Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
Archestratus, the first food critic, praised Italian cuisine's "top-quality and seasonal" ingredients and "fair to middling" ability to tranquilize rampaging baboons. Today's Groupon similarly stuns, and rightfully so: for $10, you get $25 worth of Italian cuisine and drinks at La Tavola Ristorante Italiano, an elegant, understated eatery nestled in the heart of Little Italy.
Famed Executive Chef Carlo Vignotto started his culinary career as a child in Venice, where he helped chop veggies in his grandmother's seaside restaurant. Now armed with an Italian culinary degree, he deploys his perfectionism and creativity in La Tavola's kitchen, serving up comforting classics with an upscale twist.
La Tavola's antipasti menu features a wide variety of tempting treats of all temperatures and states of matter. The bruschetta on homemade garlic bread gets mouths moving through crunchy hunks of toast drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and adorned with basil and fresh tomato ($6.95). Gourmet entrees showcase fine meats, sharp cheeses, and crisp veggies, as well as fresh, handcrafted pasta that's made on-site daily. The linguini con taleggio e tartufo tosses luscious linguini with taleggio cheese, pioppini mushrooms, speck, and fresh-ground truffles ($19.95), while sea scallops are served with shiitake mushrooms and foolhardy sun-dried tomatoes who were only trying to get a tan ($21.95). Rinse down your rations with pours from the fully stocked wine list, or chase your savories with a classic Italian sweet such as tiramisu, perfect for luring a shy date out from underneath a Garfield mask.
Reviews
Baltimore City Paper reviewed La Tavola Ristorante Italiano. OpenTable reviewers give it an average of four stars, and six Citysearchers give it an average of 4.5 stars.
- This slightly off-the-main-drag restaurant has established itself as a perfectly companionable choice for diners looking for a little innovation, skillful preparations, and a well-dressed but relaxed atmosphere with some cash left over to get back to whatever shore they came from. – Richard Gorelick, Baltimore City Paper
- Service, atmosphere, and cuisine were outstanding! – OpenTable user who dined on 02/05/2011
- The food was INCREDIBLE, all fresh. The bread was so good and fresh, makes me want to be a baker. The dinner and desserts were mouth watering. The portion was perfect, you walked away with a full feeling, not a [sic] bloated or over stuffed. – ds tahoeskier, Citysearch
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Aug 21, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 3 per person. Limit 1 per table. Valid only for dinner. Not valid on Mother's Day. Tax and gratuity not included. Not valid with other offers. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About La Tavola Ristorante Italiano
Chef Carlo Vignotto's love of cooking began simmering during his childhood, as he worked at his family's Venice restaurant, before rising to a rolling boil as he earned a culinary degree and studied under some of Italy's master chefs. Now owner and executive chef of La Tavola Ristorante Italiano, he demonstrates his passion for the culinary arts with made-from-scratch pastas and Italian dishes crafted from fresh, high-quality ingredients. "La Tavola's strongest suit is its lineup of pasta dishes, a few of which can compete for top ranking in or out of the neighborhood," reads the Baltimore Sun, its pages flecked with cream sauce and ground truffles. Seafood, chicken, and veal courses also appear on the menu and Chef Carlo can oft times be seen preparing them as a special guest on the news.