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| - Just came back from here. Huge positives of owner interaction- he personally went to every single table tonight to ensure customer satisfaction. The vaulted ceilings and soft lighting were huge pluses, adding to the nice atmosphere.
Our first impression of the good was very high, with some very fluffy bread with a nice crust. The garlic butter was also tasty, as well as the olive oil with red peppers in it. Unfortunately the bread was room temperature and the butter was too hard to spread easily on the bread. I would be raving about this bread if I had simply received it hot.
For an appetizer we split the calamari, which I do have to say was absolutely fantastic. Very slightly breaded, it came with a spicy marinara sauce that gave this appetizer a great kick.
I also need to give huge kudos to Aiello's being tolerant of my indecisiveness. I was torn between the special of the day, and the gnocchi in pesto sauce. Fortunately, they were willing to accommodate me and gave me a half order of each!
Where this meal fell short was the entrees. The first half-entree I I ordered was the butternut squash ravioli in cream sauce, seasoned with nutmeg. The edges of the ravioli were inexcusably hard. The filling was past the texture level of puree and approaching that of liquidy mashed potatoes. The sauce was nice and creamy but very relaxed in flavor- the sauce had the perfect body but just didn't wow me. Bland isn't quite fair, but neither is comforting. It was just kinda there.
My girlfriend's Tortolloni alla Panna suffered similar problems. At least the cheese filling was a nice consistency, but the cheese was just bland inside, and the light cream sauce was even less inspirational than mine. The peas were overcooked and the prosciutto, instead of giving a nice salty edge to her meal, only showed up in a purely ceremonial role.
Rebounding was my Gnocchi Pesto. Really addicting, very light as described on the menu, I ate them without realizing how quickly these were disappearing. Basil, pine nuts, and garlic teamed up and put the other light creme sauces we had to shame. This was a very nice rendition of a classic. I've had better, but I've had lots lots worse.
Wanting to really like this place, I tried to end the night on a high note with desert. Tirimisu seduced me once more, and this version was great, with a high alcohol content then normal, but no complaints on that score. Very chocolatey, powdered sugar abundant, and a strawberry to the side was a nice touch.
Unfortunately, the last note was discordant as it took nearly 25 minutes to get my check. This was so that the owner could personally come to my table to check on us. While I appreciated the gesture, around minute 15 or so I would've appreciated even more the opportunity to leave. Of course, on the other hand I love how much he cared, I just wish it didn't take so long. Oh well.
I'll be happy to try this place again, and perhaps order more wisely. The 2 pasta entrees, desert, appetizer, soda, and glass of wine came out to be $68. If the entrees had matched the desert and appetizer I'dve said it was worth every penny- as things stand I will need to try it again to find out.
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