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| - Had an overall positive dining experience. The layout of the space is very basic: The restaurant as a whole is divided down the middle by a wall, with the bar on one side and tables on the other.
The table had the five course chef's tasting menu with wine parings. First up was the charcuterie paired with a Gewürztraminer, which matched perfectly. My only minor criticism was that the selection of meats was slightly too broad. I would have a preferred smaller selection with more to sample in each selection in order to get a deeper taste of each individual item. Otherwise, it all just seems like the same blur as when the waiter goes through identifying each of the meats on the plate upon presentation.
Second was Hawaiian Tuna Tartare. Ironically, there was an article on Yahoo! yesterday that tuna tartare was losing its cool (being replaced by sashimi) along with cupcake stores and communal tables. Personally, I thought this was one of the better dishes of the night, particularly when you get just the right mix of the potato crisp, the poached egg, and the tuna in one bite.
Third was handmade pasta. As there were three of us, the kitchen saw fit to serve us family style with an order of Linguine alla Carbonara, the Pappardelle Bolognese, and the Spaghetti con Pesto. A nice thought, but, like the charcuterie plate, I really didn't get a grasp of the depth of any of the three pastas. I ended up leaving the course feeling that each of the dishes were a bit subpar.
Fourth was the Grilled New Zealand Lamb Chops with chick peas and some other items. The lamb was cooked just right, but nothing about the dish really stood out for me.
Finally, for dessert, I had the Panna Cotta, which I thought was a pretty solid end to the meal. Of course, I am discounting the cart of dum dum pops, bubble gum, caramel, and other candies that accompanies the check. Really, besides the "Hey look! A gigantic bowl of bubble gum!" factor, that finish really didn't do anything for me. I don't give Applebee's points for having a statue of an alligator wearing sunglasses and old license plates adorning their walls.
Overall, I was definitely pleased with Dante and certainly wouldn't mind dining there again. Three stars probably seems a little too harsh, but I can't bear to elevate it to four star/"Yay! I'm a fan!" status.
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