If you are going to do a "family style" Italian restaurant one of the worst places to do it must be in Britain. In my journal on San Francisco's South of Market, I mention the wonderful Buca di Beppo restaurant. They have the idea down pat. But can you imagine a typical British restaurant piling the plates with food? Not a chance, the stuff is too expensive here. And can you imagine British restaurant staff doing the fat and jolly Italian waiter bit? No way, they go about their work sullenly, seemingly muttering, "we are waiters, and we hate being waiters, it is so demeaning". The concept just doesn't work in Britain, which is a shame.
I went to Donatello's because I had been tutoring at a training course run by Guy Doyle's company. From Guy's point of view it was a good place to pick. We had a bunch of recent graduates to entertain, and family style Italian restaurants are just the place to do that: decent, cheap food and plenty of reasonable/quality wine. It is only a bad thing if you have seen the concept done properly and you know how poorly the restaurant you are in compares to others of the same ilk.
Anyway, it was an OK evening, and the food was perfectly acceptable. It is just that I was still hungry after the main course. At Buca di Beppo I am frequently stuffed before the main course arrives! Sorry Donatello's, you just don't cut the mustard.