Bruno's Little Italy

I have lived within a block of Bruno's for 4 and a half years but avoided it because it was listed as one of "Little Rocks Dirty Dozen" for health code violations on Fox 16 a couple years ago. Tonight a friend decided that she wanted to try it. I went along. The place was packed and we ended up waiting 35 minutes for a table (usually a good sign). When we sat down one of the water glasses was filthy and the bread plates were dirty (that should have been a sign). We started eating the flavorless bread they placed on the table until one of my friends found a nice long hair baked into the bread. We still had not complained, we just asked for a new glass wiped off the plates and tried another piece of bread. That was until we waited more than an HOUR for our food. When we asked for the tab for our drinks because we had given up and were leaving so we could go the movie we had already purchased tickets for the food started to show up. One plate at a time sloshed in front of us, mine almost went in my lap, delivered by the chef who in his defense did apologize. It took 10 minutes from the time the first plate showed up to the time the last plate appeared, there were 7 of us. We went ahead and asked for boxes and our tabs as soon as the food got there. That took another 15 minutes. The food was certainly not great., ok at best. The menu states a gratuity will be added to parties of more than 6, good thing the server did that, it was the only way she was getting a tip. Had she communicated with us and checked on us while this was happening we would have been a little more understanding but she was busy waiting on her friends at the table behind us. I thought since part of the party had left and we were going ahead and paying for their dinners putting them straight into boxes they may have offered to comp dessert or maybe our drinks, didn't happen we paid full price for everything including the meals for our friends that had left to get seats at the movies. Even though it is close and has a great history I will never return!