Tried them out for the first time tonight (Summer of 2001). Our waiter was very charming, prompt and didn't lie about their truly tasty Tiramisu'. However, he didn't grind his teeth on sandy shrimp.
It took me a while to figure out what the deal was, but that was it. Sand in my shrimp ravioli. The ravioli weren't bad otherwise, not outstanding mind you. Not worth something like $12 a plate.
I'm not cheap, if the food's good, I'm there. I don't mind paying for quality, but if you're going to charge over $10 for a plate of noodles/pasta, you'd better have something pretty nifty there in the sauce. And not a silicate, either.
My martini was just fine, the patio not too crowded, the weather (not Strega's responsiblity, mind you) was ideal. I'd rather give them a nice or great review, but I can't. If there hadn't been something stuck in my teeth that should be between my toes on a beach, my experience would have been mostly unremarkable. So they made an impression by crunching, I'm sorry, screwing up. There you have it, and there you go. One more thing, what exactly is global italian food? Their term, not mine.