Critic's Review
This place has always intrigued me, mainly because there's a place with a similar name on Long Island. I always pictured it as an old world place with older servers with white gloves. I couldn't have been more wrong.
They've got a big bar up front, and a modernesque dining room. I didn't like the dining room; no booths, way too much glass.
One thing I can say is that the music is good; it started slowly with Amy Winhouse but followed up with Adele, Bob Marley, Billy Joel and The Beatles. One thing that bothered me was the lack of privacy; for a restaurant with 4 people eating, there was a steady stream of employees walking through the restaurant.
Another thing that bothered me was that the flatware looked like it had been washed a few 100 times too much; it wasn't dirty but it had a faded look that wasn't impressive.
Their web site has been compromised, so I wasn't able to view a menu beforehand. They have a "twilight menu" daily from 3 to 6 which is a variation of the early bird; it doesn't get dark until 8pm so it's badly misnomered. You get a drink, soup or salad and a mini-dessert in addition to a choice of 14 entrees.
There was a metal stand on the table that turned out to be for the rolls; garlic rolls are a big thing with a lot of these old time Italian places.
The rolls would have been find without the cheese, but I'm not sure why they covered garlic rolls with sawdust cheese. I'd opted for the Pasta Fagioli soup; it came out looking more like a big plate of baked beans.
Mostly fagioli, which is fine with me. I was a bit worried that I might not make it home after eating this. Hardly a culinary masterpiece, but edible. Shortly after finishing, the chicken came out and I knew I was in trouble.
This was wholly disappointing. A small piece of chicken, previously frozen with a sauce that was neither lemony or buttery enough to catch my interest. Overdone linguine; I just didn't enjoy this at all. How hard is it to melt some butter and drop some lemon juice into it? The chicken was tough; just a loser of a dish. I never thought I'd say it, but I was thinking about the version I had at Lauderdale Grill while picking at this.
The Twilight Dinner includes a choice if mini cannoli or tiramisu; I didn't really want either, but I took the Tiramisu.
Not bad, but by the time it arrived I couldn't wait to get out of the place, never to return again.