Is Cafe Ponte Still To Be Considered One of the Top Tampa Bay Restaurants?
Just to be clear...I have been a huge fan of Cafe Ponte ever since I moved here in 2005. Several of my most memorable meals in the Tampa Bay area have occurred there. I had been seeing some less - than- flattering mentions on this board, but hadn't been there in about 8 months.
Tonight I took several coworkers there for a celebration dinner. Verdict? Sadly , I don't think Cafe Ponte is anywhere near as good as it used to be. The service is still very good...our waiter treated us to a complimentary amuse bouche of mushroom soup...unfortunetly, one of our diners hates mushrooms and had requested them to be left off her entree. (She was still served the soup, and the mushrooms were included on her entree even after her request.) My ribeye steak was nicely cooked, but served cold. (I hate to be a pain and return anything to the kitchen, but in this case I had to...the $32 steak was cold.) In addition, the side dish of crispy crab mac & cheese on the menu with my steak was nowhere to be found. There was a boring side of underseasoned semi-gratin potatoes. When I asked the waiter about it, he said that the kitchen told him that they were not serving the crab mac tonight. Fine, but why not let the diner know about that before they place an order? My entree choice would have been different had I known that. The restaurant may not be able to print up new menus for the evening, but the wait staff should let the diners know of any substitutions. Finally, the glass of shiraz served to one of my coworkers was completely corked and full of large chunks of sediment...she was almost sick when she got a large piece caught in her throat.
I will say that the wait staff did try to make things right (complimentary dessert and replacing the glass of wine) but for a $70 per head dinner on a weeknight, it left a lot to be desired. I hate to say it, but I will probably be giving my business to Mise En Place or Sidebern's on the other side of the Bay before I go back to Cafe Ponte again. It's a shame, as it is right by my regional office and a great location for after work. However, tonight's meal was absolutely not worth the money.
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Cafe Ponte
13505 Icot Blvd. Suite 214, Clearwater, FL 33760
Mise En Place Restaurant
442 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606
Sidebern's
2208 W Morrison Ave, Tampa, FL 33606
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Hey, this is one meal after thousands of great ones, according to what I've read on this board. With a reputation like Cafe Ponte has had up until now, I would not write it off until giving it two more tries. I've only been to Cafe Ponte once (about three years ago), but I thought it was impressive.
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Cafe Ponte
13505 Icot Blvd. Suite 214, Clearwater, FL 33760 -
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