Di Santo’s

Based on a previous mediocre lunch here, we shouldn’t have expected much. However, I could have sworn that they had closed for a bit this summer for renovations (we were anxious to see the results) and one of our favorite local acts was playing, so we wanted to give it another shot.
Let’s start by saying that the staff and the entertainment were spot on. Our waitress was wonderful. The aesthetics of the place certainly did not change (I had to have been dreaming about the renovations) as I saw the same dark flowered carpet and wood paneled walls that were there the last time. When we opened the menu I experienced a bit of sticker shock. This is Gray, Maine. If most items on your menu are going to be priced above $ 20 then the food should be so good that we’re making weird mouth noises as we eat and/​or the portions should allow us to take home leftovers that feed us for a couple of days. With that expectation, we opted to share an appetizer and an entrée. We were informed of the $ 5 plate share fee by the waitress (which was a bit surprising, but not unheard of), so we thought that we’d probably be getting something great. Prior to our meals we ordered drinks. I got one of the specials listed. It was a Patron strawberry margarita. It tasted like the Jack Daniels down home punch that I used to drink in high school. It was disgusting, but since it was listed as a special (with no price) I didn’t complain. As another reviewer wrote, our appetizer and meal came out within moments of each other, which made my bites into the generic cheese ravioli to be luke warm and unfulfilling. The food was fine (they have a good red sauce), but not spectacular. It certainly did not fulfill the flavor or portion expectations I had based on the exorbitant pricing.
When our bill arrived we were most disappointed. The gross drink special ended up being $ 13 and the overall bill was far too much based on another mediocre experience dining in what felt like my grandmother’s rumpus room. As much as we like to support local businesses, unfortunately we won’t be back here.

We’ve eaten here a number of times over the years and always found the place acceptable, though never remarkable. We used to take my in laws there because they seemed to like it and it was close enough to home. Last night, this establishment seemed to take a step backward from even the mediocrity that defined all of our previous visits. We both ordered a garden salad to start the meal, and just two bites into it, out came the entrees. We were both surprised at how little time they gave us to have our first course, but what happened at a nearby table was even worse. When the waitress brought out their appetizers and entrees all on the same tray, one of the guests remarked, «Seriously, you bring us our appetizers and our meals at the same time? You don’t let us have our soup first?» The waitress answered, «That’s how we do it here.» The guest then correctly replied, «Well, that’s just not normal.» That classic exchange left us laughing for the rest of the night.
Our salads, by the way, were ice cold, clearly prepared in advance in small bowls and refrigerated, ready to serve. The Italian dressing I requested on the side was a coagulated clump in a small plastic cup that would not pour onto the salad without using a butter knife to spread it over the salad like you would butter on bread. Speaking of which, the bread was the last thing brought to the table, after the salad and the premature serving of the entrees. My wife had the eggplant parmesan, which she described as «okay», and I had the chicken marsala which I would describe the same way. I could have given this place fewer than two stars, but I don’t want to be mean. However, I would counsel the owner to better train her kitchen, so that their guests are given ample time to enjoy a first course. And their wait staff so that they know better than to instruct their customers that this almost comical faux pas is «how we do it here». Personally, I prefer how they do it in every other normal dining establishment.

Food was fresh, excellently prepared and delicious. We ordered an organic Merlot to go with our meal and it was superb! Our server, Carlton was attentive and very helpful. Great food, great service! Well worth the visit.

This is a hidden gem. I have driven past it a million times and never would have guessed how good the food and service are. I grew up in NY and spent a lot of time in NJ, both homes to fantastic Italian restaurants. This rivals the best «Red Sauce» joints I have been to.
Maine has plenty of fancy restaurants in Portland, Rockland and down in York, but Di Santo’s is by far the best Italian I have had in the last 10 years here.
I had the Chicken Calabrese my wife, my wife the Chicken Piccata and my daughter spaghetti and meatballs. Loved everything.

The Gnocchi are incredible. I am from an Italian family and they had one of the better red and Vodka cream sauces I have ever had. Great atmosphere and a great family. Definitely recommend

The atmosphere was pleasant, the food was okay based on their high pricing should have been spectacular and the service was mediocre. Our server hung out at the bar watching TV and other servers took care of our drinks and other requests as ours was no where in sight. Would probably give it another try if the pricing was better.

We live close by with 2 small kids so it’s a good option for a quick dinner out. Their marina sauce is delicious-​I actually purchase their jarred Anjon’s sauce at my local supermarket. My husband loves the chicken parm and since I’m a vegaquarian I usually get pasta or seafood. This last time I ordered the mussels and a side salad. The mussels had decent flavor with the garlic, butter and wine; however, there was way too much butter. They were swimming in it! Also, after we got home I noticed that we were charged extra $ for the two kids meals to have the sauce on the side. We are normally not charged extra, so not sure what happened. For a family of four our bill was around $ 70 w/​tax & tip-​which is a bit pricey in my opinion. We will be back since there aren’t many non-​chain options in the area, but there is definitely room for improvement on their part.

Went to this restaurant on a Friday afternoon and there were only a few other people eating here. My friend and I had the fried ravoli as an appetizer and they were delicious. I was disappointed they did not serve bread before the main dish. It was only brought to the table because we ordered a salad. I had the chicken marsala and it had a lot of flavor. The chicken was plain, except the sauce gave it flavor. After the 2^nd soda refill, the waitress said it would be additional money for extra refills. That was a turn off. Overall, great taste — not sure if it was worth the $ 62.00 for two people. I’d likely go back after some time.

This place was starting to become «our place» for my boyfriend and I. It’s where he asked me to be his girlfriend, and it’s where we went to celebrate occasions. Good drink special selection and the only place the Mr. could get authentic veal parm. That’s what the 2^nd star is for.
Then…I made a reservation for Valentine’s Day 2012 for 6:30 and even asked for a specific table. This was after conferring with the Mr. about a good time for him (the end of his work day is very open ended) and even called with my sister in the car (so I had a witness). We arrived at 6:31 and they had given our table away – they wrote down my reservation for 6:15 and considered us a no show. I was so careful NOT to be late for 6:30 that there was NO WAY I made a 6:15 reservation. That’s such a random time, and not convenient for me. I asked why they didn’t even call me, since my phone number was right there next to my name. The snappy answer: «we don’t have time to call everyone to confirm.» No, but you SHOULD call them if you take their phone number and you’re about to give your table away! I live 5 minutes away – if they had called we would have left right away to get there. I asked for a different table, but due to the holiday they were booked and could not accomodate us. We spent Valentine’s Day, all dressed up, at Cole Farms.
I WANT to go back here. I liked it. It was special to me. But I just can’t get over how I was treated. And I know I was in the right, but couldn’t argue. It was their word against mine, and they had 6:15 on paper. We now call it «The Restaurant That Shall Not Be Named.»

Stopped by on our way to Sunday river.
Not impressed. The menu was huge. It was an overload for the eyes.
Service was not the greatest. We sat in bar table area which we heard the bar tender flirting with waitresses/​hostesses. Just unprofessional, but it happens.
Food was alright, but not worth it to take for left overs. There were many people coming in and out of restaurant. If I had to, I’d go back. But not for a while.
Owner is related to the family who owns Anjons… Anjons in Scarbourgh is hands down better quality!

Three Words: Awesome. Fresh. Food.
Three more words: RED! SAUCE! RESTAURANT!
The use of the phrase «red sauce restaurant» in a review usually signals a reader immediately. It is at once descriptive and dismissive, marking a restaurant’s cuisine predictable but uninspired — comfortable, safe, and humdrum.
Di Santo’s a gem of an Italian restaurant located not far from Exit 63 of the Maine Turnpike in southern Maine, is anything but. Its food is exciting, inspiring, and just plain outstanding.
How outstanding? I have eaten Italian food in northern, central, and southern Italy, and in the Italian enclaves of New York and New Jersey. I visited Di Santo’s a few weeks ago while staying in Maine with family. With that background, I can say this with confidence: Di Santo’s offers up simple, delicious, fresh meals on par with the best Italian cuisine you’ll find in or out of Italia.
Di Santo’s builds its foundation from components recognizable from all great restaurants: fresh ingredients prepared excellently, combined into taste and texture duets that complement each other and leave the customer wanting more. Service that is timely, friendly, knowledgeable — and that makes you feel at home.
But the food is the star at Di Santo’s. Sausage? Ground, mixed, and stuffed daily; its spices positively aromatic, exploding in the mouth on first bite, but not overpowering the palate. Gnocchi? Dough made that day, then rolled, cut, scored and boiled not long before they hit your plate. Tender, not dense. Springy and soft, not chewy. Lobster? Pulled from the Gulf of Maine that day, flaky, buttery, awesome. Sauce? Prepared freshly every day, full of fresh vegetables, with a tomato base that is sweet with an acid kick, but not an unpleasant one.
My party of 6, to a person, loved their meals. Ours ranged from veal to seafood to sausage, and all of us raved about our dishes to each other and to our waitstaff. I came to Unilocal expecting to be one among a host of reviewers praising Di Santo’s. I was surprised to not find a single mention of the restaurant on the entire site.
So, let me be the first to say: if you are in the «Lakes Region» of Maine, in search of Italian food, prepared excellently with only the freshest ingredients, rendering meals on par with great Italian worldwide, stop at Di Santo’s.

I enjoyed the pasta bolgnese, while my wife had a wonderful prime rib. Will definitely return.