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| - Sorry, Olive Garden, I think when you said, 'when you're here, you're family,' you actually *meant* to say, 'when you're at La Tavola Italiana, you're family,' because seriously, that's what having dinner here is like.
I want to ask, 'why haven't I been here before??' but the answer's pretty simple. This is not what you think of when you think of 'Mt. Washington Restaurants.' It's a low-key sort of place that's on a back street and you'd almost miss it if you weren't looking for it. But inside, it's like you walked into a big family dinner, and all your favorite relatives are there.
When we arrived for our 8:30pm reservations, the dining room was PACKED. There were several giant parties (one of whom turned out to be host to a surprise engagement!), but we were seated right away, and from the moment our server Chris approached our table, I knew we were in for a treat.
While Chris was opening our wines (oh yes, lest I forget to mention, IT'S BYOB!!) we chatted with him about our mutual love for the Food Network. This all began to make sense as soon as he described the night's specials to us. It is a wonderful thing to have a server who is passionate about the food he will be bringing you, and that's exactly what we had with Chris. He described every dish to us in detail as if he was a chef on Chopped and he had just prepared it for the judges.
The decision was tough, but eventually my two dining companions and I settled on our meals. We started with an order of the antipasti - flavorful and fresh, but not so huge a portion that you spoil your appetite - and the fried zucchini. OH that fried zucchini! Crispy, savory, just lightly fried, and accompanied by a wonderful chunky marinara sauce. And at only $8.95, you can't go wrong. Promise me right now that when you come here, you will order the fried zucchini!
We were having a celebratory dinner, so we were taking our time, and Chris really helped that happen. The pacing of the meal was just right: we had enough time to enjoy each course before the next arrived, and there was no pressure to choose our meals too quickly even though the restaurant was crowded.
We enjoyed their crispy, buttery garlic toast alongside our house salads (excellent house Italian salad dressing!) as we waited for our entrees.
Here was where the little snag came in: my girlfriends' meals came out first, and my chicken parm was nowhere in sight. Chris quickly explained that something had gotten mixed up in the kitchen and it would be just a short time. Since we were taking our time chatting and pacing out the meal, it wasn't a problem.
But even though we were in no rush, Chris wasn't satisfied with our having to wait for my plate to come out separately from the others. He not only comped my meal as a courtesy, he treated all three of us to desserts on the house! I realize that mistakes happen in restaurants, especially on busy nights, and I always try to be understanding, but this extra step just meant so much to me. It really showed how important customer service is to this restaurant and its staff and how far they are willing to go to make a mistake right.
Now. About that chicken parm....
Let me just say that it was WELL worth the wait!! I am a little picky about red sauce, but this was off the charts. Hearty and savory and spiced just the right way. Whatever you didn't fit on your fork, you just HAD to dunk your garlic toast in. The breading on the chicken was light, the meat was cooked perfectly so that you barely needed to use a knife to cut the chicken. To be honest, I reeeeeally regretted my decision earlier in the night that I would take half home for my husband to have for dinner!
From start to finish, our dinner at La Tavola Italiana was wonderful. Great service, excellent food, and an atmosphere that made you feel welcome as soon as you walked through the door. I am SO glad my friend insisted we have our celebration dinner here, because I might never have found this place. And now that I have, I know that I will be back for sure!
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