Five stars all around. This was my first time here with family. We went back in May to celebrate my dad's birthday. Funny enough we have passed by this place so so many times but never decided to venture in. We finally took the plunge and I am so glad we did. The vibe on the outside matches the vibe inside. It feels very classy, quaint, and refined but not over the top and grandiose..like understated elegance:) It's like your typical Italian restaurant with the red table linen and walls adorned with photos of the owner with past patrons, news articles, and accolades which gives it that charming old school Italian restaurant feel.
As you enter, there is a small waiting area where the host stand resides and as you make your way through there is a main dining room and a second dining room to the right which was closed off at the time we went (which was lunchtime). What made the atmosphere feel so nice and quaint was the fact that the noise level was low and the music was quiet and relaxing, like soft acoustic guitar. You can tell that the patrons there were regulars as most were in business attire and everyone acted professionally and weren't being loud or boisterous. The atmosphere of a restaurant can make or break it just as much as the service can so I always take it into account.
Immediately upon seating, we were greeted by a server assistant who offered us sparkling water or flat water. He was very mannerly and polite. We were also provided with fresh, warm, bread rolls. I am such a sucker for table bread and the timeliness of its arrival was superb lol They don't provide you with olive oil or balsamic vinegar which was fine, but they did provide pre packaged butter packets in a ramekin. The bread portion was generous for anyone that wants to know and is a bread lover like me;) The wine selection was also worth commenting on. There were Old World wines and New World but the prices were pretty steep. I was planning on splurging since this was my dad's birthday lunch/early dinner but for anyone that prefers house wines at an affordable cost they really didn't have any wines in the $25/$30 price range. We settled on having the Seghesio Zinfandel from Sonoma which I've had before after eyeing it at Whole Foods but it was so worth it. It had been while since I last had it but it was soooo good. It was fruity and oaky at the same time with a hint of cedar and burst of cherry and/or currant. Smooth and supple but mildly tannic. I'm not much of an earthy wine drinker nor am I big on dry wines unless it's a Malbec, but this was the perfect pairing for what we ate. It was like off dry. It was lite enough to be a good drinking wine for an afternoon lunch and bold enough to pair well with what we ate.
The dishes we chose were the Porcini Mushroom risotto, the black inked lobster ravioli, and Seafood Linguine. Holy Moly! It's like I died and went to heaven. This was the first time we had been to a restaurant since covid starting and the lockdown happened so a bit over a year so it did feel kind of strange to be sitting indoors without a mask on and around other people. Not going to lie, but all the tables were six feet apart and were separated by plexiglass glass partitions which actually made our dining space feel more private. As for the food, I have no complaints whatsoever. The portions were generous and they were extremely flavorful and balanced. Nothing was too salty or oily. It had just the right touch of cream for the dish I had and everything tasted fresh and came out hot.
The service was excellent...exactly what I expected from a place like this. Our waiter was warm, polite, consistent, and professional. He checked up on us now and then but wasn't obtrusive and made sure the table was properly bussed, manicured, and reset at the time right time. I wish I could recall his name because I love to give shout outs and give credit where credit is due. The hospitality industry is a tough one especially given the circumstances we are currently in with covid and I consider servers as essential workers as they are exposing themselves every day to hoards of people, even if they wear a mask but this gentleman wore a smile on his face the whole time, appeared to genuinely care about our dining experience, and make a valiant effort to make it a pleasurable one. I will definitely be going back one of these days, though with covid cases and variants going up, not so sure, but for the time being I still want to commend businesses such as Cafe Abbracci for offering an outstanding product and service and doing their best to make customers feel safe and valued. More than ever we must support businesses and show our love to them. I'm grateful I was able to dine at Abbracci when I did. The delicious food and stellar service made my father's birthday a memorable one. read more