A large group of us came here for lunch today. Happily, Alfred's Victorian is well-equipped to handle groups (there were 15+ of us); all our food came out at the same time, was good and hot, and the wait staff were unruffled by the size of our crowd.
The table was set beautifully and, true to everything I've heard about this building, all the rooms are decorated and appointed gorgeously. We took time after ordering to go on a little tour of the other areas and they were all beautiful.
So, you ask, if you are giving high marks to the staff and high marks for the ambiance, why only three stars? Well, the answer is I was less impressed with the meal.
I ordered Pasta Alfredino - pasta in an Alfredo sauce with baby peas, prosciutto, and Parmesan cheese, accompanied by a side salad. The salad was very good: crisp, a nice mix of greens, grape tomatoes, red onion, and tasty croutons. I opted for oil and vinegar for the dressing and I was happy to be presented with a decent oil and balsamic vinegar (instead of the anemic-looking, acidic "wine" vinegar that's served in many places). We also were served warm rolls and butter, which I wish had been offered right after we ordered so we would have had something to nibble on while waiting for our meal. Anyway, the rolls were very good and I think the butter was herbed.
After the salad course our entrees were served. I was taken aback to have a plate of very thin sauce placed before me. In my experience, Alfredo sauce is creamy with a thick consistency - not clotted, but with a nice body so that it adheres to the pasta. The flavor of the sauce was fine, but if I wanted a good mouthful of it I had to use my spoon. The prosciutto...aah, so disappointed. Teeny-tiny squares of ham that were so small I couldn't tell by sight or taste whether is was really Italian prosciutto or just regular old deli ham. If there were even an ounce of the meat on the platter I'd be surprised. The peas were a nice bright green and cooked OK. The pasta was the biggest disappointment. White and green linguini-style noodles that were more Pennsylvania Dutch style (thick and doughy) than Italian (silky). One of the things I enjoy about Italian food is that it is a fine cuisine, with flavors and textures that are more subtle than aggressive. There should be a true marriage of spices, sauce, pasta - a balanced and complementary relationship - rather than one item overpowering the others. In this case, the noodles were so thick theydidn't twirl easily on the fork and dominated the sauce, rather than allowing the sauce to harmonize with the pasta.
We didn't order any desserts (sadly, we had to return to work!) but a table in the room behind us ordered cherries jubilee, and that looked pretty good.
Anyway, although my overall experience was OK, I would not go out of my way to travel here for a meal. I feel bad saying this because I think the owner and employees work hard to make this a stellar dining experience, and I appreciate their efforts, but for my money I'll look elsewhere for an upscale meal. read more