VN was the biggest disappointment of our recent trip
After reading previous reviews that are less than stellar, my wife and I had somewhat mixed emotions before arriving for dinner at Via Napoli. Being the eternal optimist that I am, I kept an open mind so as to not let negative opinions affect my experience.
When approaching the restaurant and looking inside, the thoughts of what appeared to be a junior college cafeteria quickly came to mind? Certainly nothing distinct, but nothing that says this is a high end restaurant either. The décor was simple and understated. The openness of the room closest to the walkway seemed to put all of the diners on display so everyone can observe them like primates at the zoo. Upon entering and checking in we were promptly seated. We have been to many Italian restaurants but this is the first one where we were not offered some sort of bread. After discussing it with the wife, we concluded that it would probably be served prior to or with our meal. We were mistaken on that front, as bread is not served unless you ask for it and then it comes with no dipping oil or butter.
When it came to the menu, we found it to very lacking in choices. I can find more to choose from in the cafeteria at my office than here.
After perusing the menu, we decided to share our selections so we would be able to try different things. My wife ordered Linguini Frutti di Mare which is advertised as having shrimp, clams, mussels and squid tossed in a marinara piccante for $26.
I ordered the Piccante individual pizza which comes with Italian spicy sausage, tomato and mozzarella for $16.
Both selections were disappointing from a quality, taste and cost standpoint. The linguini was served in a small bowl that would be considered a salad bowl. It contained two shrimp, 4 mussels in the shell, 2 small pieces of squid and no clams to be found. The marinara was nothing to rave about as it had little seasoning and was very bland and seemed like it was out of a can.
The pizza was really small even for an individual size. It barely filled a dinner plate. I was more than surprised by the lack of ingredients. The amount of meat on this pizza was so miniscule that they could have left it off completely and not affected the taste. The outer crust had a nice texture and pan pizza thickness but the inner crust was paper thin and limp. Can anyone say Chef Boyardee?
We thought about supplementing our meal with salad but it was listed at $5 per person and did not appear to be worth the cost.
For dessert, I ordered the Tiramisu at $8. It was about as good as a frozen Pepperidge Farm Cake.
My wife ordered the Zeppole di Caterina at $10 which is ricotta cheese fritters served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce was lacking in ricotta cheese taste. It was just an okay dessert but not worth the price.
After spending $80 with tax and tip and still coming away hungry as well as disappointed at the quality, Via Napoli is not going to see a return visit from us. Nor will it receive a recommendation to others who might be considering it.