Shane M.
Yelp
Another steak review, here we go:
Rarely would I give a five star review that fully earns its five stars, but Toscana provided an impeccable dining experience in nearly every regard. Went here for birthday dinner (just turned 16!) and I was impressed.
Food -- ordered the Filet Mignon 10oz. Was expecting a good steak, but not anything fantastic, considering it wasn't a steakhouse. The $60 asking price wasn't all that out of line for a steak of that caliber and size, so I was okay offering a bit of wiggle room on quality.
It didn't disappoint.
Solid filet mignon. Cooked a little rarer than I would've liked, but "medium" is subjective. Great texturing and perfect charring on the outer edges. Amazing flavor throughout, not overly butter or salty so it was very balanced. REALLY punching above its weight for an Italian restaurant. The sides of spinach and potatoes were a bit mundane, but they did their job, and the mushrooms on top of the steak added some variety.
Service -- Probably the best part of this visit! Our waiter was personable and gracious, made us feel right at home. My mom mentioned my birthday, so after we finished our food the waiter brought us a free white chocolate tart that was amazing! He dapped me up before we left lol. Just a really nice guy that did his job well. Food took a little while but definitely not an excessive time by any means. I've heard complaints of bad service, but everyone here was remarkably kind. Right when you get to your table, there's some veggies and dipping sauce already there, which was definitely a nice touch and eased me into the "upscale" feel. Garlic bread is delivered to the table as the complimentary appetizer -- honestly felt like an afterthought but the bread was pretty solid so I can't complain
Ambiance -- feels like a classic Italian trattoria. Loud and tight interior; not inherently bad things, just stuff to keep in mind. Felt very authentic though so I don't have any complaints here. This is clearly the atmosphere the restaurant is going for, and it's accomplished very well.
Nitpicks:
-Took a little long to take our orders
-No root beer! My waiter shared my disdain, I opted for Coke instead, not a big deal especially if you're over 21
-As previously mentioned, sort of mediocre sides, but the main central dish compensated more than enough and the pasta dishes shouldn't have this issue
-I can see the desire for slightly bigger pasta portions honestly, but I can't speak to this directly since I ordered the steak (and pasta portions are hard to get right)
All in all this was an amazing experience and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for solid upscale Italian authenticity. These guys get it right.