Osteria D'Assisi Restaurant & Bar, Santa Fe

As we sat down, the hostess gave us a basket of bread that had been recycled. There were 2 heals that were cold and hard, and 2 middle pieces that were missing the centers. That's right, someone already ate the centers out of the bread, and it was served to us. The previous time I was there (2 years prior), I took my wife on Valentine's day. She ordered the duck, at about $25/plate. She was shocked when it arrived and she got 2 duck legs as her meal. Not quite a $25 meal. It will be at least another 2 years before I return, if ever.

I lived in the Boston area for 16 years... surrounded by Italians and Italian restaurants. I was in Santa Fe on a work assignment and asked for a suggestion for lunch. I chose this one from the list and ended up eating lunch here every day I could. Absolutely wonderful!

Over the past year, have been there several times. This past Xmas eve, the family had dinner- all dinners were very bland and boring. Two of the four dessets were good. Extremely expensive for the quality and service. We will not be going back.

As a local we have eaten at Osteria scores of times. While the food can be uneven, most of the time it is great. For lunch in summer the green goddess with the shrimp is wonderful, and the veal ravioli is very good as well.

I hate to be one of those people who just has a bad experience and brings down the rating of the restaurant by giving them zero stars. But I must say that this one was well deserved. The food was fair. But it was not good enough to justify the price. The lady who showed my date and I to our table was extremely rude. When we arrived, when asking for a restroom, and when leaving she was not nice. I requested a rose to be left at the table, and after calling and asking if I should drop one off I was informed that they would take care of it for me. This was a relief. I reminded them that I just wanted a single rose, with nothing frilly. We arrived to a fancy rose in a vase, with the baby's breath and what not. And after a so-so dinner, they charged me 20 dollars for the thing on the tab. The bread which was brought out had obviously been sitting around for a while since it was cold and hard. Only once was my glass refilled, and then after about 15 minutes of waiting. The tab came out to 70 dollars, not including the rose and we both got the cheapest thing on the menu, and waters. It goes without saying that I will not be coming here again. Especially considering that Pranzos is cheaper, has much better atmosphere and service, and is better tasting.