My best friend's birthday party brought me back to Bar Italia. The restaurant was quite busy when we arrived but luckily we had resos.
The reason why I didn't give it the full 5 stars rests in attention to detail. Forgetting to bring us requested separate bills and my Lychee Martini that came once with and the other without an actual lychee. Another reason was a few of the dishes weren't up to snuff. For one the Osso Bucco wasn't as tender as it could've been, and the Papparadelle Bolognese was unimpressive.
The feature salad - Citrus Fennel was fresh and light topped with Parmesan and pomegranate seeds. A great starter! The calamari was also one of the best I've had and was cooked perfectly and had a nice charred flavor to it.
For my main I ordered the Papparadelle di Mare which consisted of egg noodles tossed with shrimp, mussels, bay scallops and calamari and finished off with a tangy tomato sauce. I loved the sauce and noodles!
Also tried the Gnocchi Gorgonzola, which I found to be a bit "pasty" tasting. The prosciutto was very salty and the Gorgonzola was too mild.
The Ricotta Cannelloni was divine. The filling was nice and creamy and then topped with a tangy tomato sauce.
Desserts were also superb. The Panna Cotta is smooth as can be and the Tiramisu was amazing; just the right amount of coffee flavor.
Bill for 5 people with 7 drinks and a bottle of Malbec was a little shy of $300 with tax and tip - well worth it! I definitely recommend Bar Italia!