Post by ssmynkint on Mar 14, 2011 6:38:18 GMT -5
Alleia
25 E. Main St.
Alleia has established itself as downtown’s fine-dining Italian restaurant. Since opening, it has received many accolades for it’s interior design and décor. The wait-staff has been unfailingly enthusiastic (almost effuse) and helpful.
Chef/owner Daniel Lindley describes the food as “Italian inspired” and rustic. The menu, which changes a little seasonally, lists 8 (or so) antipasti, salads and a soup, 6 pasta dishes -”Primi”- ( house made daily and available in half-portions on request), 6 “simply grilled” entrees-”Secondi”, pizze and side dishes-”Contorni”. The menu is written in the pretentious “insider” style, referring to a tomato sauce as “pomodoro”, with repeated references to “balsamic,” “reggiano” and “hand dipped ricotta” and generally not translating/describing the dishes.
Antipasti are relatively basic, easily assembled dishes; (unevenly) topped flat-bread, bruschette, and proscuitto with fruit. The steamed mussels were plump and served in a light tomato tinged broth with a dash of pepper-flake, great for sopping up with bread. The calamari are of excellent quality, lightly breaded , fried and served with lemon slices. Unfortunately, there is a consistent problem with poor coordination between cooks and wait staff; four of five times the calamari have been ordered they sat under a heat lamp so long that by the time they reached table they were only warm and had become soft and oily. The finely sliced beef carpaccio was properly dressed, light and elegant. Salads are nicely composed, but not out of the ordinary.
The parpadelle- a wide, flat ribbon noodle- with veal breast was dressed in a rich and flavorful veal jus sauce, although chunks of veal had to be cut to be manageable. The goat cheese ravioli benefited from the contrast of the tangy cheese and a simple slightly sweet tomato sauce. The pasta carbonara ( charcoal makers’ style) had crisped dice of tasty pork-but not the smoked pork-jowl that is traditional- and was tossed in an egg emulsion sauce, not with fresh egg yolks. It was an interesting dish, but far from a true carbonara, lacking the pleasantly unctuous mouth-feel and rich egginess of the real deal.
Sweet, succulent sea scallops were superfluously draped with pureed peperonata (sautéed red bell peppers), but the swordfish benefited from the same sauce. The high quality lamb stood out against it’s sauce, but the mild pork tenderloin, unevenly cooked, was lost beneath the currants and grilled red cabbage. The pizza was judged very good. Entrees were served with “risotto” - an Italian pilaf-like dish - which is made daily, not per order. The resulting dish is more like rice gruel; there is no real texture, certainly not al dente or creamy, and no discernible flavor.
The house made gelato was chiffon-like, lacking density, richness and intensity of flavors; wild berry was best, the hazelnut tasting more of almond extract and chocolate then filbert. The panacotta was fine and the flourless chocolate cake dense and rich.
12-14 wines are offered by the glass. Eclectic, with an Italian focus, the wine list is adequate, but with a generally high mark-up , up to 3 ½ times retail.
Dinner of two antipasti, ½ order of pasta, two entrees, wine, a desert and two coffees totaled $120 without tax or tip.
Alleia presents as rustic. There is no great complexity to the food, nor any need for fancy technique. Success requires quality raw product, good conceptualization and consistent, focused execution. The product quality at Alleia is beyond criticism. Conceptually, the product can get lost in superfluous or out of balance flavors, and serving a rice casserole as “risotto” is just ignorant. Execution is inconsistent; without an expeditor coordinating and supervising, too many errors slip by. Compared to Lindley’s other two restaurants, Alleia could be much better.
14-Mar, 11
25 E. Main St.
Alleia has established itself as downtown’s fine-dining Italian restaurant. Since opening, it has received many accolades for it’s interior design and décor. The wait-staff has been unfailingly enthusiastic (almost effuse) and helpful.
Chef/owner Daniel Lindley describes the food as “Italian inspired” and rustic. The menu, which changes a little seasonally, lists 8 (or so) antipasti, salads and a soup, 6 pasta dishes -”Primi”- ( house made daily and available in half-portions on request), 6 “simply grilled” entrees-”Secondi”, pizze and side dishes-”Contorni”. The menu is written in the pretentious “insider” style, referring to a tomato sauce as “pomodoro”, with repeated references to “balsamic,” “reggiano” and “hand dipped ricotta” and generally not translating/describing the dishes.
Antipasti are relatively basic, easily assembled dishes; (unevenly) topped flat-bread, bruschette, and proscuitto with fruit. The steamed mussels were plump and served in a light tomato tinged broth with a dash of pepper-flake, great for sopping up with bread. The calamari are of excellent quality, lightly breaded , fried and served with lemon slices. Unfortunately, there is a consistent problem with poor coordination between cooks and wait staff; four of five times the calamari have been ordered they sat under a heat lamp so long that by the time they reached table they were only warm and had become soft and oily. The finely sliced beef carpaccio was properly dressed, light and elegant. Salads are nicely composed, but not out of the ordinary.
The parpadelle- a wide, flat ribbon noodle- with veal breast was dressed in a rich and flavorful veal jus sauce, although chunks of veal had to be cut to be manageable. The goat cheese ravioli benefited from the contrast of the tangy cheese and a simple slightly sweet tomato sauce. The pasta carbonara ( charcoal makers’ style) had crisped dice of tasty pork-but not the smoked pork-jowl that is traditional- and was tossed in an egg emulsion sauce, not with fresh egg yolks. It was an interesting dish, but far from a true carbonara, lacking the pleasantly unctuous mouth-feel and rich egginess of the real deal.
Sweet, succulent sea scallops were superfluously draped with pureed peperonata (sautéed red bell peppers), but the swordfish benefited from the same sauce. The high quality lamb stood out against it’s sauce, but the mild pork tenderloin, unevenly cooked, was lost beneath the currants and grilled red cabbage. The pizza was judged very good. Entrees were served with “risotto” - an Italian pilaf-like dish - which is made daily, not per order. The resulting dish is more like rice gruel; there is no real texture, certainly not al dente or creamy, and no discernible flavor.
The house made gelato was chiffon-like, lacking density, richness and intensity of flavors; wild berry was best, the hazelnut tasting more of almond extract and chocolate then filbert. The panacotta was fine and the flourless chocolate cake dense and rich.
12-14 wines are offered by the glass. Eclectic, with an Italian focus, the wine list is adequate, but with a generally high mark-up , up to 3 ½ times retail.
Dinner of two antipasti, ½ order of pasta, two entrees, wine, a desert and two coffees totaled $120 without tax or tip.
Alleia presents as rustic. There is no great complexity to the food, nor any need for fancy technique. Success requires quality raw product, good conceptualization and consistent, focused execution. The product quality at Alleia is beyond criticism. Conceptually, the product can get lost in superfluous or out of balance flavors, and serving a rice casserole as “risotto” is just ignorant. Execution is inconsistent; without an expeditor coordinating and supervising, too many errors slip by. Compared to Lindley’s other two restaurants, Alleia could be much better.
14-Mar, 11