Went for date night with my wife last night. Had to catch an early movie so we made 5:45 reservations at Toscana. It was a perfect fall day yesterday so we were greeted promptly and decided to sit on their awesome patio. This restaurant is tucked away by Williams - Sonoma across from Southpark and could easily, but shouldn't be missed. It was early so there wasn't many people there but got steadily busier as the nigth progressed.
The patio area was for the most part quiet except for the occasional passer by or some skuttle could be overheard from nearby Bricktops. The fountain added to the ambience nicely.
The service was prompt and attentive without being overbearing. The specials were well explained and I ordered the Caprese (Tomato, Mozz, Basil) salad which was wonderful with ripe, flavorful tomatoes and fresh tasty mozzarella. The balsamic was drizzled sparingly so we ordered an extra side.
I chose the grouper as my entree which was nicely pan seared and served on top of potato stacks and accompanied by a nice lobster ragu. It was well put together and the flavors meshed nicely on the pallette. My wife had a simple penne pasta with shrimp and zucchini. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The value of the meal was great and with us sharing a dessert of Tira Misu it cost us $88.00 which is what we expected.
I like Toscana, and have been there before. Good, consistent flavorful regional Italian dining that should be celebrated in this world of "never ending pasta bowls" and "Family Style Italian"