This is a wild and crazy place. I first encountered Il Ballo Del Mattone 6 or 7 years ago, at the…read moreoriginal location. It was tiny, the food always carried wonderfully deep flavors. It was often crowded and once a month the owner, who's appearance is as wild as his restaurants, held a monthly customer party. Fast forward to 2015: Now he has three locations, all within a couple of blocks of each other. I haven't eaten at the others, but C and I had lunch here on Sunday and found the ambiance, food and service to be very good ... as before.
The only two negatives: 1.) is that they have their menu on a blackboard that the server brings to your table. And another one with the wines. I hate this system. You can't take your time and feel under pressure to make a decision quickly, as the server is standing there waiting. For cryin' out loud, it's 2015 ... can't they just buy a printer? 2.) the stupid blackboard doesn't mention that they have pizza. I really wasn't in the mood for pasta, but virtually all the items on the blackboard are pasta. I ordered the bondiola, which I wasn't in the mood for either. As our server brought our food, I noticed another server delivering a pizza to another table. Grr. Consequently I won't be returning anytime soon. Too disorganized.
Ambiance: 4 stars
Food: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Wine list: 2 stars