Rick brought me here for my Valentine's Night dinner on Saturday, February 18. Yes, four days later. Unfortunately I had to be out of town, San Antonio to be exact for two weeks and that included Valentine's Day.
But O did he promise me a really nice dinner when I returned! Their menu promises "Warm romantic fine dining in the true Tambellini family tradition." and they are not kidding.
We began our dinner with some antipasta--sauteed calamari. Hey, I'm 50% Italian and my guy is 100%. We both love a great calamari and I'd been craving it since San Antonio. This was the sort of calamari that just slowly melts in your mouth as you eat it, it was that succulent. For my insalate I went for the mozzarella salad--
fresh mozzarella, tomato, oasted peppers and mixed greens. Heavenly!
One thing that sets Joseph Tambellini apart from some of the others is that they make their own pasta by hand here. And believe me, it shows folks. Their
Mafalda Caprese was like none I've ever had before. The grilled chicken was just right, the tomatos fresh, and the garlic not overpowering. Rick went for the veal chop which just smelled divine! This thing was a 16-oz'er and he ended up bringing some of it home.
Ah, but what is an Italian dinner without Dolce? They've got a butterscotch poundcake with vanilla bean ice cream, and candied pecans with butterscotch sauce. Oh how tempting that looked, but just a bit much. Rick and I split a wonderful cannoli though, which topped off that dinner perfectly.
The atmosphere and service here are just impeccable. Joseph Tambellini has three floors, each with a different decor. Rick got us a table on the first floor, which has a much more traditional setting--just the way I like it.
So my Valentine's Day was a little delayed. But with that dinner, it was s-o-o-o worth the wait. And the night was still young too.