The service here is very accommodating and pleasant. The space is also nice, elegantly decorated, and pleasing to the eye. Soft hues of beige and perfect lighting. A very good place for a casual dinner date or something before the theater which is just down the street.
Sadly the food disappoints. Maybe it is my error to try Italian food in Portuguese territory. But both of our pasta dishes were sub-par in taste. Presentation wise, the food (even that of our neighbors at the next table) was very very pretty and almost misleading. But taste-wise: truly underwhelming. Bland. Lacking any Italian umami oomf in my carbonara, and the hubs' al'amatriciana was just tomato sauce on pasta. The past was Al dente and that was pleasing but tooth and taste run on independent tracks. The bruschetta appetizer was also beautifully presented but, meh: bland.
The salad we had was delicious, however...but it is hard to make bad salad.
Finally, the servers are earnest young folk who are trying their hardest to be pleasant and easy to interact with. And I do not want to slam them because hey really tried to please us, but that too was a bit underwhelming on the macro level. The ice I asked for: never came. The pepper for the pasta to try to improve it: ghost. And finally, finally: the additional Parmesan to try to improve my bland-boring pasta never arrived.
But then the heartbreak: our adorable server came and noticed! And offered a new dish. More pasta (!)...I did my best to politely decline. This was all my fault. The Portuguese do Portuguese food very very well. Italian? That was my fault. read more