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| - I watch the Food Network all the time, and I always wonder what it would be like to have some of my favorite personalities cook for me. Since Giada doesn't have a restaurant in every major city, I figured that dining here would be as close as I could get.
The atmosphere is wonderful. You would think that you would hear a lot of noise from the strip below, but it really doesn't make its way up to the dining room. The music may be turned up a little to cover this. Unfortunately, our waiter was soft-spoken and it was a struggle to hear him. He also seemed really disinterested in talking to us - he explained the menu as briefly as possible and was gone.
We ordered several appetizers first. Most of these were decent - nothing spectacular. The one bright spot was the ricotta crostini. This was amazing - even for cheese on bread. What was really disappointing, however, was when the wait-staff removed our appetizer plates without asking us if we were still working on them. They took food off of the table without asking if we were finished.
The entree sizes are small. I guess since we technically ordered pasta dishes and not "entrees" we should have expected this. Everyone at my table had the risotto which they liked well enough. I had the pappardelle which was also good enough. I personally think the noodles were too thick and not wide enough - and a little chewy.
If the pasta dishes were priced $5-$7 lower these would be above average. If the dishes were $10 cheaper they would be amazing. For what they cost, however, they were just ok. So much hype, not enough follow through. For the prices she is charging, we should at least get some free cleavage shots like on TV.
I think the thing that amazed me the most about this restaurant is how fast our dishes came out. The overwhelming impression that I got is that they were trying to turn tables as fast as possible. Not only are they being greedy by over-charging, but they're double dipping by rushing people through. For shame, Giada.
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