Vidhika B.
Yelp
My boyfriend and I were craving Italian food and a cutesie ambiance (okay that part was mostly me), so we decided to head to Al Tiramisu for a date night. We made reservations on the phone before heading over and were seated immediately after arriving, which was a relief (given how often it happens that you have to wait for a table even despite having a reservation in advance). We were greeted jovially by the staff there, which made us feel welcome instantly.
Once seated, we ordered several things, as follows:
- A bottle of prosecco
- Pappardelle funghi (flat pasta in a mushroom sauce)
- Agnello (a lamb dish, ordered medium rare)
- Grappa Caffe (a coffee/brandy drink)
- Tiramisu for dessert
Pros:
+ We really enjoyed the food; the agnello was perfectly tender, and the pappardelle was very mushroom-y in the best way (being a mushroom lover myself, I especially liked that they had sizable pieces of mushrooms in the sauce vs. it just being a mushroom-flavored sauce).
+ The customer service was awesome and felt personalized. The waiters were happy to answer questions/explain dishes anytime we asked, and all of them had a sense of humor/would crack jokes throughout, making the experience more fun for us overall.
+ The ambiance was cozy and romantic (not anything special, but dimly-lit and we got a corner table so it felt more so this way).
+ The bread served as a starter - oh my goodness gracious, so amazing! It may even have been my favorite part of the whole meal, come to think of it. We were served two types of bread, and while both were good, the one that was soft and herby (the other was thinner and crustier) had the perfect density and flavor (those herbs went a long way, especially when accompanied with some olive oil).
+ Speaking of olive oil, the way they served it here was unique; instead of just providing us with a bottle of olive oil, they served it to us as a bowl of crushed olives! Though I'm not fond of olives themselves, I was able to seep my bread into the oil that was squeezed out and getting to have it straight from the source just made it seem tastier and more memorable.
Cons:
- Be it a restaurant or a store, 99% of the time upselling that feels even mildly pushy is a massive turn-off, which is what happened a bit here. While the service was attentive and recommendations were appreciated, I didn't like that pretty soon after we sat down we felt almost pressured/guilt tripped into ordering wine and/or appetizers, without even having gotten a chance to peruse the menu first. Also, we were charged for a more expensive prosecco than the one we expressly ordered, so not sure if that was a genuine mistake (I'm choosing to give them benefit of the doubt on this one) but it was a bit annoying and made me raise an eyebrow.
- Despite being the restaurant's namesake, the tiramisu - which we chose for dessert precisely for this reason, assuming it would be outstanding - was very average. It's the only dessert we got so I'm not sure if the other desserts are better, but I was definitely not blown away by this one.
- Our bill came out to be about $160 for two people, which seemed a bit steep given what we had ordered. Though the experience was a nice one, I definitely didn't feel like it was a good value for money; I'd hesitate to come here again anytime soon when there are likely other cute Italian places in the area with good food, good service, and better prices.
Sidenote: Since this was a last minute decision, we went in what we were wearing already and definitely felt a little (read: more than a little) underdressed. Most of the people seated around us were double our age (not a bad thing at all, just an observation) and dressed to the nines (a lot of suits and blazers and then a few button-downs sprinkled in here and there). Will certainly fancy up a bit if I decide to go back sometime!