We had heard great things about La Tavola and had heard it compared with some of our other favorite Italian places in the city so we were excited to book a reservation for Feb 15th. I called and left a message three weeks ago. No one responded. I called back and spoke to someone - made the reservation for Feb. 15th. We showed up last night and it was crowded - we weren't impressed when we walked it but we were still hoping the food would be delicious. Alas, we never got the chance because when were finally seated, we were given a "special Valentine's Menu" - there was NOTHING on the menu we wanted - it was all lamb chops, veal, lobster, etc. - and the prices were way off from what we'd seen when we saw the online menu. There were no traditional Italian dishes. We waited about 15 minutes before someone came to our table because we wanted to confirm we couldn't get the regular menu. The waiter confirmed it and said we should have been told when we made the reservation. We walked out - NEVER willing to give it another shot. Any place that serves an overpriced special menu the day after Valentine's Day and doesn't offer any menu basics and doesn't notify someone when they make a reservation 3 weeks in advance is not some place we are willing to give another try. Luckily we snagged some bar seats in a local South Side Italian spot and had a great meal.