La Bottega Cafe Deli & Wine Shop

Would be 5 stars, except that the service staff is very unknowledgeable. It looks like they recruited their servers from the local church youth group, which seems odd considering they serve $100 bottles of wine! The service definitely wasn't bad, but they could've had one professional server in the whole restaurant instead of 3 young girls giving average service.

The food was excellent, the wine divine, and the desert was unbelievable. Reasonably priced as well. Definitely highly recommended!

We went in a few weekends for with a large party (12) at 8 p.m. on a Saturday night.  We started with a bottle of Pinot Grigio and a Chianti and several appetizers - the cheese plate, antipasto plate, Gorgonzola cake and the garlic chili prawns.  We ordered a number of different entrees - a couple of proscuito wrapped chicken breasts, the TORTIGLIONI, mushroom ravioli, bresaola salad, and a few others.  I ordered the pork cheek, which they were out of and got the Wagyu sirloin.  All the food was delicious, hot, and most impressively, it all came out at the same time for a party of 12.  We all got dessert - several canollis and ginger creme brulees and lemon cake.  I think one of the best things about dinner - aside from all the food coming out at the same time - was they close at 9:30 but they let us stay until almost 11 to finish up.  The service was excellent.  The food was excellent.  I am definitely a fan of La Bottega and will make the trip from Portland anytime.

A lot of people clearly like this restaurant, because it was packed at 1:30pm on a Thursday afternoon.  We actually had to wait 20 minutes for a table, and had time to browse the delightful little angel/crystal store next door.

La Bottega has a lovely atmosphere....high ceilings, a small section with imported grocery items, solid, heavy wood tables, large windows.  The service was also impeccable.  I only wish that I had enjoyed the food more.

Three of us started off with a caesar salad, and that item was memorable...whole spears of romaine stacked with a tingly and delicious dressing, and a generous sprinkling of parmesano reggiano.  The bread was also very, very good, and I later wished that I had ordered one of the delicious-looking sandwiches that I saw delivered to countless other patrons.

Where they fell down was the pasta.  Three of us ordered the bucatini with marinara, and were disappointed with it.  The pasta was slightly overcooked, and the sauce, well, I don't want to sound bitchy but it tasted like it came out of a jar!  Seriously not worth the 10 dollars or so they were charging for it.  Also, fish-lovin boy, my 7 year old, got the pan-fried rockfish, and he thought it was just ok.  But that might have been because he refused to order the herb sauce that came with it....:).  I tasted it and thought the fish was cooked perfectly, if a little underseasoned.

All in all, I would go back to La Bottega, but will order a sandwich next time!