Calabria Ristorante Italiano

05/26/2008 Posted by whats_cookin

Our group of 4 enjoyed a very nice meal on Saturday 5/24. Since the restaurant had opened only at 4:30 and we were there at 5:30, there was no need for reservations. We were only one of 3 tables occupied, however, by the end of our meal, the restaurant was nearly full. There was a nice piano player in the background, which brought nice ambiance to the otherwise "on the borderline" of stale feel. The chairs are old and uncomfortable and paper on top of the linen, brought it to the true feel of a trattoria without lining guests up along a long table. The food was better than I expected though. We started out with bruschetta which was ample for 4 persons, then shared a couple of salads, which were fresh, crisp and large for sides. After reading prior reviews I decided to try the pasta, knowing that if I didn't like it, most restaurants will try again to please you. My partner and I both had the penne pasta with chicken and gorgonzola sauce, another guest had the veal marsala, and another the chicken with the same gorgonzola sauce (no pasta). We were all pleasantly surprised in the freshness, bold flavors, and quality of the feast before our eyes. Our service was spot on and attentive, wines were reasonable for the offerings, and we were able to get off to our show in a timely manner afterwards.

Pros: service and menu selection

05/17/2008 Posted by nancy14

I read most of the mixed reviews and decided to check it out myself last night. Calabria would rather qualify for a stuffy and dull place.Hence, we decided to sit outside on the patio hoping for good food. Simplest of dishes like a Penne pasta came to us as a disappointing treat. Penne was not completely cooked, very chewy served with a very dry sauce with no flavor. We ordered a couple of appetizers as well, but none were really worth the price or the taste.Cold servings of "steaming pasta" (Oh!and the bread was served cold too) Nice service though, but I would not recommend this place to my friends. I hope they decide to do a quality check on their servings and train the cooks!

Pros: Good service, outside dining

Cons: Tasteless food (sometimes uncooked!),dull and stuffy place,loud party noise even in the other corner of the restaurant

04/18/2008 Posted by martinenterprises

Pete and Rhonda have put together a wonderful atmosphere, the food is amazing, the bar is super fun with great music. I have had the pleasure of knowing these two for a while and Bonnie and I love it! Hey Odie!

Pros: Best greyhounds on the eastside.....fresh squeezed juice!

09/14/2007 Posted by patmccroch

Let me start with the service, because it was amazing. I had the pollo parmigiana which wasn't anything to write home about. The sauce was a bit watery and softened the crust on the chicken, which is a peeve of mine when it comes to parm. My wife and my friend were only having dessert, they were both very happy with it. And again, the service was incredible. Very fair price for the meal and a great experience.

Pros: Stellar service, great atmosphere, all around fun place

Cons: the pollo parm was soggy

03/03/2007 Posted by ajanmd

I went there on a saturday night, and we got there around 5:15. It was quiet when we arrived and we got a great table but it quickly filled. Our server was so nice, patient and helpful with decisions. I had the Veal Osso Bucco (special of the evening), it was the best I ever had. The meat was so tender, so moist, and fell right off the bone. Even my boyfriend was impressed (and jealous). He had the manacotti (not the best but good), my mom had the pasta with chicken and gorgonzola cream which was suculent rich and delicious (i guess its what they are known for), and my dad had the linguine with seafood which had more seafood than I've ever seen in a dish like that. We each had dessert, which were all good and the sorbet was served in a like fruit (peach sorbet in a hollowed peach and pineapple sorbet in a hollowed pineapple half), and the tiramisu, I was told, was made in house, which also impressed me. Overall great experience, and if you go when they have Osso Bucco it is a MUST HAVE!

Pros: Flavor, true italian selections, desserts, service

Cons: wine list, parking, size

11/26/2006 Posted by netsirksmada

For starters, the pasta was cold when I got it. The parking is terrible and the people serving barely spoke english, they ignored us most of the time.

11/04/2006 Posted by jags999

Their menu is fantastic - from appetizers to dessert! The food tastes like you're in Italy and it feels like it w/ the ambience! Great wine list to go with. Fair prices, too. Very good service. Love it! It's our favorite Italian restaurant!

09/29/2006 Posted by ita76

Went for dinner friday nite , it was outstanding. Me and my wife have being going there for years. We had great service , the Chef came out and raccomended us good bottle of wine . We both had a Buffalo shank it was out of this world . It was so tender MAN it was good. The server told us that it was the first time that the Chef ever made it. I'm telling you it was great.

Pros: parking, food, food

Cons: Piano

06/19/2006 Posted by anamsz

The restaurant itself is pretty "cold". No selection of good wines by the glass. The food was absolutely horrible... it tasted like frozen dinners!!! Never going back!

Pros: None

Cons: All

05/09/2006 Posted by t0adman

Beware the "Highly Recommended" ratings from users with only one rating in their profile. Those are most likely planted. I lived in Florence for half a year, and traveled Italy for another tasting the most amazing Italian food. This is NO WHERE CLOSE! The bread was light and Wonderbread feeling with thin crust and served with an oil/herbs mixture with so much salt it was inedible. The Caesar salad was grossly overdressed, wilted and overloaded with anchovies. The spaghetti Bolognese had an almost flavorless sauce, and my special, the veal somethingorother, was equally bland, served with overcooked veggies and quartered potatoes. If that wasnt enough, the parmesan tasted fishy and bad, even after the waiter replaced it. We would have felt robbed at 1/2 the price. Worst $75 I've spent on food in a long time.

Pros: piano bar, nice waiter, my date

Cons: food, food, food