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| - I was super excited to try out Nora's on a friend's recommendation and had a booked marked for awhile too. Came for dinner and it was packed. Was greeted right away and informed us of a 15 minute wait. However, they were able to get seated in 5 minutes, so that was a plus.
The ambiance and decor is classy and charming. The wine room with the ceiling to floor window is their highlight. Wine barrels repurposed for the chandelier lighting over the bar area was clever and unique. The wine menu was made of cork. How appropriate! With all this attention to detail, I was a thrown off by the butcher paper on top of the dining table. I know some Italian restaurants have them and give you crayons ( if you have kids? ) to doodle on, but we didn't and they were kinda in the way. The paper was folded into half and it made the table uneven in parts so I had to move my drink to the more level part of the table. There is a white table cloth underneath it, so it would have been nice to do without the paper overlay.
Server was very prompt and friendly. Complementary garlic bread came out first. It was soft, had real chopped bits of garlic on it, and buttery. Yum! Was hoping the rest of the meal will just be as good. Ordered the fettuccini alfredo, spaghetti and meatballs, and mozzarella sticks. Mozzarella sticks were safe. The garlic marinara dipping sauce was above average. The fettuccini alfredo was very basic. It needed salt and was swimming in butter. Felt that it should of been creamier. It could of been better. Spaghetti and meatballs was underwhelming. Meatballs were moist, but needed more seasoning. The sauce didn't have a robust flavor that comes from a low and slow cooking methof at all. The red sauce actually looked very plain. No flecks of Italian seasonings or pepper in sight. These 2 dishes are simple, but when done right it can be amazing and these were not. It was simply just ok.
The atmosphere is upscale casual. Details in decor are thoughtful and chic. Pricing is very reasonable. Would be good for a first date without breaking the bank or to watch a game at the bar without the rowdy crowd of a typical bar. May give this place another try in the future.
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