I went to Coolato Gelato for lunch last week and ordered the club panini. I'm not a huge panini fan, but it was pretty decent. It was a really big, filling sandwich with an interesting addition of pickled green tomato, but for $8.50 including a side, I'd honestly rather go to a different downtown establishment and pay less (or the same for a full-service experience). I just didn't love it, but I don't suppose I hated it either. I did not particularly enjoy the decor or vibe in there, either. I was also a little miffed to find out the next day (via their storefront board) that each sandwich came with a free serving of gelato in the month of July and they didn't offer this to us. Other than that, the service was typical of an order and wait sandwich type place, i.e. no real interaction outside of ordering and paying.
3/5 stars
I've been to the S&W a few times recently, but I will highlight two, mainly. Once for dinner before going on vacation and once last week for lunch.
The vibe has improved in the downstairs area. They recently knocked down a wall that separated the bar, which made it feel more comfortable. Still, it's a large space to fill and can be a bit overwhelming at times.
At dinner, I order the daily special ribeye (simply grilled) with sauteed swiss chard. It was a really solid steak, actually. Nice, clean flavors - not a heavy steak, somehow, despite that it was a ribeye. For lunch I had the skirt steak salad with beets, grilled radicchio and pink Roquefort dressing. Individually, the flavors were solid, but the overall dish struggled to find balance for me. Despite the the sweet beet flavor balancing the strong Roquefort, there was simply too much bitter blackened radicchio on the plate, which overwhelmed everything else, in my opinion. Maybe I am just not a radicchio fan... (The skirt steak entree with black beans, etc. is TO-DIE-FOR, however. And, yes, I like steak.)
The service has always been good at the S&W for me. I prefer to sit a the bar, so I generally always get the same server/bartender, who is excellent. The manager, Jordan, is also top-notch and takes good care of us.
My overall feelings towards S&W are sort of "slightly better than neutral," or, perhaps "mixed" is a better term, right now, so my rating would be 3.75/5 stars. However, I know they are planning to fine-tune the menu and work on the environment. I have high hopes. Their other restaurant, Northshore Brasserie, is not only my favorite in town, but is one of my all-time favs.
Finally stopped at Savelli's after having driven by what seems like a million times.
The decor and ambiance struggle for me. It's a hodge-podge of tables, chairs, "art," etc. Lots of empty wine bottles, too. Sometime things like this come off as cool (e.g. Chez Guevara in Knoxville) and would be considered by most to be hip dive bars/restaurants, while other times (and most times) it just comes off as tacky. Savelli's suffers from the latter.
The food is pretty good. I've been twice. The first time was better overall. The salad was really enjoyable, featuring a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. The fettuccine alfredo is the best thing I've had, well, beside their garlicy grilled ciabatta bread (which is AWESOME). Their not-so-crispy fried calamari was not good. Don't get it - unless you like limpy, soggy breaded calamari.
The service is pretty middle of the pack. They allow outside wine for a nominal $3.00/head corkage fee, but let you handle the opening, etc. Usually paying a fee gets you a little service, but not here. Oh well, I'll open my own wine if I'm only paying $3.00 and can drink whatever I want. Other than that, I can't say much about the service. It's not great, and it's not bad.
3.25/5 stars
(Reminder/FYI - my ratings are "gut feeling" reactions based on decor/ambiance, food/drinks, and service. I judge the restaurants in-and-of-themselves for the type of establishment they are. I figure it's not fair to rate In-N-Out Burger against The French Laundry, as they provide two totally different types of experiences.)
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