MMMMMMMmmm
Turn Ons:
Best Oyster Selection and Variance in Town
Great Service
Good Cocktails
Duck Fat Frites
Turn Offs:
Short Happy Hour (5-6)
Long Wait Time for Oysters
Pricey Entrees
Summary:
This review will focus on Lento's Oyster special, as we are taking the week to go to an Oyster Special every day and compare them. But we are also touching on other items, as well.
When we walked through all of the Village Gate to get to Leno, we were promptly greeted by the hostess in a dark, upscale restaurant. We've been here quite a few times. Melisa really likes it here, but I (Mike) have never really looked forward to trips to Lento... until I had their oysters. I couldn't put my finger on it until recently, and others may disagree with me. This is just my opinion and I mean no offense by it. When I walk into Lento, it seems to have a feminine atmosphere to me. As a guy, I have no problem with feminine atmospheres, of course; but they're not exactly where I'm most comfortable. Maybe because Lento makes me think of lentil, which makes me think of no-meat. Or the vine-y decal on the door when one walks in. The dark lighting and modern table-settings. It just feels... feminine to me. Feel free to disagree. Here's a picture:
I will concede that there is a thin line between elegant/up-scale and feminine. So, this could just be my personal taste. But, you don't see very many Carhartt jackets or football jerseys in there.
Outside of oysters, Lento is a great place for cocktails. They are very good. During their very short happy hour, you can get a good price. I was disappointed that they only have ONE cocktail you can order for the happy hour price. There was also one beer and three wines available for happy hour. Count us as disappointed in the minuscule selection. So, as long as you would like your only option, it's a good deal and very tasty.
On to the oysters. They always seem to have 4-5 oysters available for $1 and two to select from for $2. The flavors of the oysters is nice and diverse and the staff is very knowledgeable about where they come from, flavor profiles, etc. You can only order a maximum of 30 oysters for the table at a time. With a large group, you just have to keep re-ordering them and keep 'em coming! Their mignonette sauce is very good. 2nd only to Erie Grill. But just barely. I did have to keep asking for more of it, however. They don't bring enough for 30 oysters. Actually, they don't bring enough for 15-20 oysters if you really like your mignonette. I will take a second to gripe about how long it takes the oysters to come out. To their credit, they do warn you, but... If you order 30 of them, be prepared to wait. They shuck them behind the bar. I don't know if they have dedicated shuckers or not, but it looks like a bar tender has to come off of bar duty. This becomes a problem with 4 or more people at the table. We got through 30 oysters well before our next round came out. So, we had about 10-15 minutes of waiting after we had already been there for 30-45 minutes. Now we appreciate the shucking for the freshness, but there has to be a better system. Maybe have someone in the back shucking to keep 20-30 ready to go. Then, when an order comes in, it isn't so much of a catastrophe.
The oysters are served on a big metal plate. This isn't very appealing, and seems like a dish that should be kept in the back to prepare food. Especially at a more upscale place with high prices. We do like the little flags that they put on the plate so you can identify which oyster is which. They're all quite good, so enjoy that. Also enjoy instructing your uncultured friends how to eat oysters. For an oyster night with a group, this is where we would go.
Lento's duck fat frites are very good, and go well with oysters. They have a seafood bar, so you can grab any of the following seafood you'd like at any time: oysters, lobster tail, shrimp, clams, and crab claws. So if you're swinging by for just a quick drink, why not add a small seafood taste?
Lento has an average selection of entrees and they're all pretty good. We've never been floored by anything, but also never disappointed. We do always seem to be there for a long time, no matter if it is oyster night or not. This is both because the relaxed atmosphere doesn't make you feel in a rush and because it takes longer between visits from our server than most other places.
The drinks are good and reasonably priced. But if you're getting real entrees to go along with the drinks, it gets expensive.
We peg Lento as a great place to go for a cocktail during happy hour. Maybe get some oysters, frites, and/or an appetizer to go along with it, if you want. But, if we want to have a sit down dinner at a real dinner time with a real entree, we usually choose to go elsewhere.
For us, the price tag and wait time are usually enough where we can come up with another place to go. (see Gate House or Selena's, just a 15 second walk down the Village Gate) We do come back, but it is usually when a friend asks to go or if we're here for the oysters. Don't get me wrong; they're right at the top of the list for Oysters, and also for cocktails.
We'll swing by for cocktails before going to see a show at the Auditorium Theater. Park at the Village Gate, have a cocktail or two and an appetizer or two. Walk to the show. Then walk back to the car after the show to avoid all of the traffic and paying for parking. Nailed it!
Lento is worth checking out. Maybe you'll like the atmosphere more than Mike. They should certainly be on your radar for oysters and cocktails. We recommend giving it a try for a quick drink and snack. Then, decide if you'll want to come back for the full experience.
Turn Ons:
Best Oyster Selection and Variance in Town
Great Service
Good Cocktails
Duck Fat Frites
Turn Offs:
Short Happy Hour (5-6)
Long Wait Time for Oysters
Pricey Entrees
Summary:
This review will focus on Lento's Oyster special, as we are taking the week to go to an Oyster Special every day and compare them. But we are also touching on other items, as well.
When we walked through all of the Village Gate to get to Leno, we were promptly greeted by the hostess in a dark, upscale restaurant. We've been here quite a few times. Melisa really likes it here, but I (Mike) have never really looked forward to trips to Lento... until I had their oysters. I couldn't put my finger on it until recently, and others may disagree with me. This is just my opinion and I mean no offense by it. When I walk into Lento, it seems to have a feminine atmosphere to me. As a guy, I have no problem with feminine atmospheres, of course; but they're not exactly where I'm most comfortable. Maybe because Lento makes me think of lentil, which makes me think of no-meat. Or the vine-y decal on the door when one walks in. The dark lighting and modern table-settings. It just feels... feminine to me. Feel free to disagree. Here's a picture:
Outside of oysters, Lento is a great place for cocktails. They are very good. During their very short happy hour, you can get a good price. I was disappointed that they only have ONE cocktail you can order for the happy hour price. There was also one beer and three wines available for happy hour. Count us as disappointed in the minuscule selection. So, as long as you would like your only option, it's a good deal and very tasty.
On to the oysters. They always seem to have 4-5 oysters available for $1 and two to select from for $2. The flavors of the oysters is nice and diverse and the staff is very knowledgeable about where they come from, flavor profiles, etc. You can only order a maximum of 30 oysters for the table at a time. With a large group, you just have to keep re-ordering them and keep 'em coming! Their mignonette sauce is very good. 2nd only to Erie Grill. But just barely. I did have to keep asking for more of it, however. They don't bring enough for 30 oysters. Actually, they don't bring enough for 15-20 oysters if you really like your mignonette. I will take a second to gripe about how long it takes the oysters to come out. To their credit, they do warn you, but... If you order 30 of them, be prepared to wait. They shuck them behind the bar. I don't know if they have dedicated shuckers or not, but it looks like a bar tender has to come off of bar duty. This becomes a problem with 4 or more people at the table. We got through 30 oysters well before our next round came out. So, we had about 10-15 minutes of waiting after we had already been there for 30-45 minutes. Now we appreciate the shucking for the freshness, but there has to be a better system. Maybe have someone in the back shucking to keep 20-30 ready to go. Then, when an order comes in, it isn't so much of a catastrophe.
Lento's duck fat frites are very good, and go well with oysters. They have a seafood bar, so you can grab any of the following seafood you'd like at any time: oysters, lobster tail, shrimp, clams, and crab claws. So if you're swinging by for just a quick drink, why not add a small seafood taste?
Lento has an average selection of entrees and they're all pretty good. We've never been floored by anything, but also never disappointed. We do always seem to be there for a long time, no matter if it is oyster night or not. This is both because the relaxed atmosphere doesn't make you feel in a rush and because it takes longer between visits from our server than most other places.
The drinks are good and reasonably priced. But if you're getting real entrees to go along with the drinks, it gets expensive.
We peg Lento as a great place to go for a cocktail during happy hour. Maybe get some oysters, frites, and/or an appetizer to go along with it, if you want. But, if we want to have a sit down dinner at a real dinner time with a real entree, we usually choose to go elsewhere.
For us, the price tag and wait time are usually enough where we can come up with another place to go. (see Gate House or Selena's, just a 15 second walk down the Village Gate) We do come back, but it is usually when a friend asks to go or if we're here for the oysters. Don't get me wrong; they're right at the top of the list for Oysters, and also for cocktails.
We'll swing by for cocktails before going to see a show at the Auditorium Theater. Park at the Village Gate, have a cocktail or two and an appetizer or two. Walk to the show. Then walk back to the car after the show to avoid all of the traffic and paying for parking. Nailed it!
Lento is worth checking out. Maybe you'll like the atmosphere more than Mike. They should certainly be on your radar for oysters and cocktails. We recommend giving it a try for a quick drink and snack. Then, decide if you'll want to come back for the full experience.
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