5 stars without hesitation. Honestly, if you haven't been to this place because you love the Barona buffet too much (which I do), or because you haven't been to Barona at all, then you better make a trip out there.
To my surprise, this is probably the best place I've been to with Italian food. Erase that... This is the best Italian restaurant. I'm not sure what it is about this place... Could it be the romantic restaurant? Or could it be the amazing service? Maybe it was even the heavenly food? Actually, I think it's all of the above.
I applaud our waitress (her name has slipped my mind and I can't forgive myself), for she had the patience to deal with my mother who was bombarding her with questions. Trust me, my mother can ask the simplest of questions about the menu/etc that I could answer for her, and she asks them several times, but worded differently. (Regardless, I love her dearly, of course. Hehe...) Aside from the patience that our waitress had, she was diligent in checking up on/answering questions, never failed to leave us out in the blue about our food, and not to mention, she was a complete sweetheart.
Now, I'll speak about the restaurant itself. This is the perfect Italian restaurant because it completely fits what I, if not most people, would consider an Italian restaurant. It's not the *fanciest* place, but it is quite lovely. There are brick walls, beige walls, wooden poles, long windows covered with curtains, hanging lights with tiled/mosaic glass, tiled floors, and vividly colored carpet. The whole color scheme is dark, neutral colors: beige, red, brown, yellow, white, etc. It reminds me of spaghetti. There is dim lighting, and it has a very romantic atmosphere to it.
Enough about all that, I know the FOOD is what everyone cares the most about! My family got the calamari and tomato basil soup for appetizers. The calamari comes with two sauces, marinara and pesto, and a table of 4 or so could share it. Whereas, the soup would be good for one person. My mother kept it for herself, but my sister and I would steal bites here and there because it was that good. Frankly, you could never go wrong with tomato basil as a soup.
If you're having trouble picking a pasta, but know that's what you want, why not go with the original and typical chicken fettucine alfredo? The serving size is huge. If you're not savagely hungry, you could probably share it with someone and still have leftovers. Also, they're not selfish with the chicken. If you're craving a pizza, get one of their pre-made ones, or even create your own!
My sister got the hearth roasted salmon (I believe is what it's called), and it came with vegetables--no side of rice, potatoes, etc. It was savory, and I'm sure one person could finish it. On the other hand, my mother got the prime rib. It was huge, juicy, and delectable--she couldn't finish it. Thankfully, Italian Cucina was more than competent enough to cook her steak the way she wanted it. Each entree also comes with your choice of house salad, or caesar salad.
I had an excellent experience for my first time, and I'd definitely come back, and recommend it for someone who likes Italian food... Or someone who just wants to eat at a great restaurant. I was not disappointed at all. 5 stars! read more