Went here on a dinner date Sunday night and it was a 5-star experience through and through. I called ahead to see if they had space for two and was given a very warm "Come on in, we'll save you a spot!" welcome from Tracy, who is one of the owners. Awesome start to the evening!
As soon as you walk in, you immediately notice the restaurant's beautiful ambiance. I would describe it a simple yet elegant, in the best sense of both (if that makes sense). It is immediately obvious how much thought and care they put into every subtle detail, from the lighting, to the chandeliers, to the wall decor, and of course, to the food.
Our waiter, whom I believe is named Franklin, was outstanding! He was courteous, charming, and extremely attentive. One of the many moments that highlighted his level of service and unique touch came right after our server assistant placed our appetizer on the table, which was an eggplant tower with the prosciutto di parma on the side. My date had mentioned she was vegetarian earlier (hence the meat on the side) and as Franklin passed by our table, he smoothly and gently moved the plate of prosciutto away from her and placed it much closer to me, before giving a quick smile and head nod as he floated away.
As for the food, it was as outstanding as the service. The presentation of the eggplant tower was something you might see in a competitive cooking competition. It consists of house-made prosciutto, mozzarella, eggplant caponata, artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, olives. Each ingredient is carefully layered on top of one another, which results in a beautiful feat of gastronomic architecture that is bursting with flavor. While our instincts were to devour it after the first bite, it's the kind of dish you want to take your time with and savor for as long as possible.
For my entre, I ordered the classic Italian dish, the Veal Parmigiano . The veal was a massive portion and was accompanied by a hefty side of linguini marinara. One really cool detail (at least to me) was how the Chef deliberately chopped the basil to different sizes for both the veal and the pasta, as opposed to simply sprinkling it on top of the entire dish. To say I was such a happy camper from the first bite to the last in a understatement. I truly can't wait to come back and order it again.. and again.. and again.
For dessert, we shared the house-made cannoli which is made with impastata cheese, dried fruit and pistachios. It was definitely a good enough size for two and while we were already full, it had us contemplating ordering another.
To quote my date, "This was the best Italian food I've ever had.. even better than any restaurant I've been to in Little Italy!"
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Spark notes: Amazing service; outstanding food; the Antipasto Freddo (eggplant tower) and Veal Parmigiano are a must! read more