The Dish - A critic's review of Enoteca Toscana

Jun 2010 - Took my wife for lunch at Enoteca Toscana in Camarillo. She had been there once before with a group function. I had never visited the location but received a discount card at the Casa Pacifica Wine & Food Festival. I was very excited to have lunch there. I just don't think they were as excited. The server, also acting as host, was not very friendly nor did he make us feel comfortable. Was it because he was pre-occupied with one other table for lunch? I don't think so. It was almost an imposition.

I don't want you to think I'm a snob, but I just want someone to remember what customer service is all about. Make me feel welcome. The only reason why I opted to visit the place was because of the discount special. So now that you have me in the building, try to keep me please. While I finished a telephone call in the car, my wife waited for an acknowledgment from the "guy" - so she could hopefully get a table. I joined her 5-10 minutes later.

We ordered panini sandwiches and waters fore both of us. The sandwiches come with a nice side dish, but since we were using the "special discount" we received - there were no side dishes included. That seemed a bit unfortunate. Thus, we ordered a small beet salad to accompany our paninis.

Our waters were delivered and when we both took a sip of them, the taste was extremely awful. I remember as a child the times when I would drink from a garden hose on a hot day. Although the water was cold, the taste and smell from the garden hose was definitely a turn-off. I explained to the "guy" our displeasure and asked what might be the problem and he said the water is just fine. I than suggested a bottle of water as a substitute and perhaps he should check out the water issues he has at the restaurant. We received our water, the beet salad and the panini sandwiches.

I have to admit - other than the original waters, everything we consumed was fantastic. The food had great taste. We finished our meal and requested the check and sure enough - the "guy" had the audacity to charge us $5 for the bottle of water. I complained and he replied that his waters were just fine. I guess he sensed my displeasure and he than offered to remove the $5 charge with a little annoyance. Would I return to the restaurant? Not sure. I liked the food, but not the service, the attitude or the waters.