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| - Toscana is a small Italian restaurant tucked away behind Williams-Sonoma across the street from SouthPark Mall. You'd never know it was there; there's virtually no signage. Upon arrival, I was immediately impressed with the outdoor seating courtyard by the water fountain. It immediately appeared to have a lot of atmosphere. We entered the restaurant to check in and I was again impressed by the quaint atmosphere indoors. The hostess was very accommodating and got us a great table outside by the water fountain.
We had read here on Yelp about the complimentary bread and bean dip, so we were surprised that we hadn't gotten any after ordering. We finally received some (as did other tables) right before our meals came. Perhaps there was a bread back-up? The bread was delicious, but the bean dip wasn't actually a "dip." It was more like whole white beans in oil with seasoning. Still good, though, but a little messy on the bread.
The food was excellent, although a little pricier and smaller portioned than your Italian restaurant chains, but the pasta is all made fresh in-house. It was the "just right" size so as to fill you up but not leave you overstuffed. For hearty eaters, though, it probably won't be enough. Sides are available for an additional charge.
I liked that Toscana had a variety of pasta options; not just the traditional ones. I tried the Carbonara. It was very flavorful and creamy.
Our table by the water fountain was perfect for the beautiful evening we were there, and we had a great experience. Would we come back, though? Most likely not. Not for anything that the restaurant did. The clientele just felt too snooty and "plastic" for us. Fortunately, the servers and hostess with which we came into contact weren't.
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