11/06/09

Great New Happy Hour at Il Baretto!

by csmk

amazing new bar and delicious new happy hour at a seattle italian favorite. drinks are cheap. the bar menu is too. best yet - assaggio doesn't skimp on quality. it's all such a great price for such delicious food. sweet potato fries - yum!

• Pros: $2 Draft Beers, $6 Pizza & $6 Basket of Sweet Potato Fries

04/17/09

A Big thumbs down!!

by jjrosey

Unreal how this place stays in business. The food is nothing to rave about, and it is truly unprofessional and down right rude how the owner operates his restaurant - sad actually.

• Pros: Best Fake
• Cons: Food is less than Italian

01/20/09

An act of kindness for our community...

by Monica786

Assaggio Ristorante was so kind to donate to our community auction at Harborview. They donated 4 dinner certificates and 4 autographed cook books. This donation helped us raise money which will be used to help meet the personal needs of ICU family members. Thank you Assaggio Ristorante! We adore you!

12/31/08

We won't be going back - burnt bolognese sauce on fatty veal pamigiana

by pilot12

After reading all the rave reviews and reading the editorial review, we were all set for a great experience at Assagio's; unfortunately, we found more to dislike than to like. We were seated promptly. Bread provided was a bit dry and the olive oil provided for dipping had pieces of garlic in it and had a burnt garlic taste - not at all appetizing. I asked for just plain olive oil which was quite good, fragrant and a much better substitute. I'd suggest they just use that with a little balsamic for dipping the bread.

I ordered the Insalata Francesca (pear, apple, gorgonzola, etc.) which was quite tasty and fresh. My wife ordered the Insalata Mista which was simply fresh greens.

Wait staff seemed a bit rushed and not quite as attentive as I would expect from a moderately priced restaurant - I would suggest they add to their wait staff to at least keep my glass filled with water and when they do fill the glass, not to spill it all over the table. Based on the editorial review, my wife ordered the Veal parmigiania and as sadly dissapointed. The veal was smothered in a bolognese sauce with a pronounced burnt taste (way too much sauce) - I'm certain that if the chef had actually tasted the sauce, he would not have let it go out that way. Also, the veal had a lot more fat than expected. At the end, I told the waitress how disappointed we were with the burnt bolognese sauce but she offered nothing to make up for such a poorly prepared dish.

I ordered the pasta seafood special which was quite good although the pasta was a bit overcooked - not quite the al dente I prefer.

Overall, we were quite disappointed with our first and what will be our only visit to Assaggio Restaurant. The restaurant was quite full so I'm not sure that critiques (like this one) of their food and service will make any difference but what the heck, at least you can't say you weren't warned!

• Pros: seafood pastal, quickly seated
• Cons: burnt bolognese sauce, rushed wait staff, burnt garlic infused olive oil

09/06/08

Ok food, terrible service

by mango4444

The food was alright, nothing spectacular. The restaurant is small so everyone is crammed together and servers are always bumping past your chairs with plates of food. The owner and hostess were nice, but we had a terrible server. She was very rude and snobby. It was clear to us that she felt that we did not belong there. When we asked her about items on the menu she sighed and spoke to us as if we were children who should have known what it was. We had another couple eating with us and asked to split the bill, but she said that she wasn't able to do it and told us to just pay the other couple cash. Terrible service. This restaurant is overrated.

• Pros: relatively inexpensive for downtown, good if you want somethign close to the moore theater
• Cons: terrible service, limited/expensive parking

07/10/08

Excellent Restaurant

by 4FoodCritics

7/3/08 had a fabulous dinner. Seated promptly, service was excellent and the food fantantastic. When traveling years ago in Seattle we ate there and it was wonderful. Glad to see they've maintained the same high quality. They even made me pasta with vodka sauce, something no longer on their menu and it was the best! I highly recommended and will definately be back next time in Seattle!

• Pros: Location, Service, Food, Wine
• Cons: none

06/08/08

Best Italian food outside of Italy

by jackies12

Assaggio is an amazing restaurant. From the moment we arrived, we received excellent customer service and felt like we were eating at a friend's house. After each course was brought out, either our waiter or the owner would verify that we were satisfied with our food, which of course we were. The dishes were delicious and I'm not sure that it's possible to find better food in Seattle. Be sure to save room for dessert, they are unexpectedly flavorful and definitely underpriced. The food alone makes Assaggio worth visiting, but add in the outstanding customer service and you won't find a better Italian restaurant outside of Italy!

12/28/07

Italy in Seattle

by stevgd

I have never written an online review about anything but having read the reviews on this site then enjoying a wonderful meat at this restaurant I became so upset about some of the nasty things some "reviewers" had said, am compelled to add my perspective--the service was impeccable, the food delicious, and Mauro, the owner, a perfect gentleman and host. All four of us thought each of our meals was excellent including tasting each other's.

All I can say is: if you can't go to Italy, go to Assaggio.

• Pros: authenticity, personal greeting by the owner, excellent food at good price
• Cons: downtown parking

12/27/07

Most Overrated Italian Restaurant Award

by jheathcliff

We went in expecting greatness and came away feeling angry and used. The maitre d seated us in a closet, then had the audacity to bring an electric broom and begin "sweeping" underneath our table while we were eating! The waiters were few and far between and almost completely unknowledgeable about their food and wine offerings. Three dishes were good and two dishes were bad and one arrived so late as to be rediculous. For $150, the three people in our family want to feel the love, not like their grist for the cash register. This place needs a good swift kick in the pants.

• Pros: There's something there.
• Cons: It's not there yet.

11/28/07

We almost did not go due to the reviews on this site...but GO, it is EXCELLENT. Our new Fav Italian place in Seattle!

by erincharris

I have now decided that the negative reviews on MANY restaurants on this site are unwarranted. My husband and I get out once a month for dinner while my parents watch our baby, so you can imagine, 'date night' is a bit precious for us. Finding the right place for that one night out is a big deal. I had been there once a few years ago, but after reading reviews on this site and thought, "Wow, it must have gone downhill."

With a 5 month old baby, I really don't have any time at all to write restaurant reviews, but after going there I felt that this place has some pretty unfavorable reviews and I should do my part to help rectify that! My husband and I were married in Italy and absolutely love Italian food. Our previous favorite had been La Spiga (which is still excellent, we just miss the old, smaller space on Broadway). Assaggio is definitely "our new favorite" place to go.

Assaggio is like walking into a restaurant in the heart of Florence (except a lot of those places play American pop music vs. charming Italian music like Assaggio). The atmosphere is romantic and warm. The owner is a very friendly and very Italian guy who certainly adds to the charm.

The food was EXCELLENT. The hardest part was trying to decide what to order as everything sounded so good. We ended up sharing a salad and a pasta (both were outstanding --- the pear and greens salad and the pancetta, pea and gorgonzola pasta). We then each had a meat dish (we splurged and it is pre-diet season!). I LOVED the chicken dish and my husband had veal (I would never eat veal so we did not share that one..!). He thought it was very good.

We finished off with coffees that were perfection and the tiramisu (sp) (not as good as we have had in Italy, but decent). We also shared a fabulous Barberesco wine which was **outstanding**. We can't wait to go back!!!

• Pros: Food, wine, atmosphere, service
• Cons: the negative reviews on this web site!