Saturday, February 15, 2014

Pasta Del Giorno Closes

Long-time Austin Street restaurant Pasta Del Giorno has closed. I used to go there in my pre-Tuscan Hills days. But ever since TH opened, that's pretty much where I go for Italian food. I am so eagerly looking forward to Tuscan Hills' owners' new pizza place opening soon in the former Just Like Mother's location on Queens Blvd., near Ascan!


46 comments:

  1. A poor excuse for an Italian Restaurant. No big loss.

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    1. I agree! Let's hope the space is filled with something good soon.

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  2. Just wondering...do you get paid by a restaurant every time you mention it on your blog?

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    1. He gets paid in burgers and purple hazes(the 20 oz)

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  3. I never get paid for anything I write. That is unethical.

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  4. The last time I ate there was about 10 years ago . The pasta sauce was sour, bread was stale and the place in general was run down and dirty. We actually walked out . The manager never apologized as we left.

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  5. Good effing riddance!! Had one of the worst hospitality experiences of my life there. It was Mother's Day, and we made reservations at Pasta Del Giorno. My mother has rheumatoid arthritis and walking/standing can be painful for her. My father dropped us off in front of the restaurant so that she wouldn't have far to walk, and then drove off to park across Queens Blvd.

    We walked in and the owner met us at the door. I told him we had a reservation for four, and he started to lead us over to our table, which was ready. He turned around and asked where our fourth was. I explained that my father was merely parking the car. He immediately got huffy and said he couldn't seat us until our entire party was there. We walked back over to the hostess area, and I could tell my mother was uncomfortable. She hates to make a fuss, but it was Mother's Day!

    I pulled the owner aside and told him about my mom's condition, and seeing as how we had made a reservation, our table was empty and ready and there was no one else waiting, could we be seated so my mother wouldn't have to stand anymore? He brusquely said "No!" and turned his back and walked away.

    I was astounded. I told him he'd never get another dollar from me o my family and I'd tell everyone I knew about the story. I've never set foot in there again, and I know many other Forest Hills residents who stopped going also.

    Guess what restaurant owners? Hospitality matters!

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  6. Hated the look of this place. Always saw their workers smoking outside . Glad I didn't waste my time or money eating there.

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  7. Sorry to hear about your experience. There is no excuse for bad service. I consistently had the opposite experience there. I had an ongoing dinner with 6 friends, we arrived at different times, and they never rushed us, we had a leisurely dinner and felt very welcome. Havent been there in months, and I agree that Tuscan is delicious, but a bit far for me..

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  8. Very surprised they lasted as long as they did.

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  9. I agree they had awful hospitality. When my husband and I went there they acted like it was such a hassle to have us there. I thought maybe it was because I am black and they thought we wouldn't spend much but I see it was because they were just horrible owners. Good riddance.

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  10. It's a shame. When it first opened we really enjoyed the food and service. Hadn't been there in over 10 years, and when we went back, we were really disappointed.

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  11. I went in for lunch about three years ago; my first time there. The place was empty. I was told to sit anywhere. I sat for a long, long time waiting for a menu. No one brought one. I finally asked for one and was given a menu. The prices were pretty high. I said, "Is there a lunch menu?" The waiter actually sneered at me and said that was the lunch menu. I walked out. I've always assumed I was treated this way because I went in alone and am an Asian female.

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  12. Don't feel bad . It happened to my entire family a few years ago. We are Itailan American. A waiter seated us...
    and then forgot about us while he was on his cell phone. The 5 of us got up and walked out. They should have closed a long time ago.

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  13. Walked by there a zillion times and never had the urge to go in despite having tried most every restaurant on Austin Street throughout the years. Looking forward to another new cool addition to the neighborhood to compliment The Flying Pig, Banter, Station House, Jack and Nelly's, Bareburger, etc.

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  14. Just adding to the chorus - good riddance.

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  15. Now the big question is , what kind of restaurant should go in there? Private or chain?
    Think real hard on this one. Remember , Santa Fe ' s space is available too.

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  16. I have to post this anonymously or I might get in trouble, but I may have been the reason they decided to close. My friend and I went to the movies on the night of February 6th and then figured we'd grab a bite at Santa Fe on 70th Road, which we didn't realize had closed. So we went into Uno, where the manager kept us standing around waiting for a table for twenty minutes even though the place was half-empty, and when we complained he still said we'd have to wait. So we high-tailed it out of there and were so hungry at that point that we figured we'd just hit the first place we saw. Just my bad luck it was Pasta del Giorno. At first we thought it was nice. The decor was a little 1980s, but the waitress and the busboy were terrific and the food was good. Well, I got food poisoning from their Fettucine al Pesto. I've never been so sick in my life that I had to sleep for twenty-seven hours (when I wasn't praying at the porcelain altar), but that's exactly what happened. I called the restaurant hotline at the Dept of Health to report it, and the next thing I knew they were closed. Oh, well.

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    1. Yes, it's all about you. You totally closed down that restaurant.

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    2. LOL. What can I tell you? I sometimes have that effect on people. So sue me.

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    3. You were their last victim. Congratulations!

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    4. I have to post this anonymously or I might get in trouble too, but I may have been the reason the MTA trains were running well today. Yesterday, I was waiting for the train and it took forever. I called 311 and filed a complaint. Today, the trains were running great. Your welcome :0)

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    5. Nice post. Some delusional people need to be called out once in awhile.

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  17. Sta looks closed as well. Wonder if it will be combined.

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  18. This place was so far behind the times.

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  19. Any of the following places would be huge moneymakers: shake shack, ihop, denny's, mortin's, johns pizzeria, etc.

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    1. Ihop? Denny's? I assume you're joking.

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  20. No more chains, please. A great French or Indian restaurant would be cool.

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  21. Pleased to see this place go. It was overpriced, and mediocre at best. Every time I passed, I would feel a little sorry for anyone eating inside...

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  22. Maybe a combo Popeyes Chicken and Pizza Hut.

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  23. There is already a Popeyes near the mall, and a Pizza Hut on QB in Rego Park. How about a Chik-fil-A and a Sonic, yummmmm!

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  24. If the health department shut them down, there would be a notice posted at the entrance to the restaurant.

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  25. Can't believe there is actally enthusiasm for more theme and/or chain restaurants or pizza . What we need is fine dining. Am not suggesting Danny Brown open on Austin Street but a similar style and quality restaurant would be really appreciated. It is my gut feeling there are a lot of people living in our area who would just love to venture out to a great new nearby restaurant and not have to drive to places like Astoria and LIC, etc. We have had a good influx of good and fun pub-food. Now it's time to get more serious.

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    1. I'm not completely disagreeing with you in regards to having a fine dining restaurant in the neighborhood, BUT keep in mind there are considerably less people in FH (as well as nearby area's) that can afford upscale restaurants as opposed to considerably more folks who can afford the chain style places.

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    2. Not for long - they're building these expensive condos because the demographics of this neighborhood are dramatically changing.

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    3. If the good people of Astoria can afford to support quirky and unique restaurants, why can't the good people of Forest Hills do the same? Are you saying Astoria is more upscale than Forest Hills?!

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  26. I was a customer 25 years ago. They were originally a storefront that sold handmade pastas, and an occasional hot dish. Over the years i drifted away mostly because their menu began to rely on wines and brandies to perk up the taste of their dishes. Recently returned to use gift certificates--
    the pesto was fabulous, as was the veal valdostano. The staff was uninspiring, probably having seen the writing on the wall. Sorry to see them go because I am not enthused about the new places opening in Forest Hills.

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    1. Bad prices and bad service is what made me stop going there after two tries about a decade ago. The owner was clueless and took for granted customers who didn't know any better and just streamed in due to their location advantage. Not a sustainable business model especially in the new world of social media. Ditto on its good riddance.

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  27. Berthas Burger Bistro coming soon.

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  28. Garcia's - mediocre Mexican place (gone). Just Like Mother's - mediocre Polish food (gone). Pasta Del Giorno - mediocre Italian (gone). The old generation of "barely edible" and "senior citizen/fixed income" places are dying off. Now if only T-Bone would join them!

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    1. Is T-Bone under new management? I recently ordered a chicken parm hero from them and they sent it to me on Wonder bread. Who eats chicken parm on WONDER BREAD? Sigh. It was a soggy mess!

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    2. In the words of the inimitable Richard Dreyfus: "I got that beat." Shrimpless shrimp salad, consisting of nothing but celery and mayonnaise and possibly a spare shrimp tail here and there, served to my rather surprised father at my last—and final—visit to aforementioned establishment about ten years ago.

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    3. Oh, and in answer to your question, taking into account the situation you describe, if you told me your chicken parm was the most delicious you've had on the planet, then I would believe their management had changed.

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    4. I've heard so many negative reviews of that place, reminds me of one late night I really wanted a milkshake. Bareburger, Cheeburger and all the frozen yogurt places were closed. I could have gone there but I was afraid they would even screw that up. I ended up buying ice cream and milk at Rite Aid and making it myself at home.

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