Stefanos - Bethlehem

My wife and I thought that it was important to let everyone know how our meal went at Stefano’s Restaurant (2970 Linden St.; Bethlehem, PA 18017), and the utter lack of understanding, and remorse felt by the owner of the restaurant. On February 13, 2009 we went to a pre-Valentine’s Day dinner at Stefano’s, a restaurant that we did dine at one time prior. Basically, here is what occurred: We had a reservation for 6:30 and were seated promptly. That is where it went downhill. We were not greeted by our waiter (no need for names here – I am sure he still needs the job), for a full ten (10) minutes until after we were seated. He came by and the first thing he asked was “what can I get you to drink?” It seemed like the restaurant was understaffed, but I guess he failed waiter etiquette school. No water, and no bread was brought to the table, but the drinks arrived promptly. He returned 10 minutes later after dropping the drinks off and asked if we would like to order an appetizer, which we did. It was the portabella cheese appetizer which came out lukewarm at best, and was more suited for one person. While biting into one piece of the appetizer, my wife came upon a 1 inch by 1½ inch piece of white hard plastic (sort of like from a gallon milk container). We called over the waiter, and he took the piece of plastic in his hands, and said whimsically “so I guess you don’t want the rest of the appetizer, huh?” We responded, “no” thinking he might offer a replacement, apology, visit from the cook, manager visit, etc. Nothing more was said about this by him or anyone during our meal. We waited patiently for the next few minutes for our dinner. Our waiter spent the next 15 minutes at the table next to us taking his time making the best Caesar salad he could (while our dinners were sitting under the heat lamp). Our dinners were brought out by the hostess, which we later learned was the owner’s (Stefano’s) wife. She asked if there was anything else she could bring, and to that we said, “well, yes … bread and water would be nice.” She brought the bread out, and it had a long blonde hair. Neither my wife nor I have long blonde hair. Quite disgusting to say the least! The waiter returned, and asked if we wanted desert. We were quite disgusted with the “meal” at that point and we declined. The check came … $52 and we left, (based upon what occurred) a very fair amount on the table – $60. Upon departure I left my business card with the hostess, and asked for the owner to call me. He did, the following day, and after a few calls back and forth we did speak on the phone. After describing all of the details of our meal, I asked for our money back, and he agreed. Then, he had the audacity to send me a $25 dollar gift certificate instead. I called, told him I was not satisfied, and then sent the $25 cert back after he said he “would take care of it”. All the while, he used the expression that he was “dumbfounded” that it could happen in “his” restaurant, and it never happened before. Well, Mr. Stefano, it did, and people need to know. Three more calls and no response by Stefano has prompted this review. My wife and I tell others about great restaurants in the area, and we get the same in return. They now know about this visit and I doubt they will return. For those contemplating going to this establishment, there are plenty of other choices in Bethlehem, and the surrounding areas for Italian fare. Diners should think twice, and then think again, before entering Stefano’s doors.

The review prior to this one could have been written by me. My group of 8 showed up at 12:30pm on Mother’s Day as well. The back dining room was not completely full with two empty tables. Drinks took too long to receive, we finally got them at a little before 1:00 pm. Food showed up in drips and drabs almost 45 minutes after we ordered. I was shocked at, not the prices, but the proportions. The mozzarella salad was about a skimpy as they come, so were most of the other appetizers. Evidently Stephanos has decided not to raise prices but to just give you less food. I was almost ready to complain but was really in no mood to make a scene, with 8 people there for a celebratory Mother’s Day, which is not typical for me. I let it slide. One of my guests had to ask for more spaghetti sauce, it was as if they had spray painted it on, the amount was so thin. The food was good but there is surely better value elsewhere. Either that or they were just cashing in on Mother’s Day thinking that only pikers go out for lunch/dinner on this day. Because we had 8 in our party, they automatically added the usual and quite presumptively arrogant gratuity for **** service and skimpy portions. Then they leave a space open for an extra tip! BULL! I am not going back. Why do restaurants think that they can get away with this sort of thing? You’d think that with the current economy they would not want to drive anyone away! There are tons of other places to try…at least once.

I am proud to say that we have an annual tradition each year on Mother’s day…Mother’s Day Brunch. Over the years the group has grown to include not just family, but extended family and friends…and it is a tradition we all look forward to. This year left us wanting for more. We chose Stefano’s because it had a great location, could accomodate our reservation of 11 and it was Italian…how can you go wrong…well…read on…it is almost a comedy. Our reservation was for 12:30PM…we arrived promptly on time and waited for 15 minutes to be greeted and directed to a table. Once seated the wait began. 30 minutes in…we got drinks…but didn’t see any food until 2:00PM. In a nutshell, we were finally leaving the restaurant at 3:30pm. Now the details, some of the service was a bit off…the waters finally arrived but at the expense of a salad. Then, a few ordered lobster tails…which arrived without butter. When it was asked for…a tiny condiment cup of melted butter arrived….for the entire table to share?!?!?!! I, along with others, did try to offer some feedback to the owner BEFORE we settled the bill, literally had the cash in hand and I was met with an elevated voice stating that there is nothing she could do at that point….now, I am not an expert, but an apology or sympathetic response would have been appreciated. Literally yelling at your customers does not scream repeat patron to me. To boot, the little comment box in the entry way was out of comment cards….that should have been a clue. To top this off, about an hour earlier, another customer who was not happy with the service either was met with a similar respose and rude behavior. What I can say is the food was ok….but not worth a repeat visit.

Studied hospitalty management in NYC, managed in two five star restautant’s in NYC under TOP CHEFS, this was insulting to the industry. Dined there 3 weeks ago and still can’t get over it! Overpriced, tasteless food, felt sorry for the waitress! My daughter’s spaghetti dish came with water on the dish! I had to drain it myself! A kitchen nightmare to say the least! Where is Chef Ramsey when you need him! Forced to put one star here….didn’t want to.