Rose E.
Yelp
Thanks to Covid and travel reasons, I had to pass up on 2 opportunities to dine here in the past few years...but I finally just had to tag down a reservation on our date night.
We made early dinner reservations at 5:30 pm, so slid in to our seats with no problem. As expected, the place was very rustic, but it was lit up with red-lighted Christmas decorations...so it was very festive and cozy. They also played great Christmas overhead...with Sinatra and Dean Martin (I think?). However, just like Good Food on Montford, this place had tight seating quarters....and we had a very small table (since they offer moderate sized tables for parties of 4 or more). Overall, I loved the warm, casual ambiance. Despite the haughty pricing on their menu, the place itself was very down to earth.
Back to the menu. More than anything, they had this very special something on the menu that I've been dying to try - Truffles! However, unlike most Italian restaurants, they didn't have Fried Calamari...just this Grilled Octopus. Anyway, we ended up ordering Brussels Sprout Pizza as our appetizer, then I ordered the Truffle Tagliatelle and my husband ordered Grilled Pork as the entree, with an order of Mushrooms on the side...followed by sharing the dessert, Buttermilk Panna Cotta.
First of all, their Brussels Sprout Pizza was The BOMB! Honestly, it's the best pizza I've had in I don't know how long. Absolutely loved the thin, pastry-like crust...and loved that it even came with some Prosciutto, as well as Brussels Sprout and other veggies. Again, The BOMB!
As expected, my pasta dish, the Truffle Tagliatelle, was delicious...but I was underwhelmed with the Truffle. Maybe there wasn't enough of it in the dish, but I just wasn't sure if it added too much to my pasta experience. If so, it was very subtle. And yes, a very earthy, pungent taste...but again, underwhelming. If I had to do it again, I might order extra Truffle...but then, that's additional $14, and not sure if that would be worth it. Just don't know what to think about it at this point. May need to give it another try in the future. My husband loved the Grilled Pork, and we both loved the Mushrooms. I added some Mushrooms to my Tagliatelle with a weak sprinkle of Truffle...and it helped. Loved the sauce on those Mushrooms too!
I was psyched that they had Panna Cotta on the menu...and we both thoroughly enjoyed that. Don't think it was THE best Panna Cotta dessert I've had, but I really liked it...and so did my hubby.
Overall, I can't rate less than 5 stars. Frankly, I decided it was 5 stars once I had 1 bite of that amazing Pizza. Though I was disappointed with the Truffle, am so glad I tried it. Just glad I know of a restaurant in town that definitely has it on their menu! Although the pricing was stiff, I'm thinking that most of their foods are good enough to live up to it?
Anyway, I really liked...maybe even loved this restaurant. Definitely up for returning in the future!