Brian R. wrote: > Does anyone have any information about the new restaurant in the Strip > (Smallman side - near Kaya) called Papa J's Mercato? It is extremely > large and interesting looking - although open it is still has some > construction occurring inside. I was there a couple of weeks ago. The food is fresh, varied, and very well prepared. Allkinds of good pasta, salads, seafood, etc. Too much for me to remember. The deal is that you get a "passport" when you enter, and as you go to each stand, they mark down what you bought on the passport, and they tally it up for you when you leave. The small print also says they add a 10% service tax - I guess it's for bringing drinks to your table. All in all it is a very nice change in pace and atmosphere. I give it two tongues up. Julio ***************************************************************************** * Julio K. Rosenblatt Carnegie Mellon University * * [email removed] Robotics Institute * * http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~jkr (412) 268-6880 * ***************************************************************************** "The revolution will be televised."
Pittsburgh, PA
Papa J's Mercato - Strip
I was just at PapaJ's Mercato last week to eat lunch, and was not very impressed. While the place is unique and has food stations to make your meal as you want it, I don't think that $11.00 for tortellini with marinara sauce and a diet coke is worth it. Now mind you, there was no bread included, nor a salad, and the sauce was mediocre. I don't mind paying for a meal, but it should reflect what you get and this definitely did not. I know that they're just opening, but that still doesn't excuse some of the things that I have recently encountered. First, let me warn anyone that goes there -- do not leave a tip -- for bringing your drinks, they charge you at the cashier's a gratuity charge, which is in very little print. Then, we were thinking of planning a function there, and I must say that their response was inadequate at best. Not only did they not submit a proposal when promised, but I had to telephone several times and was told I would have to call back -- not "can I take your name and phone number and have one them get back to you" -- very unprofessional. The proposed menu and date were not what we initially had discussed, so all in all I was extremely disappointed. And, I did make allowances for their being new. So, I would say try at your own risk. The idea is nice, the food is somewhat expensive for what you get, and it's very cold in the restaurant.
A further note to P.J. Mercato's and a warning re: fine print. I was there about two weeks ago. They were still in the struggling/shakedown mode so I don't think a comment on the service is that useful. At the same time my companion and I were speculating on the near term bankruptcy date of the operation. It looks like a management nightmare in a business infamous for such problems and an invitation to employee theft etc. NOTE WELL: You are given a "passport" on which all of your purchases are recorded. It is extremely obscure as to price and items which accumulate in your gourmet fantasy escape :*) CAVEAT EMPTOR. I did discover the 10% automatic gratuity and inquired about it. OK so what? WORST FINE PRINT!!! If you read the back of the passport you will find a charge of $100 DOLLARS IF YOU ATTEMPT TO EXIT WITHOUT THE PASSPORT!!! Browse the chic food bars and have a few glasses of wine, lose your passport ET VOILA!! Wave a fond farewell to your host/date/etc. and pay up big. I sure you can imagine other delightful scenarios. Not for me. A lot of flash without anything more than average food for the price. Philip.
We also ate at Papa J's this weekend and were very disappointed. I had grilled trout, a small salad and a beer. My wife had rock shrimp with pasta and some wine. The food was OK, but a poor value for $40. We were also not informed of the service charge. A few of the servers acted like they were very bothered that you imposed upon them for some food. The atmosphere was poor: there were lots of uncleared tables, we couldn't find a cleared table that didn't have food crumbs on it, the plain cinder walls gave the whole place a very cold feeling. While it was an interesting experience, I don`t think we'll be going back anytime soon. Kirk