Monday, May 20, 2013
Comment Archives: stories: Food & Drink
Re: “Half-baked”
Btw...what experience do you have to have to be a food critic at the Independent? I will stick with a credible source from now on. Credibility is worth a lot. I'm sure the publisher would not have let this publish if he received free grub from this establishment like he does from other local establishments.
Posted by
Katherine1334
on 01/26/2012 at 9:06 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
You are jimmiedoo! I can't wait to hear about your third visit.
Posted by
Katherine1334
on 01/26/2012 at 8:32 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Hi Katherine1334,
Speaking as the Indy's other food critic and longtime organizer of our food coverage, I can assure you of a couple things.
A) Though I don't know who Jimmiedoo is, I can assure you he doesn't work for us because we don't have any trained chefs on staff.
B) We have been making second visits for many many years at the Indy, as part of our general review method. We almost always make a second visit, unless the eatery is located in Pueblo or a decent drive from us. Follow-up visits are almost always used by serious publications to gauge consistency and allow room for both improvement or deterioration.
Posted by
Matthew Schniper
on 01/26/2012 at 8:22 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Jimmiedoo obviously works for the Independent as well. It wasn't the owner that rallied the troops, it was me! Simply because me and my friends love the food there. You may be a "foodie" whatever that means but my friend is a graduate from culinary arts school and she says that she has never had better lasagna. You are an idiot...read the entire article. This idiot, like you, says that on their SECOND visit, the server remembered them. This raises a question; why go back for a second visit. Typical Independent IGNORANCE! Readers should NOT believe this nonsense.
Posted by
Katherine1334
on 01/26/2012 at 7:59 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Hey readers, the writer did give credit for their sandwiches and desserts. I am a foodie and a trained chef and have eaten at the restaurant and had much the same experience as the critic. Some of the food is good, however the attention to detail is missing in many instances. If you have a restaurant, you must bring to the table exactly what you advertise on your menu. Or, you need to let me know you're making substitutions before you bring me my order.
I do find it ironic that all the comments came so close together. I have to wonder if "someone" didn't call their friends and have them slam the critic? I've found the commentary of both food critics at the Indy to be on target a good majority of the time; I don't think that he missed the mark this time. A review like this is an awesome opportunity as an owner to evaluate your restaurant with another person's viewpoint and make improvements if needed!
Posted by
jimmiedoo
on 01/26/2012 at 6:11 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Wow!! Who is this guy. Who puts someone's buseness down like that. I've ate there and the food is amazing. I have had great service and never ran into any problems wih the food. Sounds like he was having a bad day and took it out on ficco's. I will be back to eat, don't worry Ficco's keep your head up your food is amazing.
Posted by
Eman
on 01/26/2012 at 4:29 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
This review is sooooo off base! The food at Ficco's is not only affordable but delicious in my opinion. I am very picky about lasagna and theirs is fantastic. It sounds to me like the Indy is now in the business of putting small business out of business or maybe their tight with the owners of "other" italian restaurants in the area...that wouldn't surprise me at all. Keep up the good work of hurting small business in a down economy.
Posted by
RCV
on 01/26/2012 at 4:22 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Wow!! Who puts someone's buseness down like that. Who is this guy. I have ate there many times and the food is great. I never ran into any of those problems that guy ran into. People out there try it yourself and you will be convinced. Sounds like he was having a bad day and took it out on Ficco's. Keep your head up your food is amazing.
Posted by
Eman
on 01/26/2012 at 4:14 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Hey bro, did we eat at the same restaurant? They have the best food plus special bonuses like the home-like atmosphere and the ridiculously affordable prices. The Nani's Lasagna and Capone Sandwich are out of this world. Great place to bring the entire family.Great place too to stop after work and bring home-cooked meals back to the family. Don't listen to others, just go in, and judge for yourself. Enjoy the best treat in town!
Posted by
god'sgrace
on 01/26/2012 at 4:10 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
I ate at Ficcos with a friend and the owner personally served us and made sure we enjoyed our meal. I had the lasgana, salad and both the house and the mozzarella cheese bread. For dessert myself and my friend had the cannoli and chocolate cake and both were scrumptious.
Posted by
Gazette Renee Maisel
on 01/26/2012 at 4:06 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Are you sure you actually ate at Ficco's? I've eaten there several times and think that the food is amazing! The lasagna is absolutely delicious and IS NOT drowned in sauce. Their sandwiches are really good and their desserts are the bomb! It's a quaint restaurant with great atmosphere and food. Um. . .I don't know but me thinks that you're the one who'se "Half-Baked"!
Posted by
Sara Hooper Simon
on 01/26/2012 at 3:57 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
WOW!!!! Don't believe everything that you read in the Indy, OldCrank! If you pass, you are missing out! I stumbled accross Ficco's when I was picking up my dry cleaning next door. I have dined in and gotten carry out several times from this restaurant. I have also sent at least 15 people to this restaurant and they have all enjoyed it. They too have sent their friends and I have never heard of a bad experience. Once again, all I can say is WOW!
Posted by
vincent
on 01/26/2012 at 2:51 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
It sounds like you had a tough time at Ficco's. Maybe you should give them a second chance. It is really good food!
Posted by
Nicchase12
on 01/26/2012 at 1:14 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Are you kidding me? What on Earth are you talking about? This place is awesome – the interior is beautiful, the prices are extremely reasonable, and the most important thing … the food is phenomenal AND you get a huge portion for the price. I have been in the food industry a very long time, and I don’t know where this critic gets their credentials but I can tell you that y’all should try it yourself. The bread baked in house melts in your mouth. The caprese offers huge beefsteak tomatoes and large pieces of fresh, soft mozzarella. The dishes are the bomb and it is because the passed down recipe for the sauce is outstanding! This has got to be one of the worst reviews I have read in the Indy – people, go try it yourself. Don’t count on this one person’s opinion to make your choice!
Posted by
aaronsmom
on 01/26/2012 at 12:55 PM
Re: “Half-baked”
Thanks for the warnings, I'll pass, and get the Italian sub at my local Subway.
Posted by
OldCrank
on 01/26/2012 at 11:56 AM
Re: “The weeds”
Regarding "The Weeds" and Adam's Mountain Cafe, we are indefensible with regard to the what happened that night and were terribly remiss. This is our slowest month of the year and we run a skeleton staff through February with the exception of Valentine's Day. My husband and I took the kids skiing and the SOS texts starting coming in around 7pm. Usually we are ready to come in instantly if we get a fluke hit but we were too far away. I tried contacting 7 employees to come in and help but none responded quickly enough to make a difference. I apologize to all those who dined at Adam's that evening. We are usually very cautious and aware of events and things happening around town that might effect business on any given night. I regret any incident that erodes the trust established between Adam's and the public. We have a Front of House meeting this weekend and "The Weeds" article will be discussed in detail as we determine what choices could have been better made to prevent such a disastrous evening.
Farley McDonough @ Adam's Mountain Cafe
Posted by
eat@adams
on 01/26/2012 at 9:22 AM
Re: “Hot or not?”
Amicas still is a part of the Il Vincino enterprise.
Posted by
Lalahartma
on 01/23/2012 at 8:22 AM
Re: “Hot or not?”
Hi Neil,
Actually, I went to Einsteins mainly because it was new to the heart of downtown, and just happened to get the chile-containing item. I also didn't know what beer Steve would send me until he did, so it was complete coincidence that we ended up with a chile theme this week.
Sure, had I designed the column with chiles in mind from the get go, you likely would have seen three completely different places featured. Who exactly? Good question — green chile is all over the place around here.
Anyone you would have liked to see in particular?
Posted by
Matthew Schniper
on 01/06/2012 at 9:24 AM
Re: “Half-baked”
Bryce,
Good Evening…
Thank you for trying our establishment. We are sorry that your experience was not a positive one.
We did not get involved in the restaurant business with the expectation that everyone would like our food. It would be ignorant of me to believe that all of Colorado Springs is going to love Ficco’s food. What we do offer is an alternative as there are about 5 family owned Italian restaurants in town.
We invite everyone to come try our food and see for yourself.
While it appears that your palate does not agree with our recipes it would be unfair to change these recipes for the hundreds of customers that currently enjoy Ficco’s on a weekly and even a daily basis. We are a new restaurant only 2 months old and are committed to providing the best experience we can for every single customer that comes through our door. I feel that maybe your expectation was based upon an establishment that charges twice that for its entrees and appetizers.
We offer great food and a great experience for a reasonable price in these tough economic times.
As for a 2nd visit (as Matthew Schniper suggests that you perform.) I’m not sure is necessary nor productive as it appears that your palate does not agree with our family recipes.
To those of you that frequent and enjoy our restaurant we thank you for your business, as it is an absolute pleasure for us to serve you. We are committed, to keeping all of you as happy customers of our establishment.
Sincerely,
Mel Glyman
Co-Owner of Ficco’s Little Italy