I visited La Calabria with high hopes of finding my "go to" italian restaurant, but I can now cross it off my lisit of places to dine. I did so based off the countless high reviews it had been given on yelp and google. I started my night off by ordering the beef carpaccio however what arrived was battered fried cheese with a bowl of canned tomato sauce. I decided to eat this concoction because our waiter was new and clearly nervous. The appetizer tasted about as good as it looked which i would rate as average at best. Next we were served out salads, the house and caesar. Both salads followed right in line with our appetizer, average but severly overdressed. Our main course consisted of the Linguini ai Frutti di Mare and Meat Ravioli, which our server recommended. The ravioli was what i would expect from an Olive Garden caliber restaurant. The Ligunie is where I took offense. The basic concepts of cooking this dish were missing. This is my favoite dish and something I consider a staple of a good Italian restaurant. The pasta was overcooked to a mushy consistency. The Seafood was generous however was also overcooked. All of this was served in what appeared to be a tomatoy soup that was filled to the brim of the bowl. I ate the entire meal with fear I would have this red water in my lap or all over the table.
I am confused by the numerous high ratings for La Calabria. I have grown up eating great italian and recently moved to Phoenix. If my only experience of italian food was eating Chuck E Cheese I might be more inclined to give 3 stars. If you are looking for a great Italian meal look elsewhere.