Brad's Swingside Cafe

I've always heard what a great place this is... But I don't get it. The food strikes me as the kind of food a hippy friend of yours who considers herself a good cook would make. Lot's of ingredients, not a lot of finesse. It's very vegetarian friendly--to the point of neglecting the flesh! The atmosphere is very cool and cozy and comfortable, but I've been their three times (not my choice after #1) but can never find anything interesting on the menu other than the clam pasta. Pros: Cozy, Casual, Comfortable Cons: Eggplant Crazy, Not enough meat, too many ingredients more

I've eaten at the Swingside many times. Brad is a friend and a very generious host. The wine list is excellent and they know it pretty well. The food is a type of rich, full bodied, Southern Italian cusine that no body makes around here. The cons I can give it are that if it's crowded, it's really crowded. It's a very small place which can be cozy sometimes, but confining if their are too many people there. In these cases it can also be very noisey. The service is pretty spotty. Sometimes right on, sometimes terrible. It is pricey, but usually worth it. The dinning room has a very personalized, homey feel. It's not elegant, but still very nice. Always worth the adventure. Pros: excellent food, cozy Cons: unpredictable service, sometimes too cozy more

On our first visit to Swingside, the food was blah and had little taste. The second time, I ordered the pasta with white clam sauce to go, which I requested to be non-spicy (I have stomach problems). The dish was so spicy, I couldn't get past the first bite. I immediately called and asked if they could make something not spicy. I heard her talking to the chef, Brad, who started yelling, ""There's no black pepper in the dish."" He got on the phone and started yelling at me. He basically told me to go somewhere else and don't bother him. He hung up on me, so I called back to request a refund. The woman I spoke with was very apologetic and stated this happens frequently. I told her it was uncalled for and I wanted a refund, which she obliged. I do not recommend this place to anyone. Cons: poor customer service, food is less than par, unaccomodating more