To my great delight, Balena treated my girlfriend right on her birthday. Â I let them know we were there for a special occasion, and they got us an appropriately romantic seat (at the window, overlooking the majestic Steppenwolf parking garage). Â We also sat down to a birthday card, signed by all the Balena staff. Â Classy.
As for the food, I was not a fan. Â The menu seems too clever by half.
For my main dish, I got the rigatoni with pork ragu and mushrooms. Â It was good, but not mind-blowing. Â The portion was quite small. Â It's pasta, man! Â Why hold back?
My girlfriend ordered the orecchiette (with kale, lemon, bread crumbs and chili). Â It was zesty. Â If there's such a thing as dessert pasta, this is it.
We also ordered a pizza - Mushroom, Fontina, Taleggio, Scallion and Thyme. Â There were roughly 4 trillion scallions to every mushroom. Â Pizza wasn't that great, unless it was doused with the sauce they provided. Â Then it was a bit more enjoyable.
The servers were polite and friendly, but they swarmed a bit. Â Here's a hint: When you see a girl crying because she's emotional over the birthday letter she's reading, maybe take a pass on stopping at the table.
Water refills were frequent at the beginning the meal, but trailed off drastically midway through.
We also ordered a bottle of wine and our server put it on ice for us. Â That was nice, but the ice wasn't tableside, so we were dependent on her to fill us up. Â I'm still not entirely sure we got to drink the entire bottle. Â I guess it's Wine Honor System at Balena.
Balena's shining moment came at dessert. Â I ordered apple pie gelati (with salted caramel, pecans, and brown butter crumble). Â Really flavorful. Â I loved it.
My girl ordered the affogato (vanilla gelato, espresso, and cinnamon sugar donuts). Â Hot donuts? Â Hell, yes. Â The best.
Should I feel weird we ran up a $200 tab and they didn't comp my girlfriend's birthday dessert? Â I'm okay with it, but a comp would have been a nice gesture...
* Warning: Balena is very, very loud. Â Not a great place for a date.
I recommend dining elsewhere, then hitting Balena for dessert.
4 of us walked in on a Saturday night at 6:30p with no reservation. Dumb, I know, but we were hoping the theater crowed would clear out and maybe we'd get lucky.
Upon arrival, we were quoted a 3 hr wait and the hostess didn't seem hopeful we would get seated at all. We decided to risk it and wait it out at the bar...30 minutes later we were seated at the front table!
Pizza, pasta, entrees, wine... All amazing and I'm so glad we waited. I can't wait to go back.
I'm already looking forward to my next visit. Given that, there were some dishes that were complete home runs while others were good but not memorable.
The two highlights were a starter and dessert.
1) Smoked Mackerel, Soft Egg, Garlic Aioli. The texture combination of the mackerel with the soft egg and crunchy garlic aioli was an explosion of delicious flavor in my mouth. It's one of those things that just make you so happy to be alive to be able to eat it.
2) Caramel Pine Nut Tart, Vanilla Gelato, Rosemary - my friend ordered this and we enjoyed it so much (especially me), that we ordered another one!
The 4 of us also tried:
3 pastas: Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe; Tagliolini Nero, Crab, Sea Urchin, Chili; Rigatoni, Pork Ragu, Porcini Mushrooms;
1 pizza: Mortadella, Pistachio Pesto, Mozzarella
1 entree: Grilled Head-On Prawns, Grapes, Finger Chiles, Aioli.
All were good but not mind-blowing in my opinion. I love sea urchin so I thought I would really love the Tagliolini Nero but I prefer Davanti Enoteca's version as it has more of the sea urchin flavor. The Mortadella pizza was tasty but what really elevated it was the spicy chili oil that comes with it.
Service was a little slow at first - it took the server some time to take our order - but overall was great. I'm not a big drinker but the hubby and friends we were with seemed to enjoy them.
Had tickets to "The Motherf*cker with the Hat" at the Steppenwolf Saturday night, so we had a 5:45 reservation at Balena with my wife, dad and stepmom. Â In almost every way, Balena delivered the goods.
Space is pretty cool and we were lucky to be seated at the back of the restaurant at a picnic table that would probably fit 10 people...and we had it all to our (four-person) selves. Â Definitely felt like members of the mob!
We ordered the focaccia, the arugula salad, a bottle of cabernet, a sausage pizza, and three of the pastas: Â the orecchiette, the rigatoni and the hen egg tajarin. Â I tasted the focaccia, the pizza and the tajarin and all three were great. Â Loved the ricotta cheese/honey dip for the bread; the sauce on the pizza was excellent...and, I haven't had a sauce-less pasta that I loved like the tajarin maybe ever. Â Portion size was reasonable so I didn't walk away full...
...which is the only thing negative I can level at the Balena experience. Â We placed our orders just after 6 PM, and the entrees did not come (all three pastas and the pizza) until just before 7 PM. Â We had 7:30 PM theater tix, so while we did not have to rush through eating the food, we couldn't order dessert, coffee, etc. afterwards and I make a point to order dessert everywhere I go. Â GRANTED, the menu warns of this possibility when you order a pizza, but I did not think it would take one hour to get the pizza to our table.
Otherwise, a good time and a place I will check out again before hitting a show on Halsted.
Beautifully decorated restaurant - honestly it took my breath away when I first walked in...I think it's the high ceilings. Â :)
The staff is super nice and very accomodating - we were running on time for our show at Steppenwolf and we came in uber late. Â So I was very impressed. Â We did not get pasta or pizza, which are basically things this little Italian gem is known for. Â Oh well, next time. Â We got the trout with hazelnut butter - which was good but had lots of bones :( Â we got radioccini and polenta sides and the burratta with orange crustinis for appetizer! Â the burrata cheese was amazing! Â for dessert we got an affogato - hard to split - very hard. Â but great. Â i mean there was a sugary donut - i guess not a very creative dessert but tasty. Â
My favorite drink ever - Strawberry No1!!! Â I'd get that any day! Â
Lovely place, really. Â And not just for the Steppenwolf folks, it's worth the commute, wherever you're coming from. Â Great environment and great food. Â And very reasonably priced. Â Would probably recommend getting pizza/pasta though...I have a feeling that's da bomb. Â
If you'd like to see pictures and read more about Balena, see my blog <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthetravelingfoodster.com%2F2013%2F03%2F01%2Fbalena%2F&s=23230035544feb73186f6a1d9895b10da349c218c675ab851b39dbf7dc3907c7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://thetravelingfoods…</a>
No other Italian place in the city can compare to Balena. None. I've done Piccolo Sogno, Carmine's, Rosebud, you name it. Nobody's nearly as good as this. The bread appetizer was mind blowing, the oricchiette with kale and one of the vegetarian pizzas with massive, juicy tomatoes was out of this world. The service was amazing, the space is gorgeous, wine was delish and the experience, superb. This is the best spot in the neighborhood and my top 5 restaurants in the whole city. I love it so much, I save it for special occasions so that it remains new to me each time. Â Try it out and see for yourself!
Review Source:Came at the first time everything was outstanding, waitress asked if we are not allergic to any foods, if there a time for us when we have to leave and be somewhere? Salmon was the best I ever had, crusty skin, light and full of flavor.
Came back a week later with two other couples, huge disappointment. Â
Waitress, was lost, ordered wine right away, she brought it when we wore finishing appetizers. Ordered salmon, she told us in high pitch voice that this dish is her favorite, overheard that she was saying the same thing to three other tables that she served, everything was her favorite dish... whats is the reason to keep saying that to all customers?
Salmon came, all soaked in grease and with no skin at all, I had to apologize to my friends, sorry for the "best salmon ever" ...
I guess it is hit or mist. I would recommend take waitresses names, chefs name, than call ahead and ask if they are in tonight.
Everything I actually got to taste (food) was very good.
However, with that being said, the meal had MAJOR FLAWS which ruined it.
Upon perusing the drink menu, we learned they seem to specialize in some fabulous bitters cocktails. Â My husband had one on a recommendation that was quite nice, but small for $11. Â I had a glass of the La Marca Prosecco. Â This is a bottle we drink weekly! Â It's a lovely little sipper that costs $13.00 a bottle at Binny's. Â It's totally affordable and tasty! Â I understand restaurants typically have a 100%-120% markup on booze, HOWEVER the cost for a glass of this sparkly? Â $12. Â The whole bottle? Â $49!!!!!!!! Â HOLY MARKUP. Â Totally unrealistic. Â
We had a reservation for 6 people at 7pm - for a specific table in the restaurant.  Our table for  6 was taken by a party of 4.  We stood at the bar and watched the party OF FOUR at our table - with two empty seats -  leisurely eat their meals, order dessert and sip their coffee.  We were seated close to 8pm. Â
Upon finally being seated, the server proceeded to explain that the restaurant's concept was "small plate Italian." Â He said everything was meant to be shared. Â The main entrees could be ordered for individual consumption, but it was encouraged to be a group experience. Â The prices on each dish were in the $12-$20 range for apps, and $20-$30 range for entrees. Â Not exactly small plate price.
We started with the "Cheese platter" and the "Cured Meat Platter." Â The cheese "platter" was three pieces of about 1"x1" square cheese. Â Hardly enough for 2 to share...let alone 6. Â It should have been recommended that for our size party we might need two or three. Â Not to mention, the homemade bread came in four slices. Â It took us 20 minutes to flag down our waiter to ask for more bread so everyone could have one slice.
On to the entrees. Â Once again, the size of our party SHOULD have been taken into concern with the server. Â He lead us down the path of "Everyone order something & just share! Â It's great!" Â We ordered:
Tuscan Kale Cesar Salad
Sea Urchin Pasta
Beef Ravioli
Spicy Sausage pizza
Cornish Game Hen
Roasted Porchetta
Braised Short Rib
First off....I'm a salad lover. Â There is no salad I do not like. Â Cesar salad is my junk food. Â Cesar salad made with raw kale..and chunks of musty fish....AWFUL. Â Terrible. Â Why in the WORLD would anyone want to eat raw kale. Â Kale is not a mild green. Â It is a green that needs to be roasted or braised. Â Definite miss there.
Next up:
SIZE MATTERS WHEN YOU ARE SHARING WITH 6 PEOPLE. Â I would like to reiterate that what I actually got to taste was amazing. Â Everything is made in house, and it shows! Â But when you have a party of six, and your server says everything can be shared, you don't expect your $20 plate of ravioli to contain 4 ravioli. Â I understand they are beautifully handmade, and probably delicious (which I didn't even get to try), but this is where a server should have stepped in and said "for your sized party, I would recommend two of each dish to try." Â
The short rib? Also delicious....but ONE SHORT RIB. Â You had 6 people trying to get ONE BITE of a short rib. Â Sea Urchin pasta? Â AWESOME....but you had 6 "forks" of pasta and about one teaspoon of actual uni on top. Â Everyone trying to split one teaspoon into 6 portions. Â NOT REALISTIC. Â I didn't even bother with the pizza. Â Game hen, which was DELICIOUS...the one bite I got. Â Again, 1/2 a game hen....6 people. Â DOESN'T WORK.
TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE service. Â The server should have recognized the sized party and guided us accordingly.
Food? Â Delicious! Â I got about 6 bites. Â We were starving when we left...I didn't see the bill, but I can guarantee it was not worth it. Â Would I go back? Â ABSOLUTELY NOT. Â Never on my own dime. Â Not worth it.
From: Chicago 0013
Big fan. The pizzas are outstanding, possibly the best in the city. Perfectly chewy, doughy crust and cooked for just the right amount of time. Was impressed by the cauliflower pizza, and the chili sauce offered on the side is great: much fresher than your standard chili flakes, great oily sweet-hot flavor. Terrific. Also dug the tagliolini nero, with crab and sea urchin and just the right touch of chili and mint at the end.
Had one entree (the short ribs) that was pretty good but not the true star, which is the pizza and...oh, hell, the dessert of tiramisu is just as amazing as everyone says it is. I assume now-departed pastry chef Amanda Rockman taught an underling how to make it, because I can't imagine a better tiramisu. The "apple pie" sundae is also a must-get: apple sorbet, salted caramel gelato, pecans, and some crunchy crumble stuff scattered throughout. Baller desserts, no question.
Would unquestionably go back, possibly to just sit at the bar drinking the (costly but great!) signatures cocktails and a pizza...and a pasta...and a dessert...
Great service, fun and big space.
My boyfriend and I went to Balena for Valentine's Day dinner. My friends used to live close by and recommended it, but it was also restaurant week. Their menu pulled us in, but their food did not. I really wanted to love it... and I did like it, but didn't love.
First off, the atmosphere is very nice... to your surprise, it is rather large, lots of twists and turns! You also walk right past the kitchen and can see inside which was neat. A bothering thing though was, there were a bunch of open tables but they ended seating us crammed right in the middle of 2 occupied tables. It was Valentine's Day dinner! Obviously we wanted a little intimacy... we did not get.
The food... so the waiter broke the menu down for us and recommended a few things, and we took his recommendations. He said the cow stomach appetizer (cant remember the actual name of it) was amazing, so we got it, and it was good but not amazing. I love kale cesear salads and I ordered it... only after he tried turning me off saying it had a tuna taste to it. I was apprehensive but still wanted it. I ordered it with no sardines to remove the fishy taste. When it came, there were sardines on it, that I removed but I couldn't sense the tuna taste. I was slightly disappointed because the waiter never acknowledged that there were clearly sardines that I removed, after we had a whole conversation about me not liking them.
We got the Brussels sprout pizza, which was really tasty and big. Nice to share! Lastly, we got the Tagliolini Nero which was good too-- different and unexpected, but I did enjoy it. We ended the evening with the Mocha Panna Cotta, which wasn't amazing... I am a dessert person ;)
Lastly, the drinks were great! I really enjoyed them! I got the Manlino and my boyfriend got the Francesco (i think). Both very tasty and strong!
Alright so the icing on the evening was... immediately after the meal my boyfriend got sick and was at the toilet all night. Something wasn't right with the meal... but I'm not sure what it was! Needless to say, we will most likely not go back. It is a shame because it was a nice place, good atmosphere, reasonable prices.
I think this place may be more suited for a group of friends going to share some pizza and maybe salads and pasta and get in some good, tasty, unique drinks!
Great service! I was running 5 minutes late on a Saturday evening because of traffic on Halsted and when I called to them they told me no worries and drive safe. I thought that was very nice. Anyway, our meal was fantastic. We shared the Caeser kale salad. I ordered the mushroom pizza and my fiancee ordered the scallops. The scallops are better suited as an appetizer (there are only 3 and they are pretty small). That said, they were delicious and because the pizzas are so big he was able to help me (and we still had some to take home!). Save room for dessert. The gelato Sundays are really good!
Review Source:This place will haunt your dreams....in a good and food way.
I literally cannot believe I held off so long in going here because it was amazing. Like, even better than I thought it would be. And I already can't wait to go back.
I remember when this was Landmark Bar & Grill and immediately feared it would be as loud as that place was, because that was a challenge when hanging out with a group (you actually want to talk to). Fortunately, noise wasn't an issue in the new set up, but it wasn't super busy when we went. The Tuscan decor is adorable and is simple (almost Pottery Barn inspired) but not in a bad way. Love the little touches throughout the place, including the insanely comfortable seating.
The wine and cocktail list are expansive and I was very happy with my cocktail, which name I sadly cannot remember. Note: the cocktails are a tad...small and $11 each so beware if ordering multiples.
Food!!!
So, I was advised by friends to skip the pizzas (which did look delicious) and focus more on the other dishes, specifically pasta.
While I love wood oven pizza (and I would go back for some here), I'm glad I skipped this time because the real hidden gems on the menu are the pastas. I'm STILL dreaming about the Pomodoro. It was THAT AMAZING. Yes, CAPS ARE WARRANTED. The sauce was light and creamy and mixed with the thin but fat pasta, it was just so perfect together. I cannot rave enough about this.
The Hen Egg Tajarin with sage and brown butter was also incredible. Very thin pasta that was tossed to perfection with the brown butter. Neither dish was heavy at all, and I wish I didn't have to share because I would have savored both to myself...maybe two servings :)
Almost forgot appetizers! We kept it light and went with the Tuna Bruschetta with white bean (very good and hearty) and the herbed foccacia with ricotta and honey. Also very tasty and a nice way to start the meal. The bread was perfectly done.
Finally, for dessert, we got the apple pie gelato and the donuts. Both were very good but a little on the small side, especially the donuts. Glad we tried them but I would focus more on the gelato and sorbets next time.
So, I guess if you can't guess already, we had an amazing meal. I 100% would go back and literally am thinking of how soon I can get back to Balena for another meal. So good! Highly recommend for a parents visit or nice date night. Or just any night!
My friend and I went to Balena on a Saturday evening at about 5:00pm for drinks and appetizers. Since Balena opens at 4:30pm, it was pretty empty when we walked in. The atmosphere was pretty cool. We decided to sit at the bar. My friend ordered the Montenegro and I ordered the Mirto w/out the Pernod absinthe. The drinks were tasty, but very small for the price ($11 each).
We decided to order a couple of appetizers and went with the Wild Arugula Salad, and the Mushroom Bruschetta. The salad was bland, and needed more dressing. The bruschetta was outstanding, esp. if you love mushrooms. You need to eat it with a knife & fork.
I was amazed how quickly the place filled up. It's across the street from the Steppenwolf Theatre, so this is a prime spot for show-goers to have dinner before the show. After feeling some pressure from the bar hawks waiting for seats, we decided to get our check.
Can I say sticker shock? I was amazed that the bill came to $76 for drinks and appetizers for two people. I can't imagine how pricey it would be if there was a group of us.
If you just want to check out a cool place and have a drink, then Balena is for you. If you want to have a full meal, I'd suggest elsewhere.
Really lovely restaurant with excellent food and service. Walked in with my husband on a cold night. The cocktails were innovative and delicious (special points to the bartender for making this preggo a lemony mocktail) and everything was prompt. We ordered the winter greens salad, which had a perfect hazelnut vinaigrette and citrus, a burrata and beet salad, the prawn entree and the black squid ink tagliolini with urchin and crab. The pasta was outstanding. Other reviewers mention that the portion are "small" but these New Yorkers ended up too full for dessert. Reasonably priced for the quality (drinks, 2 starters, 2 mains for $100 before tip). This restaurant is well worth a visit.
Review Source:I wish I could give a 3.5. Â In all fairness, this review is based on a Restaurant Week experience and not the standard menu. Â The only issue I had here was that our bill was really high for a table of 4. Â How does that happen during Restaurant Week with a prixe fix menu you ask? Â The portions were small enough that we had to order items off the regular menu to supplement. Â I am perfectly fine with that when I feel we've received our fair share of excellent food, wine, and service, however none of us felt fully satisfied by the time we left. Â Don't get me wrong, the food was very tasty, I'm just struggling to find the whole value here.
The service was great, as expected, and we all enjoyed the ambiance...warm, rustic feel for such a cold night in February in Chicago. Â We may return to try the pizza...
Understated grandeur!
Me and my husband were in the area and didn't have a reservation here. But we had no problem getting a table as the weather was brutal and they had many cancellations. The restaurant is beautiful. I love the high ceilings and the vintage'y decor. The service is very informative and attentive. Everything we ate was very innovative and flavorful. Since they had just a single option on every course in the restaurant week menu, they were nice enough to let my husband choose the restaurant week menu and I just got a pizza. The first course was a beautifully dressed salad, the second course was a bruschetta, the entree was the best course.. it was beet agnolotti that tasted amazing and the dessert was a gelato that tasted like heaven on earth!! The mushroom tallegio scallion pizza is one of the best pizzas I've had in the recent times. I'd say that this venture by the Boka group is definitely a success!!
Nice aesthetics, and atmosphere, and drinks were not bad. Servers were nice, though the food was really slow, which I actually liked, some would not. That's why it gets two stars. But, we went for restaurant week, which is supposed to be a great sampling of food for a god deal, and we got neither. I thought it was WAY over priced for what we got. Out of a party of 6, we ordered all 8 items from the 4 course menu, and all agreed there was really only 1 good dinner item (short ribs). The chicken thigh was also good, but, it had nothing special about it, and c'mon, I could make that at home, and the cous cous that came with it was oddly and extremely bitter some how. Desserts were good. We also tried a mushroom pizza from the regular menu which was good, but not worth $18, and if you want pizza, plenty of other places to go. Was sadly disappointed.
Review Source:Mushroom Bruchetta - 5/5. Â Decadent. Â 2 pieces. Â Very good. Â
Cheese plate. Â 5/5. Â Perfectly balanced and portioned.
Orecchiette pasta was very nice and flavorful. Â I'd order it again!
Taglioni w sea urchin was unique and tasty as well!
Panna cotta dessert was inventive and yummy!
We will return!
Fantastic service and BEAUTIFUL old world modern feel.
Love this place. The renovations to go from landmark to balena are gorgeous- doesn't even look like the same place. Only came in for coctails, but it has such a fun list of old fashioned type coctails, it makes a perfect spot to have a full dinner, or duck in for some fun drinks. The "mixologists" are really nice and will pretty much cater to any alcohol craving u have. It's a little more crowded than I like, but that's all I can say that is a negative. The coctails really won me over.
Review Source:My father and I took my mother here for Mother's Day 2012. I was so excited to try the restaurant because it had just opened, I had heard some really cool things about the decor, and I LOVE pasta. Especially really homemade fresh pasta. It was such a hard choice to figure out what to order! Ultimately, I got the tagliolini nero because I love seafood and I love black pasta dishes. Reminds me of traveling in Barcelona! The portion was just right and the taste was salty, clear, seafoody perfection. I really wish I had written this review earlier so I could remember what my parents got. I just know that I was thrilled with my choice. I'd love to go back and try out the pizzas!
Review Source:What a lovely experience. On a weekday night, this space is relaxed, beautifully lit and just busy enough. The specialty cocktails are artfully made (can't wait to come back in warmer weather and try the Elixir again). Â Like other recent reviewers have pointed out, the oricchiette with crunchy breadcrumbs, lemon, chili and kale is fantastic and the perfect weight. The rolled porchetta was delicious too. A meat plate appetizer was more than enough for two (it would have served four well).
Save room for the panna cotta, it's heavy, rich and complex.
Very nice service- calm, relaxed, informative.
I've wanted to try this place for a while and when the opportunity arose for us to meet up for a double date with some other friends that love food and new restaurants, this was a great option. Â
The space is beautiful and the atmosphere is relaxed and not too pretentious, which I always appreciate. Â We waited about 15-20 minutes with a reservation on a Saturday evening. Â Definitely not bad for a hot restaurant on a busy night.
The menu here is great for sharing and even though one member of our party is not really into sharing, he still enjoyed it all. Â We shared a few starters-- the cheese plate, the focaccia with honey and ricotta (YUM!), and the kale Caesar Salad. Â We then shared 2 pizzas-- brussels sprout and pancetta (so good!) and the sausage pizza and also 2 pastas-- one with a pork ragu and a caccio e pepe spaghetti that was so good that we immediately ordered a second helping.
And don't miss the affogato with homemade doughnuts for dessert. My husband ate the dougnuts and I finished off the affogato. Â So. good.
Our waitress was very helpful in selecting drinks that complimented our meals and also in gauging how much food we should order for our group. Â
All in all, a really delicious meal at Balena-- I'd absolutely go back!
Gorgeous decor, excellent service, and absolutely delicious food. They clearly knew the way to my heart, because when I arrived a few minutes before my reservation and the first in my party, they seated me and let me wait with a glass of wine at the table even though it was pretty crowded.
The pasta is out of this world, but is a pretty small portion. My only complaint is that it was a little expensive not to have any leftovers. But I will definitely be back!
We went here in beg. of November. I think they were still ironing out some kinks but it seriously was a little amateur in terms of service. But with what they missed in service, they did try to make it up in other ways. Here are the specifics:
- Our waitress didn't come over to us for at least 15 minutes after we sat down - we had no drinks, no water, etc..She was overwhelmed with tables.
-ordered a bottle of wine - waited and waited, then our meal started to come out. I am very understanding with service, except this. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. And in this situation, they came back realized we didn't have our wine, then proceeded to tell us, it is out. Can we pick something else out. We did. Then another 10 min went by, she forgot about it., panicked. So almost through with our meal, the manager came over and was very apologetic.
This is the part where they really did try to make it up. Because it was a very annoying dinner up to that point. So they:
- comped us another glass of wine...
- comped us another pasta dish and veggie side (at which point we said please no more food :)
- comped us dessert to go
Our bill should have been $150-180, we walked out of there dinner for two was $75 with tip.
So hence my comment that I would go back again and try the pizza (everyone was getting it) rather than do the whole menu. And hope that the wine comes before dessert.....
Delicious food! Everything cooked and flavored just right!
First, the wine: the list is extensive, but their sommelier, who likes like he's about 17, is very knowledgeable, and found us a great bottle of Zinfandel.
Food: We started with a meat and cheese plate, which were all delicious and different from each other, and came with various jams to put on top. We also shared the pizza with brussel sprouts: Honestly, delicious. Something you would never expect. Even if you think you don't like brussel sprouts (I'm not the biggest fan), this will not disappoint you. Trust me. For dinner I had the salmon, which was cooked perfectly, which for some reason seems hard to do at many restaurants. It was lightly seasoned and very flavorful.
Decor : Awesome. Very warm and inviting, with a rustic feel.
I definitely recommend coming here!
I came here with a big group of people so we were able to try a good variety of the menu. The porchetta had a nice crisp skin and the rest melted in your mouth. Like other reviewers say, the sea urchin tagliolini is delicious but I loved the lemony  oricchiette with chili and kale even more. I think the brussel sprout pizza could convert some haters into veggie fans!
The portions aren't huge like some may expect in a good pasta dish, but it's still some of the best tasting Italian I've had.
Balena is a real gem of the Boka group of restaurants. Â If you are not able to get a reservation at the Girl and the Goat, try Balena. Â It is perfect for both business dinners as well as a dates.
Service:
Top notch. Â Although it is not Ritz level, it is close.
Food:
Amazingly fresh ingredients and consistent.
Recommendation:
Nero pasta with seafood (yes....it also includes Uni on top)
3.5 stars.
Dana F. and I started with the Peter's breads (mixed breads) and dips. There was a nice variety. My favorite was the sausage bread and cranberry bread with the yogurt dip.
The mushroom pizza was wonderfully doughy and the mushrooms were not overpowering.
The fazzoletti pasta was alright. There were marcona almonds, mint, oil, etc. The noodles were like little wrapped blankets. It wouldn't be my first choice but it was creative.
The chinotto float was a tasty chai inspired dessert. There were dates on top and rum. Boozin' dessert. The ice cream was awesome and spicy.
Service was okay, not the best, and its a bit pricy. We also had a reservation and got there early, there were plenty of empty tables, and they still didn't seat us until our reservation time.
Came here with a friend for dinner on Monday night, which you might expect to be slow, but this place was hoppin'! Â Unfortunately, this meant that, despite having an 8 pm reservation, we ended up waiting about a half hour to be seated. Â Lame. Â The classic Seinfeld saying rings true: "You know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation."
Once seated, we waited even longer for a server, but by this time we had already picked out everything we wanted to try and were ready for refills on our wine. Â My friend had been once before, and she said everything was good last time. Â We tried:
Starter: Burrata, Beets, Celery root salad. Â We were both nervous about the beets, but this was a really tasty and unique combination. Â I could have done with just the burrata, but the beets and celery root were fine additions.
Pizza: Mozzarella, basil, tomato pizza. Â This was your pretty standard brick oven style pizza. Â The crust was a good thickness, although we could have used more cheese! Â But that statement--"could have used more cheese"--may as well be my motto in life.
Pasta: Rigatoni, pork ragu, bacini mushroom. Â This was the best thing we tried! Â I could have gone for a second dish of this. Â The pork flavor was good but not overwhelming and it had a great cream sauce. Â
As far as food, I'd say good and worth another visit, but the wait was disappointing. Â Also disappointing, our server wrapped our pizza and said she'd leave it at the bar for us, so we of course forgot to grab it on the way out. Â It's hard enough to remember to take your leftovers when they are on the table in front of you, but by leaving them at the bar up front, they are basically ensuring a 100% forget-leftover ratio for patrons. Â So I'd give this place 3.5 or 4, seeing as the food was so good and you're getting the level of food quality you pay for.
Came here last night for a birthday dinner and was impressed in some areas, but very disappointed in others.
We made reservations almost a month ago considering how busy it is and when we got there on time for the 7:45 res, we were told it would take "one moment". This shouldn't happen. If you have people coming to your restaurant to celebrate an occasion and they made a reservation a month ago, the table should be ready. "One moment" turned into 10 minutes, which then turned into 25, so that's unacceptable.
We started with the blue cheese salad and Peter's bread. The salad was good and the dressing went well. The breads and jams were all very tasty, but maybe don't get this if you're ordering a pizza (carb overload). Neither app blew me away, but were pretty good.
I had the mortadella and pesto pizza for dinner and my gf had the orecchiette. The pizza was really good, but too much crust. Â I have issues with places charging 16 bucks for a pasta dish and then giving you a lean cuisine portion. This could have been an appetizer. It tasted good, but could have used a lot more of it.
Finally, the service was pathetic. Starting with the near half hour wait to sit down even when we had a reservation. Our waitress was nice, but we needed a blowhorn to get her attention. She came over to the 2 tables next to us 3 times before taking our check, which we had to hold in her face. Waiters should know how to multi-task..she didn't. They also forgot to bring us our leftovers, which makes me think they probably threw it away. I then forgot the leftovers. Either way, frustrating.
Maybe i'll be back, but not for a while.
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