Limoncello Martini
Be Good: Their modern twist on this traditional Italian drink was very refreshing. They mix Limoncello- a traditional Italian lemon liqueur made by infusing lemon peels with alcohol, with equal parts Triple Sec- an orange-flavored liqueur made from the dried peels of bitter and sweet orange, to create one unbelievably smooth and delicious cocktail!
The lemon liqueur provides the strong lemon flavor without the sourness or bitterness of lemon juice and it blended seamlessly with the sweet flavor of the Triple Sec making one seriously yummy “sneak up on you” elixir! The Triple Sec really softens up the boldness of the Limoncello. You only need to order one of these to do the trick!
Their Bad- Automatically added 20% tip, post tax! The bill was as follows:
2 Limoncello Martini – $12 each = $24
1 order of calamari- $12
With tax, around $37
Let me add this together when tip is included:
2 Limoncello Martini – $12 each = $24
1 order of calamari- $12
20% tip – $7.20
Tax $4 and change
Totaling $48 and change
2 drinks and 1 appetizer?! I could have gone to my favorite spot, Amici II, and had an entire meal with drinks and bread for that price. I am choosing to believe that the Italian food gods were punishing me for betraying my beloved Amici II. I plan to have a talk with them {the gods} later this week to patch things up!
Their Ugly- When I brought to their attention I was unhappy with the automatically added in tip, our waiter did the following
- Blamed it on European tourists
- Said that the print was on the menu and proceeded to point it out to me
- Argued, well …. passionately explained to me why it was justified
Now, to their defense, this disclaimer was on the menu, but it’s deceptive because like any other restaurant you assume this is the regular disclaimer that applies to parties of six or more.
I was very unhappy that they weren’t willing to take the tip off the bill, especially since my small party of two didn’t order dinner.
With that being said, would I return back to Grotto Azzurro? Maybe. I must admit, the table next to us ordered a few entrees that looked and smelled amazing. I would really like to give this restaurant another chance.
What they could do to improve
Take off that automatic 20% and instead include a tipping guide placed on top of the check. This implies to the diner that a tip is expected for service rendered.
If they must keep the 20% included, make it more visible to local diners so they won’t be surprised when they receive the bill. In all fairness, had I known about the 20% tip, I still would have eaten here!
Enticing Elixcir!
177 Mulberry St
(between Broome St & Grand St)
New York, NY 10013
That drink really did knock our socks off though didn’t it.