Amarone's Windsor Inn

[TomDel]

Has anybody had dinner recently at Amarone’s Windsor Inn? I believe that at one time it was called Scarotta’s or something like that. The menu looks pretty good http://amaronesrestaurant.com but the reviews are mixed but most of them are pretty old (circa. 2004-5). Their website indicates that Bobby Vitella (aka Bobby V) is the new manager. I think he was associated with the now defunct Grecco’s in the Chambersburg section of Trenton. Any info would be appreciated.

[TomDel]

Has anybody had dinner recently at Amarone’s Windsor Inn?  I believe that at one time it was called Scarotta’s or something like that.  The menu looks pretty good http://amaronesrestaurant.com but the reviews are mixed but most of them are pretty old (circa. 2004-5).  Their website indicates that Bobby Vitella (aka Bobby V) is the new manager. I think he was associated with the now defunct Grecco’s in the Chambersburg section of Trenton.  Any info would be appreciated.

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My son and I decided to try Amarone’s Windsor Inn last night after reviewing the menu’s and specials on their website http://amaronesrestaurant.com . They were advertising a special “Steak House Night” with half prices and since we both felt like a steak, we decided to give them a try.

A hint that we were probably in for a bad night was the fact that even though we arrived somewhat early, around 6:00 PM, and it was raining, the place was empty. Literally no one else was in the dining room and there were only 4 or 5 people at the bar. Only one other couple arrived while we were there.

Unfortunately, it seems we were a victim of the old bait and switch scam. After reviewing the menu, I asked the waitress about the half prices for “Steak House Night” that were advertised on their website. She mumbled something about a mistake and went into the kitchen. When she returned, she had a single page menu that listed the 18 oz. N.Y. Strip Steak at $24 or $26 but not half of the regular menu price of $30/2 or $15. The Filet Mignon was $28 not $34/2 or $17. At this point, we should have just got up and left or at least I should have asked to see the Manager. However, we were both hungry and I didn’t want to make a scene or go look for someplace else in the rain.

After ordering, the busboy brought bread and olive oil for dipping. Butter was never mentioned as an option.

My son had the marinated portabella mushroom which he enjoyed and I had the crab cake which was decent and the anisette sauce worked well with it, but it was not lump crab meat as advertised or if it was, they shredded it during preparation.

The salads were nondescript, room temperature and wilted.

The plus side of all this is that we ordered the aforementioned steaks and they were cooked as ordered and okay, but they were nowhere near as big as advertised.

There was no choice of potato but the mashed that came with the steaks. They tasted okay, but I would have rather had a baked potato or better yet, the traditional steak house home or french fries. The steaks were also served with a barely cooked sprig of steamed broccoli with no butter, lemon or anything else to put on it.

We both had espresso and my son had cannolis which I tasted and were quite good.

Needless to say I was more than a little annoyed with the bogus “Steak House Night” specials so I voiced my complaint this morning by sending an e-mail to the address listed on their website. This is the response that I received this afternoon.

“I appreciate your taking the time to send this email. Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated. In our defense, we requested the menu be taken off the website, du (sic) to the fact that we were creating a new streakhouse (sic) menu. Unfortunately once requested, it can take 2 to 4 business days for the update to occur, and for new menus to be added. Sadly, with the increase in our providers prices, along with the inflation in our food cost, we simply had to eliminate our previous steak house menu, hence the new one with new prices. I apologize (sic) for the inconvenience, and am happy to hear you enjoyed your meal, despite the misleadings (sic). If you have questions reguarding (sic) menus or anything else, always feel free to contact the restaurant with inquiries. Thank you, have a great day.”

As of 3:30 PM this afternoon, the website has still not been changed. I don’t think we’ll be back any time soon.

[Arpad]

Amarone's used to be Heinz' Gausthaus .

[Jeff L]

I was going to post something here last night but not having eaten at the place made me less inclined to do so. I know Bobby V and while he is a decent enough guy, I'd steer way clear of any place he's affiliated with. He had his own joint for a while in the burg and has worked at quite a few places. He's just a bit creepy and over the top to me and usually the food at places he's been involved with has been mediocre.

I was also going to say that the menu looked really boring and not particularly inventive. It's too bad really about the dearth of a really great steakhouse or even a place which makes a really great steak in the Trenton/Hamilton area. As I posted elsewhere, Lorenzo's was a long time favorite of ours but I would never go back again due to a startling lack of qualityi n the steaks and chops.

Really lovely way they handled your email though. You might think that the server or manager would be nice enough to tell you about the changes at the time of ordering.