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| - This is a review for 02/14/15. Let me start by saying that I'm of Italian heritage, most of the dishes on many Italian menus I can make at home; and I'm familiar with how things should be. I had much higher hopes for this restaurant based off of Yelp reviews as well as the ratings of the first one located in my hometown. I should have listened to the reviewers who gave this a poor rating, but after wanting an authentic Italian restaurant by this university for so long...I tried it with my boyfriend last night, with reservations at 7:30 for Valentine's Day dinner.
Alas.
The Good: The ambience was lovely; it was perfect for a romantic date. The tables were spaced about the average they are spaced in most Italian restaurants. The drink list seemed well done, maybe a little expensive for some of the wines. The hostess and the host at the front were extremely professional.
The Bad: Oh, where to begin. The food. The carpaccio. There was so little meat in it that my boyfriend considered leaving the leaves on the plate to send a message to the chef that he did not order a plate of leaves. He also mentioned that he has had significantly better carpaccio, which was still authentic by other Italian chefs, not only in New York City, but in Italy (well, obviously) and in Russia. So. Apparently Central Illinois is too far from Italy. What gives? This is a very simple dish to make! The chef is Italian! What happened here?
On to the next dish. my boyfriend ordered the rigatoni alla peppe; which he did not have a problem with, but was not particularly impressed by. I ordered the gnocchi di patate alla sorrentina. The gnocchi were fluffy, but the sauce...it also did not impress. The presentation could have been better. The portions were authentic, but this did not count in their favor. The food was "okay", but the price was not justified by the quality. For prices the same as Boston's North End, and more expensive than OTTO's in Manhattan. the food should live up to money people are paying for it.(I've had better food, in Boston, for much less or the same price)
For many of the reviews here, I almost doubt their familiarity with other similarly priced, authentic Italian restaurants; for this price, it is taking advantage of those who do not know better. Our waiter, Carlo, was missing for most of the night and slightly rude; although it was nice to hear Italian, I would have preferred to have had better service. Il servizio รจ discreto anche se non particolarmente attento...si dovrebbe portare il formaggio!!! I did see one of the owners or head chef walking around and checking on people; however, maybe he should have been checking on his staff.
Will I go back? Maybe for drinks and a dessert, and that's all anyone should order here. I most likely will not return. Maybe it is because Italian cuisine is not the Midwest's strong point, but save your money for somewhere else. For some of the glowing reviews, I'd also suggest taking a look at how authentic they are- there are a few for this place that look awfully fishy. Perhaps some people did have 5 star experiences, but to be honest, for Valentine's Day dinner, my experience was unacceptable. I'm willing to believe that it could be because the restaurant is still somewhat new, but still! Get it together! I really had wanted to love this place too. There was nothing that we ate that I could not have made better at home; on that note...who would want to pay $$$ for mediocre food and poor service? We wanted a special night, but we were left very disappointed.
tl;dr
ambiance 5/5
service 2/5
food 2.5/5
overall price to quantity & quality 2/5
total experience: 2/5
Would I come back? Not likely
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