B&B Baldassarre

After passing by several times and thinking it looked friendly, I chose this restaurant for dinner. There were plenty of menu options, so I ordered Pasta Carbonara for 11.00 Euro and a large bottle of sparkling water for 4.00 Euro. It wasn't cheap compared with other places I'd eaten, but I was hungry and thirsty and hoped the food would be worth it. My earlier meals in Milan had been good, so I wasn't expecting to be disappointed. The pasta took ages to arrive, and the dish was small. I tried to eat slowly and enjoy it, but it didn't feel worth the price, and I was still hungry. After eating at more restaurants in Milan, I realized this may be a standard serving size for Pasta Carbonara. Still, I don't think I'd have minded the amount if the food had been better. Service was slow at every stage, from getting the food to receiving and paying the bill. The restaurant wasn't crowded, and I couldn't tell whether the waiter was tired because it was late, or if there was another reason. He seemed more interested in chatting in Italian with people he knew, probably local customers. I had to look up “COPERTO” on Google because this was the first time I'd been charged for it. The 2.5 euro charge was especially frustrating since only Parmesan and bread came in addition to what I'd ordered. I hadn't asked for bread, it wasn't very good, and it came without oil or any kind of spread. The least the waiter could have done was offer something to go with it, even for an extra charge, or tell me beforehand it would be charged. I have no problem paying for service or tipping when there's a reason. Other restaurants gave me a better experience in every way and didn't charge COPERTO, so this was hard to understand. Some people may like this place, but it was the first restaurant in Milan that let me down. I wanted good food, a meal that didn't leave me feeling starved, and a reasonable price. If those are your priorities too, I'd look somewhere else.

The location is excellent, only a five-minute walk from Central Station. The apartment itself was just okay, though it could use repainting, and I got the impression the towels hadn't been changed after the previous guests. The restaurant was terrible and expensive. The lasagna seemed frozen and was reheated in a microwave, at 10 euro a portion. The risotto looked like cat puke, and the tortellini al forno seemed to have only been boiled in water. Fine for spending one night, but definitely not somewhere I'd eat.

We waited more than an hour for two drinks and a pasta, even after reminding the staff twice. They were rushing around the whole time, but seemed completely disorganized and got nothing done. Somehow all that activity produced no results. Maybe I really could make pasta faster in my New York apartment than real Italians.

Good food, very good service, and prices that felt quite reasonable. I enjoyed the English breakfast. The coffee was a little too light for my taste, though that may just be personal preference.