Went here for Valentine's Day dinner and it was A-OK. We actually went a day early because I was going out of town on V-Day, so the restaurant was nice and empty. We didn't actually need the reservation that we made, but that's OK. The atmosphere of the restaurant is very nice. All of the tables are nice, there's a lot of dark reds in the seats, on the walls, etc. Very classy and romantic. Vivere boasts the largest wine cellar in the midwest, which is very, very intimidating to a couple who aren't really familiar with wine and tastings. I love wine, but I'm not really sure what to pick and I often feel like servers feel like they need to peddle the more expensive bottles as opposed to good ones. The food was good, but the portions were small. We ordered a tuna/scallop appetizer that sounded delicious but when we got it, it was literally just thin shavings of the fish on a plate. It was so bizarre and for $9 not really enough food. I thought it was going to be grilled/fried/cooked tuna and scallops but it was just weird, cold shavings of the fish in way too much lemon juice. My boyfriend got the buttersquash ravioli and said it was delicious. I got the duck ravioli and it was OK - I actually think that someone else would have loved it, I just didn't enjoy it very much. It was put together well and it really was good, I just didn't care for it. So the entrees were good, but slightly pricey. Overall, our experience at the restaurant was good. It was a bit overpriced (especially for those appetizers!) so prepare for a higher bill with your food and drinks combined. read more

Visited last week for dinner. Met my parents at Vivere as I was in town for work, it was a first visit for us all. On the whole, I'd call this a mediocre dining experience with incredible food. Our service was slow, the restaurant is expensive, and the portion sizes are very small. But, bottom line, we all thought the food was incredible. We started off with the Gnocchi Di Tartufo Nero con Astice e Spinaci (Homemade black truffle and potato dumpling, Maine lobster, spinach, white wine shallot sauce). I'm pulling these names and descriptions right off the menu, fyi. It was a delicious appetizer, only problem, it costs $16 and is only about 6 modest bites of food. So, you would think, when 3 people order an appetizer that costs $16 and it would be small for one person, the server would let you know, "hey, you're basically getting no food to split between the 3 of you." Unfortunately, we got no mention of that and, you know, it is what it is. At which point I'm thinking, "That was tasty, but I'm not overly impressed here so far." Then our entrees come out and before we start, you see pretty small portions and think, "This place is not getting a great review." I had the Agnolottini di Fagiano (homemade Pheasant filled pasta, butter, sage, Parmigiano-Reggiano), and damn, was this on point. One of the best entrees I've had in a long time. It was clear the pasta was homemade. The filling was delicious, the sauce was perfect, and I wish they gave me a lot more. So, in the end, we split the appetizer 3-ways, plus I had a glass of the house chianti and my entree, and with tip, I spent $57. Given how much I enjoyed the meal, I'm okay with that, but I can't go 5 stars here because as good as the food was, from a broader, experiential perspective, I was left wanting just a bit more. read more

The Italian Village is three restaurants in one. Upstairs and our original destination is the casual pizza & pasta "The Village" with a wait longer than I was willing to endure on a Friday nite. It was explained to us the lower level served steak and seafood fare. Got right in at Vivere, where our server could not have been more friendly. The Pesto Ravioli was perfectly prepared, our heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella salad was even better. We finished off the meal with a surprisingly excellent chocolate cherry cake and espresso balsamic gelato with cream coconut sauce. Y. U. M. read more

My husband and I had dinner there Friday before a play. We did have reservations and were promptly seated. Service was pleasant and attentive. We chose the Chef's tasting paired with different wines. I would recommend this. You get four courses. Each paired with a different wine and served by the Chef and Sommelier. (Glad I skipped lunch as it was very deliciously filling.) Also I left with a listing of the wines we enjoyed. It was an excellent birthday dinner. Even had a candle in my dessert! read more

I went here after the theatre on a Sat for dinner. The gnocchi lobster app was phenomenal. The main course mahi mahi with lobster raviolis was ok. I found the fish try and unflavorful. The raviolis were good although the pepper was a little strong. Great amaretto cheesecake for dessert. Ambiance was upscale but not pretentious. read more

Mmmmm, prawns and Italian meats. So so good. I will say, however, one smidge more per portion would be nice. The service is extremely good, and the sommelier is very knowledgable and kind. The decor is definitely over the top. It's in the theater district, sure, but it's a little much. Also, narrow metal railings everywhere with random twist can easily catch a watch face off guard and scratch it. For that I dock a star. read more

I took my fiance here before a show at the LaSalle Theatre because of its close proximity to the threatre and relatively good reviews. The decor and ambiance is your typical upscale Italian restaurant, but they had a lot of tables jammed in here so it lacked the intimacy or privacy you would expect from a romantic dinner. The crowd was a mix of tourists, couples, and groups getting ready to go to the show. If you are looking for a hidden gem you have definitely found the wrong place. The food was decent - but nothing blew me away or struck me as original. I would compare this to a chain restaurant like Maggiano's or Cheescake Factory. Sure it was well prepared and pretty tasty, but for this much money you can do much, much better. I suppose what you are paying for here is the proximity to the theatre and the classic Italian Village Chicago spot. Overall it was too expensive, too boring, and too "chainey" (is that a word?). read more

My wife and I arrived at Chicago Union Station on a Friday with tickets to see Hamilton in just a few hours. We hustled to the hotel in the first cab we saw, checked in, dropped the bags and headed to the theater hoping to find a quick bite somewhere close before the show. The first spot we noticed was was the Italian Village across the street from the theater. As others have mentioned it is actually three restaurants on three levels under one roof. The polite host up front told us (not surprisingly) that two of the restaurants had a 30-40 minute wait and the third one had tables available, but this was the much pricier more formal Vivere. We didn't want to blow our dining budget for our three day trip on a rushed meal, but the wife's in her 3rd trimester, so eating had to happen before the show. We turned to leave, planning to grab a salad at McDonnalds across the street (yuck), but the Vivere manager noticed us turning to go and ran across the restaurant to see if he could help. We quickly explained the situation, realizing we had less than an hour before showtime and he calmly offered to seat us at Vivere and allow us to order from any of the three menus of any of the three restaurants. The next 45 minutes were an absolute delight. The staff was busy, but made the extra effort to be sure we were aware that they were aware of our time crunch and we never even felt the stress that we'd be stuck waiting for a check while the show started. The food was amazing, the wine just as good and the ambiance was intimate, romantic and felt like we could be in Tuscany. Bravo Vivere! It wasn't your fault that our train was late, but you bent over backwards to accommodate us and ensure we had a wonderful experience. This art of hospitality and problem solving for the sake of the guest is sadly a mostly lost art these days, especially at what one might expect to be a more pretentious dining tier. We thank you for being awesome and making our special night even more special! read more

My second visit to the Italian Village, but first to Vivere. Came here with some friends on a Saturday night during the holiday season. Reservation through opentable.com had our table ready right on time. The table side bread was warm and tasty. We ordered the lobster gnocchi and carpaccio as appetizers. Both were excellent. The sauce for the gnocchi was not too heavy and lobster meat was fair for the price being charged. I ordered the oricchette pasta with fennel sausage. The sauce was a spicy tomato sauce which wasn't too spicy or too bland. Others ordered the butternut squash ravioli and shrimp linguini. All dishes came out together and were served hot. Linguini was good and the sauce wasn't too oily. Shrimp were abundant in the dish, so no complaints there. Service overall was decent. Only minor complaint was that the waiter might have been ambitious on trying to take away an appetizer dish before it was finished. Restaurant is decorated very nicely and has a nice feel to it. read more

Coworkers and I went here to kick off our holiday-ish-ness (Decemburrrrr 2008). My foodities were as follows: 1) Gnocchi with potato and black truffle, spinach, white wine shallot sauce and lobster -- Sorry if my description is a bit ghe-to the-tto. Anyway, it was pretty much amazing. I'm obsessed with truffle ish and this was truffle-ish-ness (what's with with ish-ness-ities today??) at its finest. 2) Risotto in barolo wine, soaked in grappa...um, veal cheeks with truffles (see the truffle theme for me? Yes.) -- Omg heaven. Sometimes risotto can be mushy or just meh. This was phenom. 3) Almond torte with mint gelato and berries -- I don't like mint ice cream but saw 'almond torte' and couldn't resist. It was worth every...single...bite. As far as wine, we got a bottle of the 2005 Poderi di Luigi Einaude, Dolcette di Dogliani. Yum. Yum. Huzzah. Our waiter recommended it. Good call. Atmophere is fab. Service was fab. Food was yummerific. I'd go back in a heartbeat. PS -- Waiter (name escapes me) was funny. I had a bird necklace on and he made a comment about how I must be the 'funny' one because I have a 'swallow' around my neck. Sexual comment? Not sure. I still laughed. He got a good tip. The end. read more

With a reunion of seven out-of-towners, it was up to me to make saturday dinner reservations just hours prior. Given the keywords of "fancy", "Italian" and within walking distance, I took on the challenge. After calling around, it became increasingly apparent that the people on the other end were silently chuckling at the mere request for a group of our size during the most coveted dinner time slots. I took a shot in the dark and enter Vivere! Party of eight for 8pm? No problem. Suspicious? Maybe. There was slight confusion upon entering since we didn't know about the multiple eateries. We were seated upstairs and almost immediately, everyone commented on the low ceilings. At one point during dinner, I spotted a guy, a couple of tables over, stand up and note to everyone in his party how his head was making contact. Almost everyone at our table ordered the linguine calabrese. I opted for something different with the agnolottini di fagiano or pheasant filled pasta. I had a taste of my friend's linguine and felt like I should've ordered the same thing. The pheasant was okay and didn't pack as much flavor as my friend's dish. For dessert, I split a lemon and raspberry cake. It was light with a touch of fruity- a wonderful end to the meal. Vivere was the perfect place for our large group to converse and enjoy a nice meal together. I can now sigh in relief that dinner turned out to be a success! read more

This place is weird. The ambiance is weird, the staff is weird, the numbing silence from not playing any music in the house is weird. We stopped here for a couple appetizers before heading to an event that had hors d'oeuvres and we were treated like high schoolers that go to a fancy restaurant and just have the complimentary bread and water. We pretty easily racked up a tab, so I'm pretty ticked that we were treated that way, even though we were paying customers. The (terribly awkward) waiter should have been ecstatic we were even there, considering we were his only table. At 7:30. On a Friday night. I won't go back. This city is full of amazing restaurants and this one did not meet my (pretty basic) standards. read more

Just had a company dinner here with about 30ppl. Food and service were excellent. the servers and waiters were always ready to get us another drink and take empty glasses away. Food we good too, soup and salad was just ok. Pasta course was abover average(penne and cheese ravioli), but it was the protein course that was really good. Salmon with capers and the beef in marsalle(sp?) sauce was my favorites. There was also a chicken parm which was good as well. We were served family style, so that was nice to try a bunch of different things. Parking may be difficult, but your downtown so it's expected, plus they do have a valet if needed. there's also a full bar menu which is important. read more

I work in the Loop so I went here for my birthday lunch this year and more recently for lunch during Restaurant Week 2013. It's a solid restaurant option for the Loop and I like that they offer a prix fixe menu. For Restaurant Week, the best thing on the lunch menu was the pasticchio. It was delicious and the waiter mentioned that it is a regular offering on their dinner menu. I checked and it is but not with the walnut cream sauce that clinched this dish. Unfortunately, I took the road less traveled (grilled chicken breast) and that made all the difference. The other two courses were forgettable. And that's my general feeling with Vivere. There's always one thing that's solid and even really good but the rest is only ok. To be fair, maybe my experience would've been different if I'd had the pasticchio but the point is, for restaurant week you should roll out the best so that no matter what your customers choose they're gonna leave impressed. That was not the case for me. read more

The food is pretty tasty, in small portions, and the venue is pretty. It's definitely a fancier place. One easy improvement that they absolutely should make: no one can read the menu on your website! It made me laugh when I saw how small it is. Even checked in two browsers. Honestly, I'm not scheduling a business event here purely because I can't send the menu out to people. read more

The danger with this place is that you will relax under the friendly ministrations of the lovely bartenders, and you will then be off your guard when it comes time to interact, as can happen in confined spaces like these, with the rich douchebag patrons who sometimes frequent the restaurant. Don't get too comfortable. Or--just head upstairs to the less elegant but goofily charming and very retro original second floor, which boasts honest if kitchy decor rather than Mr. Mozer's bad acid trip downstairs. (What was he thinking? "Let's take Art Nouveau--maybe another low-ceilinged place like Maxim's--and melt it like a Salvador Dali watch, and call it art."?) read more

Went here after our conference with a local who touted this as a great place. It didn't disappoint. Greeted by a friendly hostess, letting us know that the lower level resto was closed, but that we could choose dishes from that menu. Our party of six was seated in the upstairs dining area overlooking the rest of the restaurant. The place had a bit of an "Alice in Wonderland" feel to it with the winding staircase and the low ceiling. It wasn't terribly busy on a rainy Monday evening. The smell emanating from the kitchen is the usual Italian porcetta aroma which turns me off. Our Asian server was fluent in Italian and had a good sense of humour to keep up with our already lubricated party. I had a lovely New Zealand Sauv Blanc. Appetizer Calabrese with buffalo mozzerella was delicious. Light and porous cheese accompanied by juicy ripe tomatoes was a fitting starter for my pasta entree. Ordered he ravioli stuffed with tugole(?) cheese which was explained to me as a light cheddar taste. Was exquisite with the pesto cream sauce. The portions are large, so had some leftover. An 18% gratuity was added to our separate bills. My bill came to $53 with tax and tip. I would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for Italian in downtown Chicago. read more

My boyfriend and I stopped by Italian Village for dinner during rush hour and ended up eating here after talking to a chef (from one of the three restaurants, we weren't sure which) who was standing outside. We were seated immediately and started off with some very good bread while our waiter named the daily specials. I wish I knew his name because he was honest about the dishes and told us which desserts to avoid later on. Anyway, we split the gnocchi and lobster appetizer and it was probably the best gnocchi either of us has had in a very long time. If you ever go to Vivere, get the gnocchi! The gnocchi was extremely tender with a slight crust on the outside, the cream was delicious, and the lobster was a wonderful complement to both. I will definitely be going back for that. For the entree, I had the pheasant pasta, which, as someone else mentioned, could do with a little more variety in the dish besides the sage leaves, but was still quite tasty. My boyfriend had the basil pesto pork tenderloin and it was yummy. The pork was very well cooked and the serving size was big enough to satisfy but small enough to allow room for dessert. We shared the creme brulee and a nice dessert wine recommended by our waiter. Both were enjoyable although I have had better creme brulee (though not yet in Chicago). I have to say that neither of us noticed the decor, but that's probably because we were both hungry! In all, dinner was tasty (especially the appetizer), the service was good, and the wait was nonexistent. It was little bit pricey but we'll probably be back! read more

Average, but over-priced food; condescending, slow service. I didn't enjoy my gristle-laden carpaccio, and no one at the table seemed overly impressed with their pasta dishes. Our menus sat in front of us for 20 minutes before our order was finally taken, and at the conclusion of our meal, dirty dishes remained on our table for 15 minutes. Some of the slowest/worst service we experienced in Chicago over the past few years (a city of generally stellar restaurant execution). read more

Had reservations here for Valentine's and had no idea it was a glorified Olive Garden. Our reservation was for 8:30, but they told us we would be seated around 9:15 - and you could tell by the throngs of people waiting that that was probably a wild understatement. Now I get it. I've worked in restaurants, and the hostess is *probably* not to blame. Things happen and they get backed up or have an over zealous owner... Whatever. But there was literally no hint of remorse, no flicker of sorry that they proposed to seat us 45 minutes later than expected. I was so appalled by their utter apathy that we quickly made a new reservation and booked it outta there. But also, it was really weird in there and was clogged with tourists. Just a really odd vibe. read more

I ate here the other night for restaurant week. First of all, excellent service. Our waiter was smiling and attentive. He made sure we had everything we needed. Second, our entrees and appetizers were really great. Good portions as well. My complaints about this place are two good. First of all, in simply not a fan of the atmosphere. The decor is very whimsical and modern, which isn't my style. Just a personal preference though. The second issue was dessert. I ordered a mint and white chocolate panna cotta and it was simply the most bizarre thing I've ever had. It was BRIGHT green, not very appealing. The flavors of the panna cotta itself were ok. A like fake on the mint flavor. But then they just went overboard with embellishments. It was topped with cooked apples and garnished with sour cranberries, neither of which worked with the mint and white chocolate flavors. Very odd. A misstep in my opinion. I recommend this place to anyone looking for good Italian entrees, good service, and a funky atmosphere if you like that style. read more

Vivere - My VERY green mint and white chocolate panna cotta with pistachios, apples, and cranberries... - Italian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

At first, I anticipated an uptight fine Italian restaurant, but this was not the case at all. Even when I made reservations, I expected a snippy person on the other end. She was very polite and nice. I had already read in Gourmet magazine that this place was selected by Wine Spectator as one of "America's Top 10 Italian Restaurants", and so with a place with so many accolades I thought I would encounter some attitude. The place itself is playful in a modern and clever way. We waited a few minutes at the bar area before we got seated, and our waiter was great with giving recommendations. I was so glad they had hot tea since I was coming down with a cold, it was perfect. We started out with this potato black truffle gnocchi with lobster and spinach and it was love at first bite. It was actually served by the chef that made it, and he was telling us about how he made it for his mom and she loved it. If I were his mom I might ask that he just make it every day! It's not a huge portion, but it was the perfect starter for 2. It got us anxiously awaiting our entrees. My cousin got the linguini with shrimp, and it was light and delicious, and I go the pheasant filled pasta, which was also very yummy. Just the texture and flavor of it all was so good. I was really impressed. The portion size was a little on the small size, so if you are a big eater you may want to get a recommendation for something that has a larger portion. I can't see anyone taking anything home. We also fit in a creme brulee, and the sugar coating was bitter in a rich good coffee like way. I really liked it, and it was topped with some jelly and a fig - I've never seen a fig before. It was really cool. The prices are a little more expensive than other Italian restaurants, but it was really worth it. This place will have you leaving saying, "Gratzi!" read more

Great spot for lunch. If you're in that part of the city you know you'll have a good spot to have a nice meal while having good service, aware of your schedule, with a robust menu of nice choices. The food we had was fresh, well presented and delicious, the service a nice blend of attentiveness and being left alone. Scallops and sundried tomato lentil soup for me (Yum!) and a great salad and salmon dish for my guest which impressed. read more

Vivere is part of the Italian Restaurant Village so when you walk in, there are three restaurant entrances. We were supposed to go to one of the other two places which are more casual areas, but we accidentally walked into Vivere. I thought that the host was a bit rude while we were walking in because you could tell that he thought we didn't belong there. The food was extremely pricey for nothing special and I thought that the food wasn't that delicious. I paid $22 for a block of spinach lasagna and I thought it wasn't that flavorful and was a bit dry. Try one of the other two restaurants instead and leave this place to people who are probably better off in terms of money to spend. read more

I went here for a friends birthday after we saw a show. Our wonderful server adeptly navigated us through the courses, and the drinks were perfect. I didn't really feel uncomfortable nor did I get a pretentious vibe from Vivere. The decor was interesting and lovely to ponder. However, I was a little weirded out with the seating right next to the mirrors. As for the food, I must second a previous reviewer's thoughts on the gnocchi. It was out of this world amazing. My saffron shrimp pasta was lovely and the pasta was cooked to absolute perfection. The dense chocolate cake was lovely as was the creme brulee. I have no idea which one I liked more. read more

I haven't written a review for Vivere and that is my oversight, which is something we have not experienced there and we've dined here on several occasions. Last night, prior to the CSO, we were seated right away for our 5pm reservation (Ok, I walked in 4 mins late but my friend was seated right away). One of my main motivations for writing this review is the service. It has always been professional and outstanding. But last night, I watches as young waiters watches out of the corner of their eye to make certain that an elderly couple was able to get to their seats ok, for example. Food. Love it. cuttlefish Ink-pasta with Maine Lobster and a saffron cream sauce that ties the dish together. Then the duck breast with port wine cherry sauce was heaven. For the first time ever, I could have done without the foie - personally, I like it fried or seared and I think rather than stuff two ravilo's with it, a little slice of seared foie with the port wine cherry sauce would knock this dish out of this world. When we ordered, we mentioned we were sharing the two entree's and they arrived plated as a split - did I mention the professional service??? Dessert was prosecco bubbles - Yippy! Then two seperate dishes - mango cayanne and hazelnut gelato. I couldn't stop saying wow with each taste of the mango cayanne dish. I knew the hazelnut would make my heart want to stop. read more

Good atmosphere and service. Food was underwhelming. Husband got the prawn and saffron risotto. Three shrimp only for a pricey dish! I ordered the carbonara ravioli which was tasty, but barely warm. We will be back in area in May to see Hamilton, but will find another restaurant for that nite. read more

My family and I were here for NYE dinner and had a great time. Our waiter was very attentive to our requests and answered our questions in a very detailed (sometimes more detailed than we needed) manner. The food was delicious -- their lobster bisque is to die for -- however, the stairs leading up to our food from the main restaurant could pose a slight inconvenience to some parties. Smaller groups generally are seated at the booths on the main floor which are meant for 2 people. These booths are closer to the door and we saw many shivering patrons as the door opened and closed. To be fair, it was -17 degrees when we were there. Overall I would absolutely go here again! read more

Made last minute reservations on a Saturday. Table was available for us as soon as we arrived. Valet parking available for $10 (totally worth it, especially if you will be going to Chicago Theater after dinner). Since the restaurant upstairs is open til 1am we were able to leave our car with valet until after our show. Dinner was delicious. A little on the pricey side but it's expected when you are in the loop. Dish was filing. Nice sized portions of meat/fish. Staff was friendly. Ambiance was amazing. Loved the decor. Worth a try. read more

Vivere is a solid lunch spot, but veers toward the pricey side. The service is attentive and we were in and out of there within an hour. The decor does remind you of a Modernized Cheesecake Factory so I couldn't really take my meal all too seriously. Both colleagues opted for the Rigatoni Bolognese that fared decent reviews. I selected the hickory grilled fish of the day-fluke with roasted vegetables-which was nicely done, however just slightly overcooked which took away from the fresh flavor of the fish. I noticed that they were light-handed on the butter, which I appreciate, as I am typically in a dizzy cholesterol spin after the superb, yet overly buttered fish specials Petterino's offers for lunch. read more

Classic downtown Italian restaurant - with table cloths. Everyone is American, otherwise, you'd feel like you're in Milan. We had good pasta, very nice bruschetta and carpaccio. Our waitress was a little snotty, which was the only negative. However, the owner (founder's grandson) Alfredo recognized our guest and comped us a dessert, so we are definitely on his side. This was overall a fine business lunch, and we definitely plan to go again. read more

While this place has potential, I was rather disappointed. We were seated in a balcony area that felt really cramped. The tables were pretty close together and the ceilings were really low. Our server was very cold and was in desperate need of a personality coach....meaning, he needed one. The food was overpriced in my opinion and there was a very small selection. I ordered the pheasant pasta and was bummed that it was really dry. My boyfriend ordered the chicken breast with some sort of sweet potato puree. While very tender, it lacked flavor. The bread, cherry chocolate cake and wine, were both great though! read more

Food was good. My and wife and I went before our show. Friendly staff and comped us dessert to celebrate anniversary.

If you are not receiving medicare, steer clear of this place...seriously. Vivere is an italian restaurant located in the heart of the theater district of Chicago. Vivere is one of three restaurants located inside the Italian Village. It is also the most expensive of the three as well. The decor was traditional and romantic. The wine list was exceptional however unless you wanted to have minor debt issues, most of the wines were untouchable. The wait staff was a bit pretentious. Although, I have to admit the food was great. We chose this place because it was right down the block from the Bank of America theater where we were seeing Jersey Boys. (Alittle plug for the Boys, I would most certainly encourage anyone and everyone to see them. I was humming the songs for days.) Had I known the theater district alittle better, I would have avoided Vivere at all costs. Come check out my blog for other Chicago restaurant reviews...where will I go next. http://lisak22.wordpress.com/ read more

I was going to give this two stars, but threw in an extra because of the most FABULOUS crème brûlée I've had outside of France. The ambiance was nice, and I was seated right away since I had a reservation. Everything else though, was sort of sub-par. The server had an attitude, and seemed irritated when I asked about the gluten-free options I had read about in other Yelp reviews. He didn't go get a chef or a second opinion (which he probably should have done since he didn't seem to be fully aware of what the restaurant could offer me with my allergy). He did at least have the chef make sure my meal (rice-pasta bolognese) was gluten-free, and it turned out slightly undercooked and underwhelming but still okay. read more

Was seated on a separate floor next to a loud corporate party who wasn't even sitting when there was plenty of seating on the main floor. Food was fine both we had the pheasant pass and the pesto ravioli. Homemade but heavy on the salt. Interesting ambiance in a nice area but I will not being going back. read more

Excellent service! Excellent information about getting to the musical we were seeing. Good food! read more

We had a 5:30 reservation and we were 30 minutes late as traffic was horrible. The hostess had cancelled our reservation because of that. No big deal. The restaurant wasn't full so she sat us right away anyway. Problem was, she sat us upstairs in a 4 person table even though there was only the two of us. One of the few charms of the restaurant is the intimate two person tables. Normally I would say "mea culpa" for not phoning my tardiness in, but there were plenty of empty two person tables downstairs. It was awkward to be the only two people upstairs and sitting at a table for four. My wife ordered the ravioli, cup of soup, and I ordered the risotto with "jumbo lump crab meat". The overall portion of my risotto was small and the jumbo crab meat pieces were smaller than the tip of my finger. My wife told me her ravioli was just "OK" and added "I'm still going to be hungry". Ordered the tiramisu for dessert. It was very different - more like tiramisu ice cream. Another thing that was just "OK". On the positive side, it's close to Hamilton - but so is McDonald's. Our waiter was great. No issues there. For $100 (plus tip), you get a cup of soup, 2 mediocre entrees, a soft drink, a glass of wine and frozen tiramisu. read more

Summary What was good: Solid food, pleasant service, helpful sommelier. What might hold it back: Interesting-bordering-on-odd decor, perhaps a bit pricey for what you get. Also, understand the dining dynamics, apparently driven by people's theater plans, may work differently here than other restaurants. Getting a 7:30 Saturday night reservation just a couple hours beforehand wasn't a problem, but getting something earlier would have been very unlikely. If you're eating a bit 'later' like we were, you may wish to sit in the 'hallway' zone [see below for fully review] rather than the main dining room, which could be nearly empty at that time. Full review Decor Interesting. Felt like a cross between Cheesecake Factory and a Cirque du Soleil show. Depending upon your tolerance level, this feel could be a style that has just about expired or something that you consider well past its prime [if it had one]. Either way, it is kind of in a weird middle ground: neither especially evocative of old-world Italian ambiance, nor quite in step with contemporary urban sensibilities [European or US]. Space Vivere occupies the main floor of the 3-floor, 3-restaurant arrangement [The Village upstairs, La Cantina Enoteca downstairs]. While not a huge place --- believe the fire marshal's capacity sign indicated it could hold 91 people -- its layout is interesting, with distinct vibe variations by section. 1. The 'hallway' of sorts, linking the entryway to the back dining room. Lined with 2-person booths on each side. Enough space where you do not feel on top of your neighbors and you are not getting bumped by waiters, hosts, etc. making their rounds. 2. The bar/lounge area, separated by a wall from the 'hallway' area. Same color scheme and vibe, but also has something of a subterranean feel. 3. The main dining room in the back. This area is more open, but still not a very large space by any means. Looked comfortable and well spaced. Service Overall it was fairly strong, but for some reason we were initially greeted by one waiter, then transitioned to another, which resulted in a bit more time than we needed going by before we placed our orders. The kitchen, though, made up for this time by getting our food out very quickly. One of Vivere's claims to fame is their incredibly vast wine list. [For perspective, it starts with a table of contents letting you know where within its 60+ pages you can find their offerings from a particular region across the globe.] I am no wine expert, but it was pretty clear their emphasis was European wines, and those of Italy and France in particular. The Spanish and South American selections by comparison were very limited. Ron the sommelier was pleasant and helpful. We gave him a sense of what we liked, what entrees we planned to order and our price range. He then quickly recommended three non-obvious bottles that all sounded good. He also was able to educate us on a lesser known grape I had read something about recently [the Lagrein variety, from the Trentino Alto-Adige region], ultimately recommending a nice bottle which we really enjoyed. Food / Value We enjoyed everything, but would have to say that the value equation could certainly be construed as a smidge steep. We had received a gift certificate, which offset a nice chunk of the tab. Had we been paying the whole thing ourselves, I'd have felt that the overall experience wasn't quite equivalent with what we laid out. Starters The insalata di mozzarella di bufala used sun-dried tomatoes, which is different than what we usually see, but worked well. Entrees For the main course, my wife ordered the scallops. The presentation was more modern and minimalist than we anticipated, with three large scallops on a sleek, rectangular black plate, placed in a pea-and-something puree, which my wife deemed 'amazing.' I went with the beef filet, plated with potatoes, dried figs and mushrooms. It was solid. Prepared well and tasty. Not a dish I'll rave about until I'm old and gray[er], but solid. Dessert Enjoying the wine and celebrating a semi-special occasion, we were gluttons at dessert time, ordering [and pretty much wiping out] their tasting platter. Hazelnut gelato, almond torte, dense chocolate cake, creme brulee were all quite good. The mango mascarpone, not so much --- not to our taste anyway, but then, we aren't big mango or mascarpone enthusiasts. If you are with a group, or just a hungry and shameless couple like we were, the tasting plate will do you right. read more

I was in on a business trip looking for something new that I don't have back home. This place was delicious!! I didn't know that it was part of the Italian village which consists of a higher priced as well as a lower priced Italian restaurant above and below it. All the food seems to come out of the same kitchen and bar so it really depends on what kind of ambiance and serving quality you want. The salad was great and they accommodated the fact that I am a vegetarian and let me switch sauces to a butter parm that was the perfect balance of salt and al dente pasta. It was a little pricey but totally worth it!! read more