Restaurant Review: Trattoria on Newbury

I like trying out new restaurants, I really do. When those little hops open and have yet to build a strong clientele base I just want to pick them up and hug them like a lost puppy. However, the fact remains that not yet having a Yelp page is terrifying. Terrifying. 


So be it an adventurous spirit, or lack of motivation to keep walking down Newbury Street on a hot day, Renee and I decided to try out Trattoria on Newbury. 

It started out just fine, with a cute little patio and a polite hostess, but it all went downhill from there. The service was pretty friendly, but slow paced. We also had this little old man refilling our half-empty water glasses every 15 seconds. He just kind of moped around the patio like a middle aged Igor at a mad scientists lab. Creepy, but at least he was helpful and we were certainly hydrated.


The wine and beer list was limited to only a few choices so we stuck with our water and decided to start with a Cesar salad. Before we placed the order, however, Renee asked the waitress if there were anchovies in the salad dressing.


"I don't know," said the waitress, "the dressing isn't home made."


Ok, so I'm no food snob, but when you have real estate on one of the busiest streets in Boston the least you can do is not give me the equivalent to going to the salad bar at the Piggly Wiggly. Despite this we decided to order the salad anyway. What we were delivered was a sad looking batch of romaine lettuce, croutons, and parmesan cheese thrown together on a plate. These three ingredients does not a Cesar salad make, and for a slightly higher price point it was incredibly dissapoiting. 


For the entree all we wanted was to split a sandwich. So they didn't get salad quite right, no big deal. A place like this must totally have a bomb sandwich, right? 


Not really.


Not only did we have to wait almost a half hour for an eggplant parmesan sandwich, but when it was served to us it was powerfully average. It sat alone on a big white plate with no sides to speak of and lacked any sort of originality. Easily thrown together at home.


So, while the staff was kind and easy to talk to, the food was nothing special. I could even forgive the restaurant if it was just a quick place to grab a bite in between shopping binges, but alas, it is not. There are just too many better restaurants within a short walk of this place to recommend Trattoria.