I ate here once a few years ago and now I know why  we've never been back.  The service was just OK.  We had to request drink/water refills.  The server did not clear plates as other food was brought to the table.  The bread is served with a marinara sauce which was not very flavorful.  I asked for butter instead.  The stuffed mushroom appetizer was OK, it came to the table barely warm.  I ordered the fresh vegetable risotto and was very disappointed.  The dish was quite bland.  The risotto tasted like it came out of a box.  I thought the prices for the quality of food was very high.  Average dinner prices were $15-20.  Only a handful of entrees come with a salad.  This is not your typical mom and pop authentic Italian restaurant which I prefer.  Although our friends treated us to this dinner, we will not return.
Review Source:It was just ok. The service was good but the food was mediocre. We had the ravioli, a veal special (veal cutlet with mozzarella, peppers, and fettucini alfredo), and meatballs. Ravioli was good thought the pasta was rather thick. The meatballs were ok but nothing special. The veal itself was tough and funky and the pasta and sauce was cooked perfectly and had a great flavor but was congealed into an extremely unappetizing glob. We sat outside and that was probably the best part. Definitely not going back.
Review Source:We went to Desiderio for dinner a couple weeks ago. Service was great, but the food was just average. We had one of their specials, which was baked penne with tomato cream sauce, meatballs, Italian sausage, mozzarella and provolone, and the chicken marsala. The penne was good, but not particularly special, and didn't stand up to its $22 price tag. The chicken marsala was pretty bland, but edible. The house salads were quite good, however, and the coffee-almond-chip gelato was excellent. I'd rank this place higher than Olive Garden, for sure, but not as good as Maggiano's.
Review Source:So let me start out with why they are missing a star. Because there is no printed kid's menu..THAT'S IT!!!
But....they accomodate. Our server Daniel was friendly and informative in leting me know "we have fries and chicken or we can make smaller portions for the kids." So I told him that we would take a moment but would like the calamari Fritte. It comes out a few minutes later piping hot with flash fried peppers (red, green and yellow bells). I was able to swipe a couple of pieces before my kids devoured the entire plate.
Chicken Picatta, Chicken Parm and Spaghetti w/ Meatballs were our 3 entrees (2 kids split the Parm). They were all hot and very flavorful. If I could describe it, I would say it was like Daniel walked into an Italian home, snatched food off of the stove and plated it for us. Very comforting with each bite.
$53 bill with leftovers and the icing on the cake..our drinks were NEVER empty. After paying my check, Daniel says "see you next time" (as seems to be a rule to say to each customer)..Yes, Yes you will be seeing us again. Thanks for a great night after a long week of work.
I've had Desiderio's food a couple of times mainly at local chamber events. Â Desiderio's was the caterer each time.
Tonight, the chamber event was held in the restaurant. Â Desiderio's offered four choices as the appetizers: garlic bread, stuffed mushrooms, diced sausages and meatballs. Â The garlic bread was spicy. Â That seemed odd to me. Â I've never had garlic bread that was so spicy. Â The stuffed mushrooms were okay. Â The best of the four choices were the meatballs. Â I love the meatballs.
Overall, the food was good. Â I would definitely return to dine in the restaurant. Â I would order the meatballs.
Desiderio is  a nice little exurban italian restaurant; it wants to be four stars, but doesn't quite get there.It has a nice atmosphere, good background music and good service. The dishes had a higher price point than other local Italian restaurants.We had Mussels Angelo, and Ciopinno. They dishes were very attractive, but curiously lacking in flavor. With some bolder flavors, perhaps they'll earn a fourth star. Lunch for two, with tip, $56.00
Review Source:Desiderio is one of my favorite Italian restaurats in the area. Â There is always Olive Garden, but if I don't feel like driving to Manassas and standing in line for 40 minutes, Desiderio is definitely the place to go! It has a very classy feel and the food is delicious. I love starting with the house salad!! The bread they bring you at the beginning is not to die for, in my opinion, but it's ok. Food is a bit of the pricey side, but some items are inexpensive! Overall, a great restaurant if you're looking for a quiet, classy and maybe romantic evening!
Review Source:One word: inedible.
Cheese bread: Served cold. ??? Served with marinara...I've had better marinara from a jar. It had a funky after-taste.
House Salad: Roasted red peppers were oily and from a jar also. Really? How hard is it to roast it yourself and chop it up? The dressing was an oily mess.
Handmade Ravioli: Wrong. Not handmade. They were the opposite of tender and delicate. They were thick and chewy. They were so hard to eat, I had to eat the ricotta filling and leave the ravioli pasta.
Everything about this restaurant tastes from a jar...no love, no spices, no talent in that kitchen. I could easily make a better meal by boiling pasta and pouring some Ragu on top. Also, the ambiance is cold and sparse. The service was slow.
I visited Desiderio for the second time on Sunday. Â Both times I visited, my experiences were similar. Â We had great service on both occasions. Â The servers were polite, professional and proficient. Â My disappointment was the food itself. Â The first time I dined with them, I ordered the Seafood Fra'D'avolo. Â This past Sunday, I decided to try the Pasta Calabria. Â Both were exceptionally bland. Â I suppose that if I am dining out and paying a pretty penny for an entree, it should be better than what I could prepare at home. Â I thought maybe my first experience there was just an off night, but after going Sunday, I decided I will not go again. Â On a positive note, they do offer good deals via text message if you sign up.
Review Source:I've been to Desiderio quite frequently, and find myself enjoying it more and more every time. AT two recent visits, I was seated in the bar area, where I found Josh to split waiter and bartending duties with panache and style (and the vest is a great fashion statement). Try some of his signature drinks--the butterbeer takeoff is fantastic!
I've had mixed results with the menu, mostly positive. They do a phenomenal balsamic tomato sauce that they serve with complimentary bread, but some of their other tomato sauces lean a little toward acidic.
I'm sadly not a fan of the risotto--I find it too bland.
Having said that, everything else on the menu I've had is fantastic! They make the best scampi of any Italian restaurant in the area. Their Italian sangria is sinfully good! And the portion sizes are HUGE!
I haven't tried many of the desserts, but the tastes I've had have been wonderful.
And the staff--including management and hostess--are fantastic! They genuinely want to make sure you have a great experience.
Great food - great atmosphere! Â First visit so of course we will go again and maybe the rating will go up. The staff was very friendly and seated us quickly, but our waiter did not check on us much. Â There was a large party sitting in the patio area, but not a packed restaurant so we should have gotten better service. No water until we asked and we asked for wine to be served with the meal and I guess they forgot. By the time they remembered we just declined it. All the food was hot, in generous proportions, and delicious though so We'll definitely be back.
Review Source:Dined here for the first time last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The dipping sauce that comes with the bread was OK...nothing special. For apps we did Grandma Joanie's Meatballs. DELISH! Loved loved loved. For dinner I had the Seafood Clalabria (might not be exact name, can't remember) and loved it! Shrimp, clams, calamari and mussels over linguine in a wine/butter sauce. I left only the shells. My husband had the seafood fra d'avolo which was the same as mine but with fra d'avolo sauce. He loved it too. For dessert we got a slice of tiramisu and a small cannoli, both so yummy! Our server was great. Overall great experience and we will come back. I would highly recommend a reservation.
Review Source:We went here on New Year's Day after another choice was closed. They were open, warm and inviting.
This place reminds me of some of the small Italian restaurants I remember visiting in northern New Jersey. The decor was a bit more modern than those places, and the food was very close. That's a good thing, because the north Jersey Italian restaurant tradition is a hard thing to match.
One "authentic" element missing? No audible arguments coming from the direction of the kitchen! :-)
The food was delicious and we all swapped dishes washed down with chianti and a nice pinot grigio they recommended. I had the Shrimp fra diavolo and it was correctly spicy. They also feature several nice chicken dishes and the bread was good too.
DH and I chose DI-AG tonight based on the mostly good Yelp reviews. I did call ahead inquiring about a vegetarian and gluten free menu. They offer some vegetarian options, only one gluten free and neither included both contrary to what the hostess told me before we went. Seasonal risotto is prepared with chicken broth.
We started our evening off with a bottle of Pinot Grigio which was half off because of their Wednesday Happy Hour special. *Unfortunately, we had to ask for the Happy Hour special.*
After we placed our appetizer order we received some warm sliced bread with a cup of their homemade dipping sauce. This was strange because it was tangy/funky which other reviewers mention as well. We did not finish it.
Our appetizer was stuffed mushrooms for $8. We received 4 stuffed shrooms that were very tasty and well made. This came with a cup of warm, spicy, tomato dipping sauce that we oohed and ahhed with each bite. We would have enjoyed a couple more of these. Â
After that house salads arrived and included was some of their homemade mozzarella. The dressing was sun dried tomato but was too vinegary with roasted red peppers throughout.
DH chose one of the specials for the evening for his entree and that was the homemade ravioli made with butternut squash. This seasonal specialty pasta was tasty, lite, prepared to perfection and the filling was just right. It was topped with a light nutmeg inspired sauce complete with walnuts for a great late fall/early winter dish.
My entree was pasta primavera & each time I took a bite of this dish I wondered what that special ingredient was that kept me reaching for more. Asiago and parmesan cheese? Marinated red peppers, mushrooms or zucchini? Or maybe it was those tiny slices of green onion nestled in the asiago cheese and garlic that made each bite so savory? This meal was priced at $12.
Would return if they would offer gluten free pasta or a vegetarian risotto w/o chicken stock. This restaurant is a bit overpriced for serving sizes, especially the appetizers.
This was our first time at Desiderio & we can't wait to go back! We were greeted & sat right away & all of the staff were super friendly. Our waiter came right over & got us started on drinks. We ordered the Mozerella Medallions (they make the mozerella in-house!) & they were amazing! For our entrees, I ordered the Veal Parmesan with penne pasta & my husband ordered ----. The portions were huge, I ended up with a box to take home. The food was SO good & so full of flavor. We met one of the owners, Karen, who came to our table to greet us. She was great & explained a lot of special events they hold there. We can't wait to go back & try more things off their menu!
Review Source:We decided to try this before grocery shopping. In summary prices are a few price points too high for what you get.
We started with stuffed mushrooms ($8 for 4 mushrooms)
They were tasty and the sauce was spicy but the food was not piping hot. I can't stand luke warm food. Â My wife had a house salad ($5) with a spicy dressing which she liked.
For our main course I had sausage and peppers and wife had mussels and pasta. Â That food was really hot.
Service was good. Â Would we return..probably not as there are a lot of other places in the area to try.
Tried this after checking out some Yelp reviews (and noticing it was there) and I have to say this place was great.
They've got some microbrews on tap which is always a plus, and the food was really delicious. I had the seasonal risotto, and my friends had the steak sandwich and a pasta dish. All were excellent, and the service was prompt and helpful. Dessert was very tasty!
Since there continues to be so many rave reviews for this place, we decided to give it another try for my husband's birthday last week. Â Alas, things seem to be slipping a bit, thus the rating drop.
It being a Tuesday evening, the place seemed naturally very quiet, yet we were seated by the front door across from the bar. Â Our Tanqueray & Tonics (served in short glasses & minus lime, unfortunately) were brought out promptly, accompanied by crisp warm bread & tangy marinara sauce for dipping (which was nice & warm this time instead of icy refrigerator cold like the last time).
We decided to start by sharing two appetizers - the same two we ordered during our last visit two years ago - the Fried Calamari ($10.00 now) & the Fried Mozzarella Medallions ($9.00 now). Â The medallions, while still nicely seasoned & greaselessly fried, were almost paper-thin this time - definitely no chance of any cheese oozing here, lol. Â (Talk about a marketing ploy - last time there were 3 relatively thick slices; now it's 5-6 paper-thin ones. Â Makes it look like more for your $$.) Â And while the calamari was also perfectly fried & unbelievably tender, it was ruined by the fact that it was extremely salty. Â It was the first time neither one of us has ever not finished an order of calamari anywhere. Â No lemon this time - not that it would have cut the salt. Â Both appetizers were accompanied by the same nice marinara sauce.
For entrees, husband ordered the Chicken Parmegian ($14.00), which consisted of one large pounded breaded fried boneless chicken breast topped with mozzarella & served on a bed of marinara-coated spaghetti. Â The chicken was tender, flavorful, & perfectly cooked, as was the pasta. Â Unfortunately, I didn't fare as well with my Shrimp Scamp Over Risotto ($17.00). Â This consisted of perfectly-cooked risotto (tender & creamy, yet still with a perfect al dente bite), but was topped with 6-8 TINY little shrimp. I mean, even the basic shrimp I buy at the supermarket are 16-22's (meaning 16-22 shrimp to the pound). Â These were significantly smaller than that, & definitely smaller than I'd expect from a restaurant's scampi dish. Â What was even worse though, was that just like the calamari, the shrimp were almost inedibly salty. Â Either this restaurant's seafood purveyor is getting stock from an extremely salty source, or someone in the kitchen is way too heavyhanded with the salt shaker when it comes to seafood.
For dessert, husband had the Passion Fruit Cheesecake ($7.00), which was okay. Â I had the White Chocolate Raspberry layered mousse ($6.50), which was good. Â The garnish included a couple of fresh red currants which was a nice touch - you don't get to enjoy their fresh tangy tartness very often these days.
Service was okay - if a little harried, which was strange considering it wasn't busy - & the bill after tax & tip was around $100. Â Frankly, it just seemed like a lot considering our experience wasn't as good as last time. Â These days there are just far too many restaurants where one can drop $100 & do better.
Went there for lunch on Friday while driving back to Maryland. Â Ordered the caprese panini and was NOT disappointed! Â The mozzeralla was great, the tomatoes were tasty and the balsamic vinegar was the perfect touch. Â The panini was served with garlic fries that were AMAZING. Â I didn't even consider ketchup for them. Â Owner was there and very friendly and nice. Â Would go back in a heartbeat.
Review Source:Reviewing after the second visit, Both times the food was perfectly cooked. The service is as prompt and attentive as one could wish for, responsive, and observant, but not overbearing as if pandering for a tip. Both times (Sunday at noon and 7pm on a Friday night) we met Rick one of the owners. It is clear that he is engaged and as attentive to his patrons as the chefs are to the food. This has quickly become our favorite place. You can not beat the ambiance, the warmth, the energy of the place.
#3 Dined again last night (4/1), had the special of the night Pork Shank with mushroom risotto , tender and flavorful. a diner at the next table also selected this, and from his comments to his partner, I could tell he also found it to be exceptional. This place is very consistent with the quality
Rick stopped by the table last night as he checked in with customers, we found out if you follow them on Facebook, you can get the nightly specials listed. Yum!
Three-point-five-stars...I WANT to put "YAY I'M A FAN!", but I just can't. Maybe next time? Don't get me wrong - excellent service...every time I've been. But I think I am most disappointed by the small menu and high prices.
The restaurant is never ever busy Monday - Thursday, and makes for a nice, quiet, early dinner on those days. The food is generally good, but nothing that I would crave to have again. I was disappointed to learn that none of the desserts that day were made in-house.
We will probably wait a couple of months and go back. If you want to try it out, go to their website, sign up for their texting specials, and go when they send a text message with a special in it, usually buy one get one free entree!
I've been to Desiderio more times than I can count! The experience and ambiance are always enjoyable! Great food, nice ambiance, and very nice people!
Desiderio is doing all sorts of cool things - including special themed dinners: Beer dinners, Wine dinners, Locals-only dinners (where they use local ingredients and have a local guest chef come in to cook for that night) and then invite the locals to dinner!
My favorites are the Beer and Wine dinners - four courses - each course paired with a specific beer or wine that goes well together.
Of course their regular menu with their take on Italian food also is very good. I love one of their new specials - the Chicken Fantasia. Wow! Words escape me as to how good this is! Two very thin chicken breasts, with a crisp exterior, riding above a bed of roasted potatoes, and lemon-infused sauce - can't way to have this again!
And of course, every Christmas Eve is their take on that Italian tradition: "Feast of the Seven Fishes." Â I took my Mom to this last year on Christmas Eve and she loved it. We might do it again!
One of my regular favorites is something that is on the menu - but that I order with a twist to it - a Caesar salad with grilled shrimp AND anchovies. Delicious! Try it!
It's also a good place to stop in for a drink! The bar is not terribly long, but it seats eight or so folks - I will stop in for a beer (usually Steelhead Pale Ale, HopDevil IPA, or the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA). If you are fan of Pale Ales or IPAs - you owe it to yourself to stop in and sample these Ales! Other times I may opt for a Vodka Martini (always dirty!) or a snifter of fine single malt scotch - Lagavulin 16 year old!
And of course the people at Desiderio are what makes the place! Rick, Karen, and Victor are awesome! Along with their great staff: Â Justin, Ashley, Ashley, Rose, Heather, Matt, Ron, Christine, and many others whose names I am blanking on right now!
Thanks Desiderio for such an awesome little restaurant!
This was our fourth experience ,we had a party of four. My son is not a fan of Italian food so It was hard for him to select off the menu, he chose the chicken parmesan. He ended up not eating it ,so my recommendation would be to add a big hamburger as a selection on the menu. I am a fan of Italian food and ordered the Lasagna, and enjoyed it. Delicious and just the right size serving. I would like to see a Beef and cheese Manicoti added or as an occasional special.The deserts are very good as is the bread. Â One observation was the staff was wearing blue jeans, well run restaurants have the staff in black pants which looks better to me.
Review Source:I have been to Desiderios twice. Â I couldn't tell you what I ate the first time, I just remember I disliked it so much, I didn't even have the leftovers packaged to take home and I am a leftover JUNKIE. Â The second time I had the cheese ravioli - WAY undercooked and the marinara was more like sugary tomato paste - thick globs of sweet tomato yuck. Â Again, did not package the leftovers that night either. Â However, I will say my boyfriend's meal was delicious and my friend who joined us said she enjoyed hers. Â We sat at the bar and the bartender was attentive and friendly. Â However - there are so many new terrific options now in Gainesville - I'd be hard pressed to choose here when I can go down the street to Blue Ridge, Nora's, El Tios, Zeds instead.
Review Source:First experience here and it was a great one! One of the owners greeted my wife and I at the door and showed us to our seat. Â She was very friendly and we chatted a little.
The waitress we had was also personable. Â The owner came by to fill our water glasses up which was definitely a hit!
This was surely the first time I ordered fries at an Italian restuarant...we had the scampi fries which were really good.
My wife had the handmade ravioli and she finished her plate...so it had to be good!! I had the Chicken saltimbocca, I really loved mine, the prosciutto was even a little crispy!
The waitress brought us out 2 cannolis on the house, which made the experience even better.
I can't wait to come back and try something else!
This is a nice place to go for a date. Staff was very pleasant. The food was ok. I have had better for sure. I was a little disappointed. I ordered Seafood Fra' Diavolo. The pasta was over cooked and so was the seafood. The best part of the meal was the wine and dessert. The have a nice wine list. Like I said the meal was ok but it will not blow you away.
Review Source:***This is my girlfriend's review.***
My parents and I always go out to eat on Friday nights.....and I have to say, it is VERY hard to please them. I took them to Desiderio for the first time on my birthday back in October. They loved it!
Now, we go there about 3 times a month. We can't stay away!!! Every time we eat anywhere else, we wish we had gone to Desiderio.
The service is ALWAYS great, the atmosphere is amazing....dim lighting, i think they play the Seriously Sinatra channel, it makes the meal seem more like an experience than just a dinner. I love sipping on wine and hearing Frank Sinatra singing in the background...
The desserts, ummm.....amazing! I had the lemon-blueberry cake the first time, and i think it was one of the best desserts that I have ever had.
Decided to try a cappuccino after one of our meals, yes, that was amazing too...and I sure know a good cup of coffee!
Love it!
One of my fav Yelp friends, Neal E. goes to Desiderio regularly, and we've been trying to meet him there several times. Â After we went to a b-ball game in Haymarket and were a bit hungry we thought - why not hit Desiderio! Â
We didn't arrive till just about 9 pm, and there were still a few tables populated so in we went and took a seat at the bar. Â Ron, our bartender, was quite personable and eager to answer any questions or give us the 411 on the questions we had about beer and wine. Â Â After tasting a few reds my husband chose a Syrah. Â I decided to go for something a little different - a bubbly by YelloGlen out of Australia. Â Story has it that Cork n Fork nearby requested this be crafted and it is a tasty change from a standard champagne. Â Yellow by Yellowglen is a sparkling wine from South Eastern Australia. It displays luscious tropical flavors of pineapple, melon and a hint of refreshing citrus.
Both our beverages went well with our mussels app and warm ciabatta and marinana sauce. Â We did decided on a dessert and since they were out of the house made ricotta cheesecake we settled in with a large slice of the fruit pound cake with lemon ricotta filling.....heaven!!
It was nice to have such a wonderful first experience, especially since we arrived so late in the evening. Â Usually when the night is wearing down you don't get much in the way of enthusiasm - but here, on this night, we were met with smiling faces and great customer service. Â We will be back to taste a full entree meal soon.
Meh. Â It's not terrific, it's not terrible, I'd say mediocre at best. Â Nice service and ambiance but a bit overpriced. Â We had the meatballs (bf said his grandmothers are better), chicken parm and chicken picatta. Â The chicken was tough and probably over cooked. Â My picatta was WAY too lemony. Â I know it's a lemon based dish, but it was too much. Â It's a nice change of pace in the area, and it's an ok meal.
Review Source:The food was good, the staff friendly, and the ownership seems to care. Â But, after all of the raves and reviews, I was expecting something more. Â
Overall, it was about average for what I expect from an Italian restaurant. Â Granted, this area doesn't have a lot (Giuseppe's is really the only other actual restaurant) and I can be kind of picky when it comes to Italian cuisine.
I would have given it 3 stars. Â However, I have to knock off a star when the staff can't seem to pronounce "Bruschetta" properly!!
My friend Neal E. has been recommending Desiderio for months. He describes the dishes in such mouth-watering detail, I finally said I gotta go NOW! I love it & can't wait to go back!
Party was made up of me, hub, 30-yo daughter, 17-yo son, & 2 grandkids (10 & 6). We ordered garlic fries, garlic cheese bread & Joanie's meatballs for appetizers. I liked the fries but my husband, son & grandson fought over them. The meatballs disappeared quickly but I got to taste the sauce which was so good! It's *so* all about the sauce at Italian restaurants, don't you think? The bread was sublime! You must try it. The cheesy onion-y topping was yummy but the bread was so deelish.
My husband ordered Grilled Shrimp Scampi ("grilled shrimp with garlic butter & fresh lemon served over risotto") & was almost completely silent because he was so entranced with his meal. I did sneak a taste of risotto; it was heavenly (I tried to make risotto once & it was a resounding disaster).
My daughter ordered Portobello Mushroom Panini ("marinated Portobello mushroom grilled, topped with provolone cheese & roasted red peppers, served on a ciabatta bun with pesto mayonnaise"). I wrangled a bite, & oh my goodness, this was a delicious, rustic, hearty sandwich! My daughter loved it. The portion was large enough that she had a few bites to take home.
My son ordered Seafood Fra'Diavolo ("shrimp, mussels, and calamari, tossed in spicy Fra'Diavolo sauce & served over linguine") & was in a state of rapture.
I ordered lasagne (which Rose described in such luscious detail). Here's the description from the online menu: "Lasagna Casserole: Our version of an Italian classic made with fresh vegetables, housemade pasta & mozzarella & finished with our Bolognese [sauce]. Can also be served meatless. It comes with a choice of the Caesar salad or Desiderio House Salad." The house salad I was served consisted of mesclun greens (misspelled on the menu), garlic croutons, tomato, & a delightfully zesty, homemade-tasting vinaigrette (house salad is described differently on the restaurant's website).
Personally, I'm not a fan of traditional restaurant lasagne with the thick, corrugated noodles. I make it with wonton wrappers. It's more enjoyable when you're not trying to saw through chalky, gummy, thick pasta. Desiderio's take on lasagne was such a refreshing change. You could tell the ingredients were fresh, & the recipe provided a nice depth of complex flavors. True comfort food! If you're ordering carry-out, I would recommend this dish (maybe 2 orders!).
The kids got chicken tenders with fries. These aren't your everyday fast-food chicken fingers. They were breaded nicely in a homemade-tasting blend, fried to a mahogany brown, & sprinkled with shredded parmesan. The kids loved them. Again, there was enough to take some home. The kids love honey mustard with their chicken & fries but Desiderio didn't have any. Our server kept them well-supplied with ketchup though.
Rose, our server, was fabulous. She juggled our big, diverse party & made everyone happy. Our sodas were kept filled & dishes were served & cleared by a battalion of helpers.
We had a visit from the co-owner, Karen. She warmly welcomed us & invited us to visit for New Year's Eve. The NYE prix fixe menu is $40 without alcohol (none of us drinks) for a five-course meal! I'm tempted. That is a true bargain for a restaurant with such delicious food & comfy-cozy ambience.
Karen recommended the cannoli which were straight from Little Italy NYC (the real deal). I know from cannoli & Karen was right on the mark with these yummy pastries. My daughter got tiramisu (which is imported from Italy) & enjoyed every bite (except the one I stole).
My husband ordered coffee. They serve LaVazza at Desiderio. I adore coffee but had to give it up over 6 months ago. When I did drink it, LaVazza wasn't my all-time favorite. It was solidly "okay." My husband said his coffee was good.
Almost every table was taken around 6:30 PM on a Saturday night over a cold, snowy holiday weekend. My friend Neal E. was at the bar & he introduced me to Matt, the friendly, unobtrusive bartender. I could see this would be a great place to watch the NFL & nosh on something heavenly from the appetizer menu.
Signage which clearly points the customer to the front door of the restaurant would be a *big* help. We arrived the night after Christmas in the cold with lots of snow & slush on the ground. We could've saved a few chilly steps had we known where the entrance was. There's a sign that says PLEASE USE FRONT ENTRANCE with an arrow, but it was confusing. It just pointed, but didn't say where the door was. We had to walk all the way around a wrought-iron fence that partitioned the outdoor eating area. Had we known where the entrance was, we would have parked in a different area.
I want to try the Sunday brunch (there's a decided dearth of brunch places in Loudoun County where I live). The price is right ($12 adults, $5 kids).
Overall a very nice place to visit. Â I'm rating it 4 stars overall (for their price range) but I'd rate it 5 stars for this immediate area - by far one of the best places both in terms of food and service.
The menu may not be overwhelming is selection but the things we've tried so far have been quite delectable from appetizers to entrees. Â The one thing that some may not like are their portion sizes. Â They give moderate sized portions so keep that in mind. Â Service was attentive without being too intrusive which which I always appreciate. Â
There's ample parking on the Harris Teeter side - incidentally the entrance is also on that side although it can be difficult to spot  [the restaurant] at first glance. Â
Dining area wasn't huge but was big enough to accommodate a large group or two. Â Try to avoid the table all the way in the back - that's right by the restroom which is never a pleasant experience.
Decided to give this restaurant a try.  It was really very good.  It was so refreshing to see a new non-chain restaurant out this way.  The food was really quite delicious.  I had the veal marsala and my husband had the lasagna.  I was not overly impressed with the dessert.  I got the chocolate mouse cake a la mode....although it was $3 extra to make it a la mode!!! The cake tasted like something I could have bought at the grocery store.  My husband ordered canoli's and  really liked them...especially the chocolate.
Very kid friendly. Â They get bonus points for providing "wax twisty things" for my son to play with.
After seeing the new Harry Potter movie at the Regal in Manassas (oops, I've gotta review it!) we went to Desiderio around 8:30 to catch some dinner.
As usual the waitstaff was on the ball and food was great. Â We mixed it up with entrees- my wife had the Pan-Seared Steak Alfredo, without the steak (they knocked $7 off the entree) and she loved it. Â It was nice to see that they use nutmeg in the sauce. Â Not a lot of places will use it but my wife was glad to find it in the sauce and felt it really makes it.
I had the Seafood Fra'Diavolo. Â Normally I'm not one for red sauce in a seafood dish like this but I thought I'd give it a shot and I really liked it. Â The seafood was great and the shrimp in particular were cooked perfectly.
We finally got to meet Victor, the man behind the mozzarella! Â We asked Victor if it would be possible to buy fresh mozzarella directly from Desiderio and he said they will totally do that. Â They will also sell their sauces if you want to whip up some pasta at home but don't necessarily feel like eating out. Â Now that's awesome. Â It's not something you find very often, if ever, at commercial establishments.
Once again, a great meal at a great restaurant.
Pros:
-VERY friendly staff.
Cons:
-Okay wine selection (tad confusing how the menu is laid out)...
-Very small tables for two... not enough space for plates, glasses, bread basket, etc.
-Music very out of place... motown/disco/70s funk playing in what I thought was going to be an intimate, romantic Italian restaurant (which the decor implies).
-Lots of families with small kids.
-Breadsticks in biscotti form... not very soft... came with marinara dipping sauce, which was actually pretty good. I'm not a big fan of the harder style bread served at some italian places. This bread was kind of hard all around, too.
On to the food generalities..
We ordered two glasses of 41st ave merlot (which was very tangy and had an openness about it) to accompany the ravioli I ordered and the steak alfredo the Beau ordered.
The ravioli came drenched in tomato sauce; it's my mistake for not telling them I like light sauce, but I was able to salvage them from the sauce overkill. I didn't personally feel like it was cooked to the firmness I normally like (it was a tad too firm, felt almost undercooked).
However, the steak alfredo was really, really good (albeit overpriced-- $17)... the Beau said the steak was on point. I sampled it and thought the cream sauce was to die for.
Ultimately the food was good. There were a few minor things, like prices, firmness, etc. wrong with the dishes. I really appreciated the uniqueness of the menu but felt my dish was bland and his dish was overpriced (though the steak alfredo was REALLY good). Also, I noticed they have a very limited liquor selection.
We'll be back-- the Beau wants to try the steak by itself and I'm thinking of a panini. I just hope next time it's not 70s night and that I'll have enough balls to ask to sit at a 4 top.
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