Nicole P.
Yelp
This place is the bomb. Years ago I had been a fan/sort-of regular at their "sister" restaurant in Manhattan and was so sad when they closed up. Two years ago, with a group, I was able to enjoy an excellent luncheon here at the Verona location. I vowed I had to return for dinner should I ever be back in Verona and I'm happy to report I finally had the chance last week! It lived up to my expectations and then some.
First a couple notes: DO make a reservation, and know that there are only 2 dinner seats, 7pm and 9pm. (And if you reserve for 7 you MUST be out by 9.) I first tried to make a reservation online but after not hearing back quickly decided to walk by mid-afternoon to see if anything was available for the nights we were in town. I was able to get seats for the 9pm dinner service that night which was great; gave us time to wander around and have some cocktails elsewhere before returning about 8:45 for dinner.
At first it seemed like total chaos inside as the front tables and bar area were packed with walk-in traffic. I finally was able to check-in with the host, who promised things were fine for 9pm. And we watched as the staff very precisely cleared and cleaned up the back dining room, then ushering those of us waiting back to our tables in prompt fashion. There is one HUGE wine book that looks like it's a sorcerer's spellbook. It gets passed around, from table to table, and the sommelier will also stop by to answer any questions/make recommendations based on your tastes. I will say I was impressed that for such a "fancy" place, there were many wines by the bottle available in the 22-30 Euro range. So you don't have to be afraid of breaking the bank on the wine.
There was so much on the menu that sounded intriguing it was hard to make a choice on what to order. Based on comments here on yelp, I went for the 30 months aged parma ham with homemade vegetable pickles. This was great with the lovely bread and focaccia were were served. My sweetie was intrigued by the Sweet and Sour "Lukewarm" Hen Salad with Capers and Pine Nuts, and I must say it was so good I was jealous I hadn't ordered it!
I had to get the Risotto with Amarone, having tasted it on my previous visit, and this time it was even better with the seasonal addition of some tiny pumpkin cubes. Sweetie got the Potatoes Gnocchi with Leeks, Braised Scallops and Pea Shoots--I thought an unusual choice but the flavors all blended beautifully and the gnocchi were just perfect.
The nut cake was an intriguing and different dessert--in a good and not overly sweet way. As a perfect final note, I mentioned to our server that a chef friend of mine from home, who had recently been to Verona just a few weeks before, wanted me to say hi to the bartender for him. Just a few moments later and he stopped by and offered us a delightful taste of a red dessert wine in thanks for passing along the message.
I would absolutely return here, in fact we debated going for a second dinner while in Verona for three nights but decided to spend more time exploring. But I will absolutely come back next time I am in Verona (and kind of wish now we had gone back for another meal!)