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| - Just blocks from the zoo is this authentic Italian restaurant in a converted house.
If you are going to part with a C-note (which you will likely do here, unless you are dining alone) this is a pretty good place to do it. YOU WILL NOT GO HOME HUNGRY (see my review of Salt of the Earth). And, overall, the food is pretty darn good, the staff and chef are friendly, and the atmosphere festive but refined.
As for the food... the bread and oil/garlic/white bean mix are a nice free starter. As an app, we tried the smoked salmon plate w/ toasted pita-like bread, capers, chopped onions, chopped egg... The salmon was plentiful, and overall, the dish was fresh and tasty and a good starter. Then, we tried the soup (chicken pasta, tonight) and an upgraded salad w/ candied walnuts, sliced apples, greens, crumbled, cheese... both were excellent. For entrees (which, by the way, range from $25-$40, but come with soup or salad and a pasta "taster" on the side -- which you can upgrade w/ a meatball the size of a baseball for only $2 -- more on that later) ... I tried a Mediterranean-style turbot special, and my wife had the crab cakes. Her crab cakes were good, though not great - though I ate almost half of them. Kudos to the right mix of crab, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. My fish was well-prepared, plentiful, and smartly prepared with the white fish soaking up many of the Mediterranean elements of the dish (olive oil, olives, sun dried tomatoes).
... the pasta sides -- an apparent staple of Tambelinnis -- are excellent. The tomato basil cream sauce they come in (though you can also just get marinara, or just tomato basil) is outstanding, and my wife's meatball upgrade was the star of the show. Just in that $2 upgrade there was more substance and flavor than our entire C-note blowing at Salt of the Earth a few weeks ago...
... a few oddities. We were sitting near the kitchen door, so we got a lot of "staff" action. There was a lot of talk about how many tables everyone had/didn't have, and there were many near-misses -- and one hit -- via the in-and-out of the swinging kitchen door. There are also a crazy number of options and specials, and so hearing the possibilities from your waiter can take a good deal of time.
Overall, however, the location is interesting; the people welcoming and friendly; and the food authentic, generous, and occasionally innovative. For a hearty, interesting dinner experience - definitely give this Italian place a try.
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