Ambrosia F.
Yelp
A group of 5 of us dined here last Sunday at 5pm. We made a reservation and requested to be seated in the garden, which they graciously accommodated by arranging the tables to seat 5. Though I arrived with only one other member of my party, we were seated immediately while we waited for the others.
Because we came right at opening, the restaurant was mostly empty. It was max only 2/3 full by the time we left around 7:30pm, so I can't comment on service during a busy time. With that said, the service was very attentive. The waiters (we basically had 2) kept our glasses full, brought our dishes out in a timely manner, and replaced silverware without us having to ask. They also were able to easily answer questions about the menu.
I was excited for the menu because of its unusual pairing of flavors: Tajín aioli with arancini, for example. However, the seasoning missed the mark in a few cases. I think the stars were the appetizers and the desserts, namely the arancini, the summer salad, and the bread pudding. The pasta and entrees were either on the salty side, in the case of the bolognese, or underseasoned in the case of the Branzino. Also the starter of bread (not pictured), was not served warm, which was unexpected.
The summer salad had a great balance of sweetness, tartness, and richness from the grilled stone fruits, straciatella, and balsamic. The arancini was perfectly cooked, hot and gooey in the center, the Tajin aioli providing a nice kick of spice to balance the mildness of the rice and cheese.
The pecan bar wasn't overly sweet, and the pecans contributed a great flavor, but the crust was a bit tough to break through with just a dessert spoon. The bread pudding was great, just unlike typical bread pudding, in that it was less dense. The chocolate tiramisu probably didn't need the chocolate as it overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the custard.
I can't fully comment on the drinks menu, as everyone in our party stuck with water except for one. The one sip I had of his orange wine tasted fruity and crisp, as expected. The garden setting was also beautiful in the evening, though I did get 3 mosquito bites while sitting there.
Overall, we enjoyed ourselves and we especially liked the appetizers and desserts. The service was great and the prices were reasonable, though the appetizer portions could've been bigger for sharing. Keeping in mind this experience, we would make some adjustments to our selections, but we would come back.
3.5/5