Toscana - Fargo

Toscana is a remarkable culinary gem for Fargo. The chef, hailing from Lucca, Italy, is incredibly talented and genuinely authentic. The menu offers a wide range of dishes, all prepared and presented with a level of beauty that rivals the finest European restaurants. Recently, Toscana catered a large dinner for me, delivering the same impeccable style and service as in their restaurant. Overall, Toscana, its chef, and its staff are simply outstanding!

I ordered the house salad with balsamic vinaigrette and a large appetizer of steamed mussels in white wine and garlic broth. Both dishes were delicious, and the portion sizes were generous—too big for me to finish! My companions ordered the veal forestier and cioppino, and both dishes were fantastic and served piping hot, with a rich and deep flavor in the sauce. Toscana also boasts one of the best wine lists in the Midwest, which is definitely a plus. Overall, it was a lovely dining experience, and we will definitely be back!

The six people served by the waiter enjoyed salads, which our waitress didn’t even mention to us; we’re unsure if they were included with the meal or available for an extra charge. Then, one meal arrived approximately 15 minutes before the others. The waitress stated that the rest of the meals would be out soon, but I couldn’t help but wonder — don't we all have two hands? Eventually, the rest of the table received their food, with all six people at one end served before most of us on the other end. After serving the meals, our waitress disappeared, and we had to stop her to inform her that two of us hadn’t received our orders. Her response was a nonchalant “Oh, I’ll check on that,” with no apology whatsoever. When she returned, she had to ask those two what they had ordered again. One of them couldn’t remember the name of her dish and requested a menu, to which the waitress replied that she didn’t have one — yikes! Thankfully, their meals arrived relatively quickly, but by then, the rest of us had finished eating. Meanwhile, the six people with the good waiter had already received their checks and paid before we even got ours. Our waitress eventually returned, saying she had misplaced her order book and needed to know again what we had all ordered. Seriously? Then she went to write them up in the back and finally came back with our checks before disappearing again. We decided it would be best to pay cash if we ever wanted to leave, as it was unclear how long it would take her to process a credit or debit card. I don’t know how long this waitress has been at Toscana, but it seems she is either in the wrong profession or desperately needs more training. She didn’t refill drinks at any point, but thanks to the attentive waiter on the other end, we managed to stay hydrated. Not once did our waitress apologize or offer a complimentary dessert or discount for the inconvenience — absolutely nothing!

I could not enjoy the food because of the service. The server was asked to bring more bread when she brought the soup. Instead of bringing it or telling me it was not available, she was at a different table, chatting up other customers. I had to repeat my request to the hostess. Then my entrée arrived before I was even half finished with the soup. As a last straw she gave me someone else 's check. At that point I asked to speak to the manager and after some evasion she claimed to be that manager. I emailed their site to the owners and never received a response.

The service is some of the best around and the atmosphere is very cozy and romantic. The food is outstanding. There are few restaurants that I can say I have never had a bad meal, but Toscana's is one of those places. Thank you, Toscana.