Visited the Venetian Moon with an after work gang of 16. Simply put, even with a party of that size, service was spot in, and everyone had nothing but superlatives to say of their meal.
Our server knew the menu inside out and was quick to offer suggestions. He was not intimidated at all by the large group.
Appetizers got us off to a good start. We ordered stuffed mushrooms which were excellent and eggplant rollantini. I'm not an eggplant fan so I passed on that dish but others enjoyed it.
The salads were chilled and their house blue cheese dressing was pretty decent.
I had the veal satimboca for an entree, it it was one of the best I've had. It was a very nice portion of perfectly cooked tender veal medallions, Â topped with prosciutto and mozzarella, in a nice wine sauce over home made fresh fusilli pasta. I cleaned the plate.
A handful of others had their bone in swordfish steak, and raved about it. Â Another winner dish was the pappardelle ragu, which reminded me of a bolognese with wide noodles in a meat sauce.
Was it the best Italian food I've had? No. But it was very good and I will definitely go back.
10 stars for the drinks (esp cocktails!!!) Appetizers are mostly great too. Pasta and other meals are over priced for what they are. Seafood was a bit over cooked and the food was nothing to write home about but at North End prices. Great as a bar... Average and over priced as an Italian restaurant.
Review Source:A definite 3 1/2 stars. Â Went here last night with my mum, aunt, and cousin. Â We were greeted by some surly lady that obvi didn't care about customer service, eh, it's ok. Â We looked at the upstairs, more of a "bar" atmosphere, while tables are still available. Â The downstairs however, totally different vibe. Â The downstairs is very nice, great ambiance, nice tables, etc. Like polar opposite from the upstairs. Â We got a great table, an awesome server, and delish martinis to start. Â They have like over 50 to choose from, crazy!
So our server comes over and he's awesome, gave great drinks rec's and was super knowledgeable about basically the entire menu. Â He was very friendly and attentive without being over the top. Â We actually got to meet the Co-owner Lisa, and she was super friendly and sweet as well. Â Sooo on to the food!
I had the dirty martini with extra olives, it was the real deal, thank god it actually had a good amount of olive juice in it lol, so good. Â We all got martinis and all were good. Â
So for starters we got the eggplant rollatini, just enough enough for all of us to have one. Â Very good, nice red sauce, good ricotta, nice parm, delish overall.
All had different entrees, and all were pleased. Â I had the Veal Venetto. Â It was basically a new/different take on veal marsala, with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and shrooms. Â I opted to have their house made whole wheat fusili to accompany (all one dish), and it was delish! Â The pasta (fusili both reg, and whole wheat are made in house) was cooked perfectly and yummy. Â The veal was plentiful and the mushrooms were all over the place (love mushrooms!!!), the capers were just enough to be able to enjoy them, and the sun dried tomatoes were a nice touch. Â The veal could have been cooked a little less, but it was still yummy. Â And I mean, for the portions and what not, and the pricing, it's great. Â The service was awesome and I would def. come back. Â Great place to check out.
p.s. eat downstairs!!!! Â We went on a random Wednesday night, but yes...I've heard it's cougar town on the weekends lol. Â Haven't been there yet on those nights. Â Must be fun though!
Great food and martinis, but the service is terrible. Â We've been over 10 times, but the hostess is always rude and inconsiderate. Â If you sit at the upstairs bar, it is entertaining to watch the hostess continually be rude to each individual (Would recommend doing/watching this, as it is amazing that management hasn't changed this).
The upstairs bartenders are all great, however.
I thought the drinks were really good and inventive.
The food was good, not amazing, not foodie-rific, but def good by suburban standards.
Nice fresh pasta, which hit the spot.
Had an apple sangria that was fantastic.
I've never been here on a weekend night, but I hear it's a fun cougar-town.
Went here last year with my girlfriend for a nice date night.
Food was pretty good and my steak for once was cooked to a true medium rare which is hard to find. Â Portions were average for the price and the flavors were okay but overall a bit muddled. Â We each had a drink and though they were definitely trying to be creative I feel they need to work on their balance of flavors (sour, sweet, alcohol etc) in them. Â All in all for the money we spent there certainly are better choices but I would absolutely give them another go.
Two words, 'cougar bar'.
When I first went into this place, I was like... what is all the fuss about, this place sucks... then somebody told me to go downstairs. Â It was like I walked into the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and a whole new world opened up. Â There were MILFs and Cougars a plenty in an upscale modern looking lounge. Â
If you have your guns loaded and want to hunt down some cougars, you could do worse than this place. Â Get your martini glasses on and get on' huntin boys.
what happens if you put Olive garden food and portions in a martini bar. BINGO here it is.
Very well crafted drinks. Food portions border on grotesque and they do not want you to share even though the vibe is more bar than fine dining. There is a dark dungeon that you can goto to share food and eat tapas that feels detached from the restaurant.
So now what do we do with you..... If i am local and want to sit at the bar and have a few drinks and split some apps then its good. I am not sure I drive over 15 minutes to you though.
I have been here in the past for drinks. I had gotten a good coupon off of one of those coupon deals. $15 for $30 worth of food. On the coupon it said a December 15th expiration. A month before it expires I get an email from Eversave I believe saying, "Oops our mistake, this expires November 1st!" My thoughts, restaurant didn't want all these cheap coupons taking up their space during the holiday season. Just a thought.
I went with a friend of mine. I was hoping to just go and get tapas and drinks. Unfortunately once I got there the menu stated they don't serve tapas in the dining room on Fridays and Saturday before 9 or something. Was very disappointed. So I had to settle for an entree.
Even though I was craving a martini, we both decided to try their sangria. My friend got the red wine one and I got a seasonal apple one I believe. I regretted that after a few sips. Very, very watered down for a sangria! We had some bread while we waited for our entrees.
While we were waiting our table which was right next to the bar area downstairs, the bar area started to get pretty packed. I don't know if these people were waiting for a table or just hanging out. But one oblivious woman was standing so close to our table that servers had to squeeze by her and our table. I was waiting for someone to knock over my drink. Had to move my purse which kept getting hit. Finally we asked our server if we could move to the table next to us away from the bar. He said he'd be right back and help us. By the time he came back the host had already sat another couple at that table. :(
My friend ordered the Tortellini Al Forno and I got a dish, forget the name, can't find on menu online, but with fettuchini, pesto, and grilled chicken. It took forever for the meal to come out. I mean forever. I totally am understanding on a busy Friday night but 40 minutes for our meals to come out, a bit much. While they both were pretty tasty, my friend was overwhelmed by the amount of cream sauce on hers and could barely each much. I also was overwhelmed with how much oil was in my plate. Seriously, would you like some pasta with that oil. I know pesto has oil, but really my pasta was swimming in it! I took most of it home and before I put it into a tubberware container I strained out the oil. Filled about 1/2 a plastic cup. Oh yum!
Overall the experience was not great and not sure I would go back. They were lucky I had a coupon to help curb the cost of these overpriced entrees and drinks. Otherwise they would've gotten 2 stars. Â Apparently they have plenty of customers and would really care less about my opinion.
The food is good, but here is my gripe. Venetian Moon offered a special coupon through Eversave, a $30 gift certificate for $15. The deal was listed to run through December 10th. I purchased 6 of these coupons in the Spring as did my friends and we took turns using them when we went out. I went to dinner tonight at the VM and was informed the deal date (5 months into the deal) was listed wrong and it will end on November 1st....three days from now...Really? For a little more than the price of a cocktail that you make an 85% profit on, wouldnt you rather welcome customers in to your establishment  than push them away by blinsiding them at the door with a recant of a deal?
We spent almost $100 on dinner and drinks, so the $15 coupon that you threw in, works out to be about $5 or less on your part.. There are plenty of good places to eat VM, so pissing people off that bought into your restaurant isn't good for business, for a lousy month left on a coupon.
Don't know why this place has such a high rating. The people that work there are nice and they are timely but that's why this place got one star.
Place:
Upstairs - It looked nice
Downstairs - It looks worse than an  unfinished basement, they had cheap wallpaper and those square foam dust collecting tiles on the roof. The lights in there looked like mini spotlights from the 99 cent store.
Apps:
Stuffed Mushrooms - It was ok, but for $9 for 4 of them? I don't think so!
Artichokes - Sour, that sums it up.
Entree:
Pescatore Fra Diavolo - Plenty of shrimp, that would've been great if they didn't overcook it and make it into rubber. My wife liked the sauce because she loves ketchup, that's what it tasted like. The pasta was good, don't know how it was made.
Drinks:
I had a Blue Moon, thanks Blue Moon for making a great beer.
My wife had martinis, they were good, that's what she said!
Wow, I am impressed with Venetian Moon. Every morsel of food was absolutely delicious and bursting with bold flavors. My sister and I took my Ma here for her birthday dinner because of their extensive and innovative menu. We were dead set on trying as many things as we could without becoming physically ill, but still only ended up trying about 10% of the menu.
We dined downstairs, which turned out to be the perfect spot. It's a great atmosphere whether you're on a date with your sweetheart, out for drinks with the girls, or enjoying a night out with your hip, youthful parents.
The service was perfect. We were never in search of our waitress, but also didn't feel like she was breathing down our necks throughout the entire meal, which is so SO important.
On to the menu.
For apps, we ordered a mix and match of items from both the Tapas and Main menus, all of which are dishes I'd love to try to recreate at home:
-Sautéed Artichoke Hearts: Plum-sized, baked, and covered with mozzarella cheese. Bland would be the perfect antonym to describe the flavor.
-Pescatore Fra Diavolo: It had a nice kick to it, but wasn't too overpoweringly spicy. In addition to the hefty shrimp and scallops over our choice of pasta, they added cherry peppers and spinach which I had never seen in a Diavolo before. It was delicious. The leftover sauce on my plate made the perfect dip for the bread.
-Courgettes: Thick slices of cheesy grilled zucchini. They were moist without being mushy, and still maintained delectably crispy edges.
For entrees, we followed suit and all tried different things. The portions were huge, and everyone (except for dad) had leftovers for the next day's lunch.
-I had the classic La Piccata with chicken, which was honestly cooked to complete perfection. Zesty, tender, and most importantly not swimming in flavorless oil.
-My sister had the Saltimbacco, which she said was a little sweet, but still delicious.
-Dad got the Frutti Di Mari, which was so good he finished every last bite.
-The birthday girl got the Fusilli Ultimo, a lemon Zinfandel sauce over veal, chicken and shrimp tossed with a variety of spicy peppers. She was more than pleased with not only her entree, but with her entire evening.
Thank you, Venetian Moon, for a wonderful meal, and for allowing my sister and I to show our parents that their daughters have great taste!
This is a nice restaurant in Reading. Â The atmosphere is fun and not overly formal. Â You could go with someone special or a group of friends and have an equally nice time. Â The food was good. Â I had the swordfish chop. Â The fish was excellent. Â The sauce for the fish was a little sweet. Â The side dish was potatoes and broccoli. Â The broccoli was a little too salty and the potatoes a little over broiled. Â I'd give the fish four stars, the glaze two stars and the sides three stars.
The bar is good with a fine selection of mixed drinks and beer. Â I'd give the bar service four and a half stars. Â In fact if you just want a place to get a drink the basement here is a good place to go.
The service was very good and gets four stars.
I'd go back if I were in Reading it was a good experience.
The bartender, Paul is by far my favorite bartender at any restaurant. First he reminds me of the "most interesting man in the world" second he is spot on with his recommendations. He is so knowledgeable about the vodkas they have, and boy do they have a lot.
The food is delicious and the portions are big. They also have a tapas menu that is well selected. Mussels far diavlo is my favorite. Not spicy at first but it builds. Then there are the classic Italian dishes. The veal is so tender.
The decor is on par with the bars in Boston, but you dont have to deal with Boston parking or Boston people. Best of both worlds.
I went to Venetian moon on 9/25 with several friends expecting a great night out. Â I was very disapointed to say the least. Â They do not take reservations- Â even for large parties. Â (They should either say they wont be able to seat them or start to make reservations so they can be better prepare when we do come) Â We were quoted 1 1/2 hour wait - We said no problem.
The lounge was nice when we began our wait at 7:00 pm. Â We had a few apps and drinks while we waited. Â We waited so long we didn't know if we should order more aspps because as more of our group arrived they were starved. Â We assumed we'd be sittng by 8:30- so we didn't order more food just the over priced drinks. No such luck sitting soon. Â
By 9:00pm we asked how much longer.- The hostess co-owner gave us the run around. She said that the 1 large table they planed for us was done eating, even paid there bill but they did not leave. Hmm? Â OK how much longer do we wait? Â We got the same story for the next 30 minutes.
At 9:45 (That's 2 hrs and 45 minutes after we arrived) we still were told they didn't know when we could sit for dinner. Not one drink or dish of  apps were sent over to us as a nice gesture- sorry for the wait not once was spoken.  Hmm what's wrong here???.
What  had once been an accomidating loung became the place to hide guests who had no where to sit. . After that long wait any square basement room with no windows and simple decore becomes drab.
They had CSI on TV again not a upbeat atmosphere with blood and guts on TV while waiting over 2 1/2 hours. Â We were so disapointed with the lack of Customer service we left with never eating a meal.
All 10 of us vowing never to return and to tell everyone we knew how poorly they handles the situation.
My husband and  both own our own buisnesses. We spoke about POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE. They could have sent over a round of drinks or a few apps, or certainly after this amount of time asked us to return again and they would have a table all ready and waiting so we could see what good service there would be like. Not one comp item and a $200.00 bar bill.
The hostess/ co-owner actually was yelling at us and it became strangly heated. Â PROFESIONALISM AT IT'S WORST... She said she's been doing it her way for 10 years and she's not going to change. Â Therefore, I don't believe this review will have her rethink her service ways but hopefully you will rethink going with a large party on a Fun Friday night.
Venetian moon was a failure for our part of 10. Â :( Â Â :(
Gloppy, sloppy below average Italian. Â Some dishes are somewhat overpriced and some are laughably overpriced. Â Drinks are city bar prices. Â Do not get the fall sangria special. Â It was a disgustingly sweet mess for $10, complete with gross brown chunks of apple. Â
Expect at least 2 tables of 6-10 cougars each, being drunk and loud.
Service is hit or miss.
Finally, the only thing New York about this place is Staten Island.
Venetian Moon is a New York, upscale, Italian restaurant. Â Last night was my first visit to this establishment, it will not be my last.
The restaurant has two floors, an upstairs bar on the ground level, and a downstairs restaurant in the basement. Â The footprint is deeper than it is wide creating a bowling alley effect.
The bar is very dramatic (mirrored background), and is attractively stocked with hundreds of bottles. Â There are a small number of two-top tables upstairs, a nice setting for date night out.
The downstairs is New York flashy. Â All of the booths feature white leather, and Las Vegas style circular seating.
The food was really, really good. Â The homemade gnocci appetizer was delicious and perfectly prepared. Â The salad was fresh, the portion size slightly more than I could finish. Â I followed an earlier recommendation and ordered scallops fra diavolo with angel hair pasta.
My drink of choice was the reserve Chianti. Â Two glasses and I went home a happy patron, ready to go back.
The feel of Boston in the suburbs. Â One of may favorite restaurants of all times. Â
Fantastic martinis- extensive list, almost overwhelming there are so many choices. Â I know others mention the martinis are a bit pricey, but its about what you would expect to see at a similar lounge type place in Boston. The chicken Marsala is AMAZING. The portions are generous- a tapa sized chicken marsala is enough for a small meal. Â
The atmosphere is great and good for people watching  (agree with the cougar comments) .  Parking is easy- there is a huge lot in the back of the building but  you can usually find street parking.  Never would expect a place like this in Reading!
4 years from now Sammi 'Sweetheart' will be waitressing here and 'The Situation' will be a bartender, on Tuesday nights. If the sign out front had read 'The Jersey Shore comes to MA' I wouldn't have thought twice.
Despite the fact that it looked like Ed Hardy and self-tanner threw up on everyone, we had a great time. Of course the martinis are off the hook, and the menu is super extensive, so if you can't find one you like you haven't tried. I had to drive so I only had three (don't judge me), the 'Berry Cosmo', the 'Bartlett Pear', and the 'Godiva Raspberry Truffle' for dessert (I said don't judge me). They are poured table side which is a nice touch.
When we got there they said an hour wait for our party of 6, but either the wait wasn't nearly that long or the martinis are more potent then I thought because time flew. The waitress was great, and very patient since at times our group eating out is like trying to herd cats. The food was good, not 'North End quality' like I've seen in other reviews, but still good...especially for the middle of Reading. Â The downstairs is the main dinning room and did have a bit of a basement/rec room feel with bad carpeting and 'column jewelry' but parts of the decor were borderline chic, so they get a pass.
Hope to go again soon not as the designated driver so I can get trashed (there you go judging me again).
I've been to Venetian Moon several times and every time I leave wondering why I don't come here more often! Â It's such a fun, friendly place, super-conveniently located right on Rte. 28 in Reading. It's North End quality good, without having to go into the City!
They have an extensive menu of over 70 different martinis and each one I have tried has been expertly made. Most recently we had the raspberry martini and esspresso black martini. Both were super yummy. Â
They offer both tapas portions for about $10 a plate (which is actually about the size of one normal portion) and also full-size entrees, which are enormous, for about $18-$22 a plate. I was able to make 3 meals out of my last dinner there, so it ended up being a great value!
Most of their entrees are served with or over an amazing homemade pasta. They even offer a whole wheat past option, which is fantastic as well. If you're looking for something a bit different, I highly recommend the Octopus and Scallop Fra Diavolo. It is a bowl of hot and spicy perfection!
This is my favorite place in the suburbs for martinis (4 pages! All delicious!) and Italian food. Â
The food is yummy - my favorite appetizer is the shrimp and scallop scampi and my favorite entree is the baked haddock w/ shrimp. Both are well prepared and super flavorful. Other dishes that rock include Stuffed Mushrooms (better than my nana makes!), Veal Parmesan (NOT chewy, which is amazing for veal) and Chicken Limone (great sauce!).
The martini list is extensive, and every drink I've sampled has been balanced perfectly and delicious. Martinis worth noting: Lime Gimlet, Raspberry Lime Rickey and Peach Bellini.
Being an Italian, I am super picky about tomato sauce- Venetian's is *good* but, a little on the spicy side.
The atmosphere is fabulous - intimate tables, nice bar, funky lights/art work.
My only complaint is the insane amount of cougars - but being in the suburbs...I understand why that crowd is drawn to this place.
Solid Italian food, but after living in the city, I'm sort of attached to some places in the North End. For the suburbs, though, you don't find many of better quality than this. The drinks are good, the food seems fresh and is prepared well.
I got the octopus last time I went and it was a little rubbery, but the rest of the mean was really quite good. I highly recommend their gnocchi, actually.
As far as I know, this is really the only bar within walking distance of my house, too. So, I mean, if I want a drink not-at-home, this is the only  show in town for me.
The last time I was at Venetian Moon was a Friday night. The drink menu had a lot of nice cocktail options on it as well as wine. I didn't have anything to eat, but the drinks were good.
The bar housed an older, after work crowd, but was not intimidating or uncomfortable. This seems to be, as Alan L. stated, a girls' night out kind of place.
For not being in Boston, Venetian Moon is classy and easy.
Yummy yummy yummy Martinis. Â
Feel of the place is a typical "try to make the suburbia's feel like they are in Boston" look to it. While they are at it- they make you pay Boston prices too. Â But as I live in the 'burbs- I'm more than pleased to have a place local to take people that is not a chain or a loud kid friendly place. Â
The food was OK. Â I think its more of a place for drinking. Â Next time I think I'd prefer the apps or tapas menu to the entree. Â Excellent date place and good for a big group or a girls night out.
Pros: Awesome drink menu, fabulous martinis, chic setting, delicious food, dirt cheap prices, great venue for a large party (for us, a bachelorette party).
Cons: Slow service, mediocre waitstaff, minimal parking, reservation iffiness, hole in the wall in the middle of nowhere.
All in all, I did enjoy the experience at Venetian Moon. I wouldn't go out of my way to go back but the value is superb. Just expect a long wait for drinks, apps, and dinner.
It's not a bad restaurant. The food is pretty good. Just don't venture downstairs. It's a lost world down there. Someone once said they considered it a pretty good place to meet women. I would agree, but only if you are looking for one of these three types:
1. Chubby suburban bachelorettes in short skirts and heels, even in the snow, out for a party but don't want to take it all the way into the city because they know that's where the real talent hangs out and they'd never get a second look. You'll spend the entire night trying to crack through the giggly OMG candy shell.
2. Faux high-class guido chicks born and raised on the north shore with spray tans and teased hair who think "da moon" is equal parts 'high quality cuisine' and 'happening bar and social scene' because the tables have candles and table cloths and all sorts of shiny mirrors in the bar area.
3. Middle-aged cougars with "Virginia Slims" voices and all manner of animal patterned clothing. They love the fact that the martini menu is 3 pages long and they don't have to stray too far from their den in the suburbs. Any drive longer than 20 minutes gives their men enough time to sober up or come to their senses about hooking up with a human fupa with caked-on make-up.
It's such a random place to be in Reading - but I'm glad it's there. Â The food is good but go hungry because the portions are massive. Â Large portions are helpful there though because it's hard to not indulge in the huge list of martinis. Â My favorite is the coffee one. Â So good.
Incredibly, there's a bar scene there. Â Really. Â Check it out, you'll have a great time. Â Beware though, one time we went there to get a drink after dinner at home and we couldn't get in. Â It was a Saturday night at about 9pm. Â There was a bouncer and a police man at the door. Â The guy waiting on the sidewalk had been waiting to get in for an hour! Â Considering it was sub-zero and I had no desire to wait, we left without going in.
I loved this place. Â I never knew it existed until my girlfriend told me we were going there for dinner! Â We're in our mid 30's and this place was perfect for us. For starters:
- The atmosphere was great! Â After being at some martini bars in Boston, this was a nice change. Â Huge screens that show random landscapes, interesting lighting, and very clean!
- The wait was very short! Â I was surprised at how quickly we were sat at such a busy place! Â
- The wait staff was very nice, courteous and friendly!
- All entrees came with a salad. Â I thought this was an antiquated idea (and only for family chain restaurants), but I was happy to get some ruffage with my dinner.
- The food was excellent. Â My meal was a pasta mix of veal, shrimp and chicken and it was excellent! Â The party of 4 I was with also enjoyed their meals!
- We ordered 2 bottles of wine and a few martinis (excellent!) along with 4 dinners (where we took some home because of the portion size), and the bill (with tip) came to under $200.
If you want a great martini bar but don't want the hassle of driving and parking in Boston, this is a fantastic place to go. Â I was very impressed with Venetian Moon and would definitely go there again.
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the plate of pasta was so so so much bigger than my head (2x) but also more expensive. Â i couldn't finished it all.
the apple martinis were so so good. Â i had 2!
the highly recommended choco-martini was so SO bad. Â i had only one sip. Â boo
the tiramisu was so very yummy, i hogged it all from my friends :)
the drinks list is extensive- worthy of another visit (if it's not all out in Reading!)
the room is ok and dimly lit, but kinda too plain and a bit weird
why weird? Â there are continuous images of fire bursting on flat screen TVs (??)
so overall, it was... Â so so.
Venetian Moon is...interesting. Â The food is good, the drinks are good - but I don't think that's the reason most people go there. Â The atmosphere is pretty cheesy, especially downstairs. Â It definitely seems like 'the cool place to be' for suburbanites. Â I went there with a couple of friends on a Wednesday night and they were saying things like, "I feel like I could be at my high school reunion." Â and, "We seem to be really out of place - but I think it's a good thing." Â
I think the owners have done a great job with this restaurant and there will always be a good crowd. Â The crowd we saw consisted mostly of people in their late 20's through 40's. Â Lots of women in tight black pants with fake tans, straightened hair and plenty of make up. Â Lots of men who would be interested in that kind of thing. Â
The live music was absolutely terrible. Â There was a man on a keyboards and a woman singing who managed to butcher every single song she sang. Â
The good things about Venetian Moon is that it's easy to get to and there is plenty of free parking. Â The waitstaff was very nice too.
So you don't feel like driving into the city right but your in the mood for Martini's and a lounge experience? This is def the place in downtown Reading. The Martini list is extensive, and I liked the food menu as well.
My complaint is it is VERY hot downstairs. We asked several times for them to turn ON the AC!
Overall I liked it as an alternative to Boston.
Went here for dinner last night with a friend. Â Easy to find, with lots of parking behind the restaurant.
We were asked if wanted upstairs or downstairs seating. Â The upstairs (where you walk in) was very dark and looked like a typical bar. Â We chose the downstairs, which had sleek white sofas, giant plasma screen tvs on the wall showing pictures of waterfalls, aquariums, and mountains; and candles on the round tables.
We opened up the drink list and saw that there were about 150 different martini options. I chose "La Rosa" which was made with Tequila Rose and various strawberry liquors and mixes. Â My friend got the strawberry martini. Â For dinner I chose the gnocci al forno and she had the chicken parm. Â Each entree comes with a decent sized salad, and the greens were very cold and crisp. Â Probably one of the best salads I had.
My gnocci was cooked perfectly, with the right amount of marinara sauce. Portions are huge, so I wrapped half up. The chicken parm was gigantic (it was a huge flat piece of chicken) that came with a choice of pasta. Â If you wanted to sub the pasta for something else, you were out of luck. No substitutions. Â I think I enjoyed my meal more than my friend did.
I'm giving it a 4 stars because when the martinis first came out they weren't a complete serving. Â The waiter fixed the problem, but still, disappointing. (They pour them tableside). And it wasn't that great. Â Also, the waiter took FOREVER to take our payments, which dampened the experience. And finally, they don't have coffee since they've renovated. Â Kinda unusual.
It's a pretty cool place, but I would only go for dinner. I liked the food and ambiance, but that's it.
I love this place! The food is delicious and so are the martinis. The atmosphere upstairs is a lounge-like martini bar. Great choice for a night out with friends or a cool first date. The vibe downstairs has more a restaurant feel if that is what you are looking for. They are in the process of expanding and I can't wait to see how they change it. It can get crowded but it is well worth the wait. I tend to sit in the bar area and order from the tapas style menu. It saves a few bucks and you still get a ton of delicious food. I highly recommend the Chicken Limone and Shrimp Fra Diavlo. I have never been disappointed by anything that I have ordered. The waitstaff is very friendly and the service is excellent.
p.s. love the pomegranate martini!
A friend wanted to meet at this restaurant and I had no idea what to expect. Â They have a very large selection of vodkas but a LOT are FLAVORED. Â Their martini list is poor, there is no information on the various types/differences on any of their vodkas.
The wine list is atrocious and not one worth mentioning. Â The food was no shakes either. Â One of the fish dishes even claimed to be sauteed in WHITE zinfandel! Â I chose a veal dish that came as a pile of food without any sort of presentation. Â All the flavors just mixed like soup. Â Awful.
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