CinqueCento - A New Addition to the Inglewood Scene

I always root for a new establishment in Inglewood.  That area still feels like the closest thing to home for me in Calgary, so I truly want it to thrive and continue to keep up its eclectic and historical attitude. 

New to Inglewood, and located in the new building on 9^th Avenue SE that also houses gems like Bite Groceria and Espy, is CinqueCento (“500” for those who don’t speak Italian).  With its west-facing outdoor space holding a good number of tables, and its bright, white, windowed interior, this new Italian eatery has to potential to be a new dining hotspot in Inglewood. 

After purchasing a Travel Deal online, I started to read reviews and, unfortunately, most were a disappointment.  Repetitive comments were made about slow staff and disorganization, so I was skeptical going in on Sunday.  Bryan and I chose to eat there alone, as I would hate to bring someone along to a less than stellar restaurant. We were impressed by the décor, and we enjoyed sitting on the patio on the last beautiful evening of summer (I’m convinced this is so, anyway). 

Our deal included 2 glasses of Prosecco, 1 appetizer to share, and 2 entrees.  Upon being seated, we showed the waiter the deal and he very politely explained how it works.  Giving us a few minutes to peruse the menu, the Prosecco showed up just as we were ready to order.  We were off to a good start.  After ordering the food, two glasses of water arrived, so we settled in.

The appetizer, mussels, came pretty quickly and upon first bite seemed very good.  They were tender and large, and the buttery garlic sauce was very complementary.  However, I did have a couple with a strong fishy taste, and then I started to find the tenderness almost too much, like mush.  It was a bit of a turn-off.  Bryan stated that he thought a tomato-based sauce would have been better as this one just kind of slid off, leaving nothing behind. 

Before our food arrived, we both finished our Prosecco and water.  We waited and waited to see if someone would notice and ask us about another drink or at least refill our water glasses.  I even put mine on the very edge of the table hoping that would spark some form of recognition, but nope.  No more water for us. 

As our meals arrived and the waiter was prepared to run away, I did manage to ask for wine and we did receive that fairly quickly.  I’m surprised they didn’t notice the water or think about refilling it. 

Our meals were alright.  Their menu is somewhat small and it seemed like many of the options were just the same thing with alternative ingredients in the sauce.  I tried the Rotini Arrabiatta, and it was pleasantly spicy, which is very much more than I can say for most Calgary restaurants who serve this.  It was alright, 3/5 stars.  I do prefer whole wheat pasta so I found the white pasta bland.  The black olives were nicely masked by the sausage, mushrooms and tomato sauce, so I did enjoy the various textures and flavors in the sauce. 

Bryan ordered the chicken, accompanied by the tagliatelle with tomato sauce.  His chicken was ‘pretty good’ (his words) – upon elaboration, ‘chicken is chicken – I could have BBQ-ed this better’, so I believe this means it was fairly bland.  He said it was better once he mixed it with leftover tomato sauce.

We, at this point, opted not to have dessert; though I can’t imagine they could screw up blueberry cheesecake (we saw this was popular).  Watching the two wait staff take care of the 10-12 tables (the majority of which were 2 people each), frantically running around in a frenzy, I do have to wonder how they handle the place when it’s more than half full! 

While our meal was less than stellar, I am mostly turned off by the 18% gratuity they applied to the total bill, which the waiter so very proudly pointed out to us.  In my mind, a tip is earned, not mandatory, so when you provide poor service AND you put your tip on the bill, I am not going to return.  With our lack of water refills and the somewhat slow service in a sparsely populated restaurant, 18% was too much. 

Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant – for the price of the food, you are better off going to East Side Mario’s if you’re looking for sub-par Italian fare.  I guess this means our next restaurant choice better be amazing!