(30) Eat in 10 New Restaurants (22/20)Restaurant: Calabria Restaurant
Rating: 1-star
I visited Calabria with a couple friends for dinner on a Friday night. I should have known we were in trouble when we couldn't figure out which door to enter. When we finally got some guidance by another patron we walked into a dirty and dingy curtain hanging as an attempt to shield the restaurant from the outside elements.
First impressions were that the interior was clean and nicely decorated albeit a bit sparse. We were greeted by the friendly host and were told a table would be ready in a moment. Shortly there after a different host seated us promptly in the dining room opposite the bar.
Sadly the aforementioned curtain didn't do its job and we asked to be moved after a frigid breeze came pouring into the restaurant from the entrance. We relocated to the second room where it was not only warmer but considerably quieter. I hadn't noticed how loud the previous room was until we were moved.
For an app we ordered the bruschetta while we reviewed the menu. The ingredients were fresh and tasty and it was a great way to start the meal. Sadly the good experience ended when the bruschetta plate left the table.
We each selected a salad as a next course. What we got was an over dressed average salad with a few sliced onions and two tomato wedges.
for our entrees two of us selected the chicken saltenboca. I might be wrong but I believe it is correctly spelled saltimboca with an im and not an en. The chicken was swimming in a lake of broth but was unfortunately dry and tasteless. I had to ask for a steak knife to keep the table from shaking as we all sawed through the cheese and prosciutto.
As a side we both had pasta one with a meat sauce and another with a tomato Alfredo sauce. Sadly the sauce was heavy and drowned the pasta.
Our third dining partner had the chicken consentino. Unfortunately the ingredients (artichokes, olives, and sun dried tomato's) were all from a can or jar. The sauce was a wine reduction that needed a little bit more time to reduce. The whole meal seem disjointed and lacked any continuity and left you looking for more.
Not really satisfied with our dinners we hoped dessert might leave us wanting to return. The tired looking selections instead left us asking for the check instead.
All three meals lacked that wow factor and were average at best. This isn't the place for a quiet romantic meal or a relaxing night out. It has lots of promise and could be a great restaurant but it has lots to improve to really be a 4 star restaurant. At nearly $20 a plate It was priced more like an urban hit rather then a suburban dud.
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