R.I.P.: D'Acqua

R.I.P.: D'Acqua

D'Acqua had a great, if cursed location. This address on Pennsylvania Ave. has been the site of a number of restaurants over the years, but none seem to really stick.

With an Italian cuisine, it would seem a natural power lunch hit. But I'm afraid I never saw it full.

My one lunch there was alright, but not great. I had mussels in a tomotoe sauce - always a mistake, just too messy to really enjoy. The bread was really good though!

Meal: Lunch
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: 3 November 2009
Address: 801 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20004
Website: N/A

Il Vicolo: Italian in Melbourne

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Il Vicolo

Meals for larger groups can be tricky. Either the diner or the restaurant needs to make compromises that often lead to a less than satisfactory mean (see for example, some of my dines in Vienna).

But then there are times when things click. Our group of thirteen paid a visit to Il Vicola, near the Melbourne Museum after a successful morning of meetings. The menu was simple, a few starter options, a few entree choices, and some desserts. A choice of a red or white wine.

Sensing that Melbourne would be a good seafood town, I went with the Classic Queenscliff Crayfish bisque for my starter (though not usually a crustacean type of guy). A nice bit of soup, just the right touch of the sea in a tomatoe base with a dollop of cream.

For my main course, I went with the BBQ pork, veal, and fennel Continental sausages with Spanish onion sauce, and mashed potatoes. A very tasty sausage indeed and the onion sauce was nice. I skipped the dessert and finished with an espresso. Each diner also shared in a bowl of greens for the table.

Service was a bit slow, but understandable with the size of the group (and the size of the kitchen).

Il Vicola pulled off the group lunch with aplomb.

Meal: Lunch
Date Visited: 2 June 2010
Rating: ****
Address: 50 Grattan St., Carlton, Melbourne, VIC 3053
Website: http://wwwilvicolo.com.au

Columbus (Avenue)'s Isabella's

Isabella's

Rumor had it that Isabella's was known to harbor celebrities. Seinfeld had been spotted there as well as a selection of Baldwins. Well, if they were there, I didn't see them. But the fault could have been that I was with a large group. A really large group, sixteen people. For whatever reason, the reserved table didn't work out, so three of us peeled off to be the satellite "kids" table. Ended up working out well!



The three of us decided to split two of the tasty salads for starters. We went with the Poached Bosc Pear Salad (Wild Arugula, Camembert Cheese, Toasted Walnuts) and the Warm Goat Cheese (Organic Beets, Baby Greens, Toasted Macadamia Nuts, Sherry Vinaigrette). Both were good, but I liked the warm goat cheese best (the beets were fabulous).

For entrees, we all went with meat. A filet mignon, pepper crusted sirloin, and my choice, the Creekstone Farms Boneless Short Rib (with Garlic Whipped Potatoes, Baby Vegetables). The meats were all quite good and well prepared. The short rib was for tender and the sides done just right.

As regular readers know, I'm not usually a dessert person, but our table decided to split the Dark Chocolate "Bag" (Fresh Raspberry Mousse, Seasonal Berries Filled & Topped with Fresh Whipped Cream). Tasty, but, again, I'm just not big on desserts.

Isabella's also offered a nice wine selection and the service (especially for our large group) was handled well. Overall a nice dinner.


Meal: Dinner
Rating: ****
Date: 21 March 2010
Address: 359 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024-5103
Website: http://www.brguestrestaurants.com/restaurants/isabellas/index.php

Chicago styled, Italian Village

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Italian Village

A Chicago institution since 1927! Family run for 80 years! Haunt of visiting opera stars! Dark! We got pasta!

I don't know, how to you rate an old fashioned Italian restaurant, that is not only old fashioned, but just plain old? Our group of six was seated in a snug booth in a dark corner (well, the whole place was dark, part of the "atmosphere"). All the "traditional" Italian restaurant touches (paintings of "ruins", "marbleized" walls, yadda yadda). "Bottle of red, bottle of white, it all depends on your appetite" (whoops, that's Billy Joel).

Our table started out with a huge plate of serviceable spicy calamari; I added a side salad and for a main course had a nice chicken risotto.

All well and good; good service; but not quite my cup of Chianti.



Meal: Dinner
Rating: **
Date Visited: 12 July 2009
Address: 71 W Monroe St., Chicago, IL 60603
Website: http://www.italianvillage-chicago.com/

R.I.P.: Joe Tarrentino's

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

R.I.P.: Joe Tarrentino's

First off, this isn't the more famous Tarrentino's on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. In fact, the bigger, more famous Tarrentino's once sued the smaller Joe Tarrentino's in South Lake Tahoe for use of the name.

But hey, what was Joe supposed to call his place? Alioto's? Joe won that case, but time eventually took it's toll and Joe Tarentino's eventually closed.

Tarrentino's was the first "real" restaurant that I remember going to. It wasn't a Denny's or a Dairy Queen. There was a maitre d' (usually Joe himself or one of his daughters). Joe and family were friends of my parents (well, I'm guessing they were friends of most of the year-round residents in South Tahoe), and Tarrentino's was where we went for a "nice" dinner when we weren't going to a restaurant in one of the casinos (in those days, just Harrah's, Harvey's, and the Sahara Tahoe).

The place always struck me as dark, but maybe that was the style. Big banquet style booths (we always seemed to sit in a booth).

And the food? It was Italian (in case you haven't guessed). I probably usually got spaghetti or maybe ravioli. But what I remember where the antipasto plates. Carrots, olives, little gherkins, the usual. And the bread, with little pats of butter! Nothing really special, but the kind of things that said "restaurant" to me then and probably still does to this day.

So Joe, thanks for the memories and for the pasta!

Meal: Dinner
Rating: N/A
Date Closed: ?
Address: South Lake Tahoe, CA
Website: N/A

La Cucina Sul Mare

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

La Cucina Sul Mare

Located in the heart of downtown Falmouth (right off the village green), La Cucina Sul Mare offers comfortable seating in a nice large dining area.

But you've probably come for the food!

But not yet! Take a look at the wine list and select from a large and interesting selection. Now, on to the food.

Offering a variety of traditional Italian dishes, all your favorites will be there. Marsalas, Piccatas, Limones, and Milanese are offered in fish, pork, chicken, veal, etc.

For starters, there are the typical antipasti, as well as soups and salads. Our table took the special salad. A salad for $12.95 seemed a lot at first, but we were assured our group of four could split the dish. And indeed, when it arrived, it was more than enough for four. This was my first "warm" salad! A delicious mix of green, dried cranberries, nuts, and cheese, that was a hit of the table.

From among a mouth-watering selection of specials, our group choose the scrod with sweet potatoes and the pork osso bucco (sadly, the braised lamb shank was gone!), and - from the main menu - Sole Limone.

Service was fast, friendly and helpful (for both the wine list as well as dinning suggestions).

Overall, an excellent dining experience on the Cape.

More pictures.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: **** of 5
Date: 29 September 2008
Address: 237 Main St., Falmouth, MA 02540
Website: N/A

Il Radicchio (Arlington)

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Il Radicchio

Many of the reviews of Il Radicchio are a little hard on them. It's a pretty tiny restaurant and service can sometimes be slow. Still, I've never had a bad meal here (for my favorite, see below).

I'm generally not a big fan of Italian restaurants since I cook Italian at home and a restaurant has to really do a good job to impress me. Il Radicchio fits that bill!

In addition to the Salsiccia e peppornatto, the other hits on the menu are the spaghetti and pizza. Spaghetti is served in a huge bowl (all you can eat) with a choice of various tomato and cream sauces (NOT all you can eat!). The pizzas are excellent, hand-thrown, thin crusts baked in a wood-fire oven. There are a number of "set" versions or you can build your own.

The restaurant can get a little noisy when full, and the sidewalk seating isn't very picturesque (parking lot and condos!); the interior has lovely trompe d'oeil paintings on the walls and horseshoes embedded in the floor!

There's a good wine selection, but the house chianti always seems to go well with anything!

Dish: Salsiccia e pepperonatta, roasted Italian pork sausages with roasted peppers and tomato sauce
Meal: dinner
Rating: **** of 5
Date: 6 May 2008 (regular dining spot)
Address: 1801 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201
Website: N/A