Giancarlo’s serves multiple crowds in unique storefront.

http://www.buffalonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20121109/GUSTO/121109257/1031

I read Andrew Galarneau’s review of Giancarlo’s this morning in the Gusto section of the News.  Of course, it’s hard to not go down memory lane when reading anything in the Gusto.  We certainly spent enough time in there over the first 30 years of the Advantage Co.

I read the article once, quickly.  I wanted to get the feeling that the regular reader of the News would get.  Pouring over ever line and nuance would only serve to disturb my initial impression.  All in all, it sounded positive.  Andrew certainly pointed out a couple of the problems that we are working on already.  The two that I think he pointed out rather gently are the lack of seating room up front and the confusion over the exclusion from the dining room in back.

As Andrew pointed out, Giancarlo’s is many things.  However, what Giancarlo’s is meant to be was not realized by Andrew, and that is disturbing.  Suffice it to say that we have not done a good job of marketing our concept.  If you see Giancarlo’s as a dinner restaurant, you will not only be misled, but you will be disappointed as well.

While Anthony was learning to be a chef in Florence, he had the idea to create a fine dining experience for events, parties, banquets, and all types of professional occasions.  He recognized that most banquet facilities were either the red-headed stepchild of a restaurant or a kitchen attached to a big hall.  Giancarlo’s is the manifestation of his vision – and it is a work in progress.

The Cafe’ and Corporate Catering are both Gabriela’s take on the culinary experience, and she is doing a remarkable job.

The Vantaggio Room is a collaborative effort that was first experimented with at the old Stereo Advantage [which will soon be Carl Paladino’s new hotel].  Several years ago, we built a state-of-the-art conference room and hosted breakfast, lunch, and dinner for various clients and associates.  It was a resounding success, and we decided to incorporate that into the Giancarlo’s experience.

Anthony and Gabriela are enjoying the entire experience of building this new concept from scratch.  They are fortunate to have Pat Powers building with them.  I am encouraged and delighted by what they have accomplished in one short year.  As I told them from the outset: what WNY didn’t need was another Italian Restaurant or Pizza Shop.  They certainly took my advice to heart.

So, at its core, Giancarlo’s is a private dining experience for events and social occasions.  With our state-of-the-art Vantaggio Room, we also specialize in private business meetings.  And with our Corporate Catering service, we are able to provide our professional customers with the culinary elegance and effectiveness they rely on for a successful event [even if that event is merely lunch].

Additionally, Giancarlo’s provides a take-out service for our entire menu, especially our pizzas.  The cafe and bar are meant to be the introduction to the Giancarlo’s experience.  While our outdoor patio service enriches WNY’s summers.

As for the crunch up front, we will resolve that with our expansion that will begin the first of the year.  I included a first draft of the sketch for our possible new layout in a previous posting.  It certainly has us all excited.  Anthony and Pat are finishing up the new kitchen layout this week.

Now it’s time to read over Andrew’s review again and start parsing out every line.