Fratelli Lyon: Is the Food Worth Poor Service at a Hallway Table?

The Design District’s Fratelli Lyon

stands out for its authentic take on Italy’s light fare. From the

antipasti, salumi, and formaggi to the house-made pastas,

the restaurant prides itself on staying true to modest portions and

freshness.

But is the food worth enduring subpar service and perhaps sitting in a dark

concrete hallway?

How can the staff members be so rude, and

poorly trained, at an eatery offering $12 salads and $27 entrées?

How can they justify seating customers in a dim hallway at a cocktail table

with plastic seats? Why is it so damn dark you have to strain to read the olive-oil-stained paper menus folded in half? Why couldn’t they chill the

room-temperature water served in a reusable one-liter glass bottle? And why do the shabbily dressed order-takers

(“servers” is reserved for those of a higher calling) — wearing jeans and sneakers and lacking knowledge of the menu and the

basic requirements of their profession — allow patrons to wait more than ten minutes for cocktails?

By the time the rude order-taker
returned, our appetites had vanished and we decided not to order dinner. When we
asked for the check, the order-taker processed the credit
card, set the bill on a plate, and returned to
pull the payment off the table before we were finished with our
drinks.