stefano's

chris was in town yesterday, and we decided to treat ourselves to a "fancy" dinner. arestaurantcalled stefano's has been on my bucket list for awhile because i've seen the commercials advertising it , and it's supposed to be one of the best fine dining establishments in town. from the outside, we determined it didn't seem too intimidating -- a neon sign and christmas lights in the tree. to top it off, it's located beneath a bowling alley , suburban lanes . it's tucked away, so there's not really a grand entrance, but the windows were dark, so we weren't quite sure what we were in for. when we walked through the two sets of doors, there was a hostess ready to take our coats. we had called ahead for reservations (as per requested on the website), so they sat us right away. there was one couple and a party of 10 or so. probably typical for a wednesday evening. the lighting inside was very dim, and consisted of mainly modern, circular track lighting. wine bottles were showcased in a cabi

food good, everything else bad. the food is excellent, however everything else about thisrestaurantis not. prices are typical of what you would expect at a fine dining restaurant, no issues there. like others have said below the service is low quality. there is a bowling ally and you can hear the loud thud of bowling balls the whole time.

personally i won't be going back. the bad service we received outweighs any positives of the food. when you go out for fine dining you except exceptional service. i receive better service at my local chinese take out. stefano's is run by amateurs.

bad service. i went to stephano's on a whim with my wife the other night. we didn't have a reservation, but heard good things about the restaurant, and stopped by. when we got there there were about 10 people in the bar 2 large (6 persons) parties and 1 small party. the 2 large parties were leaving, and the waiters were clearing the tables.

we stood at the hostess stand for about 10 minutes, waiting for to be acknowledged. several of the waiters looked at me, nodded and then ignored me. after 10 minutes, i went to one of the waiters and asked if there was a host/hostess. he replied that he would get someone, and after another couple minutes another waiter came over and couldn't find the hostess. this waitress told me that there was a table available and as soon as the hostess got back i could be seated.

after another couple minutes the hostess came back along with (what is believe was) a manager. the waitress told the manager that we didn't have a reservation and that she was going to seat us at an open table (by this time, all but one of the tables in therestaurantwere empty). the manager took the menu's from the waitress and said that they were very busy at that time, and we would have to wait at the bar for 15 minutes for a table to open.

needless to say we left and went to have a lovely dinner at oliverio's at the wharf.

i don't care how good the food is, if the service bad, therestaurantis bad.

i called in september to make reservations following the wvu vs cinn game and left a message stating i did not know when the game was being played, but would reserve for 5pm; the message said someone would call and confirm- no one did; i called back when game time was announced and confirmed, but changed time to 6pm; the next day, i called and changed the time to 7pm due to a tailgate after the game; was told "no problem"; i was eating at the glass house on friday night and received a call from stephanos (a woman) and i again told her the reservation was for saturday and she said, "it will be no problem" and confirmed for 6 people; i arrived after the game around 6:15pm and was told there was a reservation for 2 only and 'we cannot accommodate you." there were at least 10 empty tables that i could see at the reservation desk, so we left. i will not return and i will not recommend to anyone and i will take every opportunity to share this with others. we left therestaurantand drove downtown and at the the golden finch- only open 3 weeks and i must say it was one of the most outstanding dinners i have had; the variety on the menu, the presentation, the customer service and the flavor of the food was outstanding- our table of 6- no one had a bad meal and we were sharing the food with each other so we could have a taste of all the dishes. the wine selection was great and the bill came to over $300 by the time we were finished with the wine selections and the desserts. sorry stephanos- you threw away $300 plus dollars and a chance at future customers from some very influential wvu alumni. too bad.

like no otherrestaurantin morgantown!. what a first class restaurant. everything is top of the line,the food,atmosphere,service and selection of wine can not compare to any otherrestaurantin morgantown. their food and wine pairing that they have every last monday of the month,u really need to make a reservation ,and experience it!. thanks to the owners for giving morgantown arestaurantthat is truly first class.

customer service?. i must say that a sour experience left me livid and telling anyone who would listen not to waste their time and money. we tried stefano's because we needed a quiet place for two physicians to discuss a potential business venture. the server was very attentive and the food itself was perfection. we did not order from the bar. the prices are what i would expect for a fine dining experience. the decor is contemporary and lovely. live piano music was being played but could not cover the very loud thuds coming from the bowling alley just above. even the noise did not keep us from being able to quietly and privately discuss business. we made a reservation but i began to feel as though we were being rushed through our meal. then, after dessert was served (90 minutes after being seated), we were informed that there was another reservation for the table in 30 minutes. we finished our meal and attempted to wrap up business negotiations quickly; however, our waiter came over a second time and insisted that we leave so the table could be reset. i found this to be absurd. there were multiple other empty tables in therestaurantat the time and we could see noone waiting in the small foyer/lobby. we moved our conversation outside in freezing temperatures in spite of the fact that one physician's spouse was obviously pregnant. we talked for another 15-20 minutes and noone entered therestaurant(a full 15 minutes after the supposed next reservation for our table). i have worked in the food industry in front and back of the house operations. i am a self proclaimed food snob. i have dined in fine dining establishments around the country (boston, new york, chicago, washington d.c., new orleans, san diego, san francisco, etc.). on average, a meal in a fine dining setting lasts at least two hours, usually longer. i have never before been asked to leave when i made a reservation and have barely finished my meal. i can not recommend thisrestaurantfor this gross oversight in customer service. additionally, for a dinner service for only two couples on one check, they put a gratuity of 17% on the check even though they did not inform us of the policy ahead of time and it was not noted on the menu. typically, a gratuity is only automatically added to a check for larger groups (six or more depending on the restaurant). my tipping standard is 20% but i bristle at the idea of them tacking it on since it is supposed to be at the patrons' discretion based on their perception of the quality of service. if you want an exceptional fine dining experience in morgantown, i have always had great experiences at cafe bacchus and, my personal favorite, the glasshouse grille. try one of those instead.

this is great change a pacerestaurantfor morgantown!. the food is delicious and the service is impeccable. being hidden under the bowling alley of suburban lanes you don't know quite what to expect. once inside you see what they have to offer. reservations are a must due to the modest dining room. the staff is pleasant and on the ball once you leave you feel you have made friends. the price is right about where it should be for food of this quality. food is plated well and taste great. if you are looking for a true dining experience this is the place!