Gianfabio's Italian Cafe

Ordered takeout and was disappointed. I ordered the seafood ravioli, my wife ordered lasagna, each with a house salad. My ravioli had very little flavor and I believe the tiny shrimp sprinkled on top were precooked frozen shrimp. If they had prepared the shrimp, or seasoned the sauce better, or added something with some texture, it would have made it better. Unfortunately, it was bland; the flavor, the colors, and the texture, all bland. My wife's lasagna wasn't bland, but didn't really taste to good. It tasted like it was pre-made and then reheated and also had an unusual flavor, almost like nutmeg. I also didn't like the house salad's dressing (kind of sweet mustard flavor), and the bread tasted like a store bought roll. I would have rather spent less money and just picked up frozen Italian food and cooked it in the hotel room. I know times are tough with covid screwing things up for businesses, so if I lived here I would probably give them another chance in a couple months.

I live in the area and regularly see this place packed so I thought I’d finally give it a try. The server was very attentive and friendly, the decor dated and the food average. Gianfabio’s has apparently been around since 1987 and the plating and quality seems to be stuck right where they started. The bread was warmed but had the texture and consistency of day old bread, which made it difficult to sop up the lackluster escargot sauce as it crumbled; it struck me as possibly a frozen commercial sauce. The simple caprese salad was ok but unremarkable and would really benefit from a fresh, quality garden tomato to wake it up. The main course, Chicken Marsala, had a nice taste though I’m fairly certain the chicken breasts were pre-frozen portions as they were very uniform, but they were cooked well and were not dry. The vegetable side was over done and under seasoned, and the four or five pieces of pan fried potatoes were an unusual addition. The Marsala sauce was well done and made up for the lack of creative or appealing plating. Overall the restaurant and the food are like experiencing a milder version of Kitchen Nightmares: it’s not bad but it is dated, could use a facelift and cries out for both fresh ingredients and fresh ideas.