away leaving it on the table.

That would be the last we saw of her until it was time to ask for the check.

The food was excellent. My veal was tender, with just the right amount of prosciutto and cheese. They were a little skimpy on the spinach and potatoes but the 3 generous slices of veal made up for it. Tammy's risotto was good too, and Sophie's tortellini came in a wonderfully flavorful cream sauce.

I'm sure the meal would have been even better if we had had something to drink with it. Sophie was finished with her milk, and our wine glasses were empty. But, once again, we were invisible to the wait staff.

When we were finished eating a busboy came to clear the table and our waitress also returned to ask if we wanted coffee or dessert. We declined; our check arrived, and we departed with nary a thank you or a good night from anyone.

So, on the plus side, Brian's raving about the food was spot on.
But, on the minus side, the service was slow, inattentive, and unfriendly and really ruined the experience.
With so many very good dining choices in Caldwell, I seriously doubt we'll return to Casa Filippo any time soon.

UPDATE 07 Sep 2012 11:14:
A friend convinced me to go back to Casa Filippo.

And the experience was like night and day. Good service, same great food.

I've returned twice since, and been impressed each time.

Hooray, they got better.

Posted at 10:54 by Chris Wysocki   [/reviews]   Comments | Perm Link |   |   Tweet