This page is for archiving comments prior to 2008 for Lento.
2007-09-07 09:26:48 I ate there it and was absolutley wonderful. It's so refreshing to see a business that supports local farmers and a chef who knows exactly where his food is coming from. The atmosphere and service were exceptional too. Prices are comparable to 2-Vine or Max at Eastman place but the food quality was much better. I'd definitley go back soon. —YvetteRogers
2007-09-15 15:17:06 Ate here last night for my anniversary. Things started badly as they didn't have our reservation and were packed. But they resolved it quickly and professionally and got us seated right away. Started off with the BLT salad and my partner had the house salad. They were both just ok. I had the quail on black pepper papardalle for dinner while my parnter had the pork chop. They were both delicious and extremely generous portions. We both had wine, and they were great. For dessert we had the blueberry/nectarine pastry thing...which was, unfortunately, extremely dry and un-memorable. I'll be back. It's great that their menu changes so often. —MarcVera
2007-09-28 11:16:46 Not sure how to judge it. We'll go back in order to check whether what we didn't like were just a few sins of youth. Ambiance is nice, just a little too minimalist; tables are small but neatly prepared with nice table cloths, silverware and glassware. We were offered a good focaccia with garlic olive oil. The menu shows good intentions but some dishes give the impression that the chef put different ingredients together just to show off his creativity. Raw ingredients are very good but recipes need better balancing. My entree had too much sweet pepper in it and was a little cold too. Wine selection is limited, no more than 40 wines are listed, and geographical indications are incomplete. Finally, despite being just 7 people in the room, the service was not as good as one would expect: there were 2 waiters, but we had to wait 5 mins to get their attention when needed. The place is full of potential but everything needs more attention to fulfill the ambitions to be an upscale restaurant. —AndreaCogliati
2007-09-28 11:17:53 BTW, the maitre told us that the menu changes every week, not every day. —AndreaCogliati
2007-09-29 21:13:57 Very impressed! Not the same old same old. Unique, varied menu! Delicious! Perfect portion size! BLT salad better than advertised! Squash ravioli was excellent! Limited wine list. Servers & staff very professional! Highly recommend! Anxious to return and try new creations! —SueZee
2007-10-19 21:05:08 I want to give you some general information so that you can understand how our restaurant works.*Our Menu does change daily, however sometimes not dramatically. Sometimes we change the whole thing; sometimes we leave it alone. Our food is Seasonal, Fresh, Organic (when possible) and of the best quality. The chef and owner creates dishes that he feels people will enjoy and find unique to our restaurant based on what he can get from our sources; that is the freshest. Remember to ask for the Manager so that they know if you did not enjoy something. The most important part is telling the kitchen what was wrong so that it can be fixed. If you say nothing, nothing will change. This website is important and so are your comments. Without your honest reviews and opinions, we would not see our strengths and faults. We use this information to grow and change and be the best we can be. Thanks to all of you! -Jason (GM)
2007-11-19 21:25:48 Second time was like the first - excellent! Really enjoy the different menu selections. Delicious!!! Will be back soon. —SueZee
2007-12-04 16:45:42 Went two weeks after it opened. Staff were incompetent and didn’t know the menu. Kept trying to take away plates before we finished eating. Music was too loud and too fast a tempo. Asked them to turn it down or change it to something appropriate for dining. They suggested we look at their website which featured info about the music selection. Uhhh…. That had to be the all-time dumbest response to a complaint ever. I see now they’ve removed the music info from their site. The oily bread with an olive oil dip makes no sense as a combination. The BLT salad with fried green tomatoes was very nice. My steak was cooked as ordered but was just OK flavor-wise. My friends didn’t like their appetizers or their entrees. The calamari had way too much salt. One entrée, a seafood dish had a combination of conflicting ingredients. “Less is more” was needed with that one. The ingredients however were all very fresh. I’m guessing they were suffering from some serious new place jitters so I’ll try them again now that they’ve been open a few months. —ZedOmega
2007-12-06 19:45:31 GM reading and answering to comments? That's great! Another reason to give it a second chance very soon! —AndreaCogliati
2007-12-06 20:16:02 Andrea, Thanks! There should be a whole rebuttal blog on here somewhere, now that would be awesome. Give us another try. It's crazy that I remember customers (generally)who come in the restaurant and have an experience outside of what we consider "the norm", such as Zed's whom I remember. Happy Holidays to all! Now Featuring Thursday Night Vegetarian Entrees! —JayLongo
2007-12-11 23:11:28 I went here a couple of weeks ago for an all-out splurge of an anniversary dinner. It was tasty overall but, even keeping in mind the cost of local ingredients, felt overpriced because none of the dishes were truly "WOW." I'm having a hard time remembering what dishes we even ate (for comparison, I still remember everything we ordered at last year's anniversary dinner because it was so incredible). So, while it felt good supporting local farmers while I dined out, I don't think it's enough for me to justify making such a dent in my meager bank account again.
Also, I know they now have veg Thursdays, but it's strange that the vegetarian selection is SO limited the rest of the time. —ChelseaAllinger
2007-12-12 17:16:50 Just a note about the Vegetarian Menu: The menu is available on Thursdays because it is prepared fresh for that day like the rest of the menu. We have to bring in an extra chef on Thursdays to create this menu for you to enjoy. We order the food we need from the farms on Tuesday, it comes in Thursday at 8am. The Chef also comes in at 8am and works to prepare it throughout the entire evening. This as you can see gets expensive. Most places the food comes in frozen and is heated to perfection for you. We unfortunately do not follow this idea. We generally have one pasta dish on a night that is Vegetarian, and several appetizers and sides as well. Rochester is a "Steak and Potato" dominant dinner market and we need to be wary of that. There is not enough of a Market for Vegetarian Fine Dining in Rochester to be a realistic and profitable venue. Please direct any suggestions you may have about this or anything else directly to us at lentorestaurant@gmail.com Thanks! —JayLongo
