Being an Italian from New York City, I have to say that I am overall disappointed in M'Tucci's Twenty-Five. The first time that my fiance and I went there we had lunch, which was an amazing experience! It was a Wednesday afternoon in late January. Our waitress was the best waitress you can ask for, very attentive and on point, number one... Our salads, the Citrus Braised Beet & Pecan Salad and the Arugula & Spinach Caesar Salad, were amazing, number two... And our lunch, Spaghettini & Chianina Meatballs and Eggplant Parmesan, were amazing, number three. Awesome, right?? Here's the kicker....
My fiance wanted to take me either to Bien Shur or Level 5 for Valentine's Day. I'm a girl and he's trying to be very romantic, which I applaud!!! Those restaurants supposedly have the ambience of a romantic setting with views at sunset. So I poured over the menus and Google reviews from those two restaurants as well as other restaurants that friends have suggested and, after wanting the best quality food for a competitive price (even though price is of no object to him, but I AM an absolute food critic, especially coming from New York City and having eaten at different establishments across the country, so he left the final decision to me), I told him that we should go back to M'Tucci's Twenty-Five... I am Italian and he is Spanish, so I was hoping to introduce his tastebuds to the best Italian cuisine near to what I am accustomed to... So we went to M'Tucci's at 5pm on a Wednesday evening hoping to get the same service as last time... Nada, niente
We sat down and I already had an idea of how I wanted the courses to go... but from beginning to end, a different waitress tried to rush us through the entire dinner EVERY STEP of the way as if we were a bother to her even though hardly any other customers were there... It was uncomfortable, so I skipped over the salads and went straight to the Applewood Smoked Portobella Risotto and the Pappardelle Porcini Pasta, figuring they would go greatly hand in hand...
As we were waiting, I described to my fiance how Risotto is delicate, delicious, and hard to find on any menu because it cannot be under-cooked nor overcooked... it has to be "al dente," cooked but firm... fluffy and tasty with Porcini mushroom sauce, it will be amazing... Well the only thing firm and amazing about the Risotto at M'Tucci's were the few shavings of fresh mushrooms on top. The rest of the dish, ALL of the rice, was just MUSH!!! Which is NOT what's supposed to happen with any type of Risotto. A heartbreaking disappointment!!!... As for the Pappardelle Porcini Pasta, which was pasta in Porcini Cream Sauce with Pan Seared Chicken, the ONLY thing that was fresh were the cuts of chicken on top of the pasta... ALL of the pasta was just MUSH!!! So neither the rice nor the pasta were al dente. We couldn't finish neither dish. It was disappointing, embarrassing, and pretty much inedible.
Next, our entrees were the Five Pork Bolognese and the "Cut of the Day, Hand Cut Steak, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Grilled Asparagus." He knows that I LOVE Filet Mignon and that that was exactly what I wanted for Valentine's Day, which was why he was trying to take me to Bien Shur. While we were at M'Tucci's, he joked that the Cut of the Day would be a T-Bone. I laughed and said it better not be. Sure enough, it was a huge T-Bone steak!! Thankfully his Five Pork Bolognese turned out well because I can forgo bad dishes, but the least I want is for him to have a bad dish!!! So my T-Bone was okay, not great by any means... definitely not the Valentine's Day dinner nor experience that I was expecting from a high-end restaurant.
The wine wasn't even good. Only the Five Pork Bolognese dish was the redeeming factor that night. Needless to say, we haven't gone back there. Don't get your hopes up, especially for a romantic occasion. read more