I have to admit that the service didn't start out fantastically, but it did dramatically improve quite quickly. There was no host/hostess to seat us and I stood next to the menus for awhile before someone noticed me and we were seated. And then there was quite a lag between putting in our drink orders and when we ordered the rest of the meal. Finally, we had to prompt the waitress to tell us the specials - and she even had to go check in the middle of telling them to us in order to go make sure she wasn't forgetting any. But after those initial stumbling blocks, the waitress was attentive, but didn't hover (I have it when the keep interrupting your meal). The dining room was quiet enough that after the initial order, it was easy to catch her eye and have her come over if we needed something.
We started the meal with some crusty Italian bread - the kind that is hard and crispy, but also crumbly on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. YUMMY. It also came with a small platter of olive tapenade on crustini, carrots and pepperonchini. Something to tide one over until the rest of the meal arrives. I love olive tapenade, and they were nice enough to bring seconds when we devoured the first round. We then moved on to our appetizers - the mushroom cap special and the escargot. The escargot was classically done - snails in their shells cooked in a butter and garlic sauce. I did feel like the flavor of traditional escargot includes more herbs in the butter/garlic mixture, but Violi's put their own spin on it with a squeeze of lemon juice over the top, which was nice and refreshing. The acid of the lemon juice cut through the richness of the butter. It was surprising but very nice. The mushroom appetizer was, without a doubt, the highlight of the night. It was a grilled portobello mushroom cap, filled with creamy goat cheese, and then piled with a fresh tomato slice and slightly wilted spinach. The plate was then finished with a balsamic reduction. It was such a complex flavor, we nearly licked the plate clean. The mushroom was rich and meaty, earthy and dense without being heavy. It was filled with creamy and tangy goat cheese mixed with just slightly cooked spinach which added some slight crunch in texture and a fresh veggie flavor. The balsamic reduction was sweet with an undercurrent of acid to add some brightness to the dish. I have to admit we loved this dish so much, I tried to replicate it at home, and to be honest it wasn't easy to do with the same complex flavors and finesse that the original had.
My fiance got his favorite Italian dish on the menu - Veal Saltimbocca! I've only had this once before, but I can see how he finds it so appealing. Let's take an amazingly tender cut of meat, add cheese and prosciutto, and how can you go wrong? Personally, I couldn't eat a whole plate of it, but I don't like really salty food. The cheese and prosciutto add an assertive salty flavor, but it does have a melt in your mouth, luxurious quality. We got it with a side of pasta, which mixed well with the gravy. I think the best pairing would be a vegetable - it would add a fresh and bright component to a dish that is rich and almost thick. It would add texture to the meat which was so tender that it didn't even need a knife.
I ordered the tiramisu for dessert, which is always a risk for me. I love tiramisu, and have frequently been disappointed in the past by dry, almost cake like attempts at this classic dessert. Violi's present their dessert in a martini glass. Now, this presentation is not my favorite. As a vertically challenged person, having food another 8 inches off the table, makes it much closer to eye and mouth level and awkward for me to eat. I can, however, understand why a vessel like the martini glass was picked. The tiramisu was scooped into the glass as it was almost trifle like, with large pieces of lady fingers soaked in coffee and liqueur, and sweet dollops marscarpone cream holding it all together. It was moist and full of coffee flavor, allowing it to live up to it's name of "pick me up."
