Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
Nothing screams âdate nightâ like an evening out with your significant other at a nice romantic Italian restaurant. âScreams,â being the operative word, will be explained later. Please read onâŚ
Jim had a taste for his favorite Italian dish, Veal Saltimbocca, and the restaurant that made it the best years ago was Cucina Bella in Algonquin.
Cucina Bella
220 S. Main Street
Algonquin 60102
(847) 458-2504
cucinabellaalgonquin.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 to Algonquin Road East to Main Street, South to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 25 minutes
Our evening started off on a high note when pulling up to the restaurant we found a vacant parking spot right in front of the door. Things are looking up for this evening. We walked in, gave our host/hostess our name and reservation time, and then we were escorted to our table. Things are still looking up.
When we sat down, we couldnât help but notice the noise level in the restaurant was equal to that of a Led Zeppelin concert. The waiter came over and asked us for our drink order and we both replied, âwhatâ? He repeated his question and we screamed our drink order. We decided to look at the menu for an appetizer, and I asked Jim what he wanted. His reply was âwhat?â Things are going downhill rapidly.
In the middle of our yelling match, the busboy brought over a basket of bread. There was a bottle of olive oil on the table and a practically empty jar of parmesan cheese for dipping. The waiter returned to take our appetizer order and Nancy informed him that we had no plates for our bread, and hardly any parmesan cheese. He said, âwhatâ? Nancy repeated the request, and he screamed back that he would take care of it. When he came back with the plates and cheese Nancy then screamed, we would like the Fried Calamari ($15) for our appetizer.
The waiter brought over our calamari and asked if we wanted anything else. We said, âwhatâ? He repeated the question and we told him plates for our calamari would be nice. He promptly stole them off the table next to us.
The calamari was very different from the normal. Picture cutting a squid in four pieces, the rings were that huge. When you cut into it, the breading fell off and you were left with a pale white piece of squid. We like squid if we donât know itâs squid, thatâs why itâs called calamari. In all fairness, you do get a lot for your money, but it was not to our liking. After trying one piece, we left the rest. Our waiter didnât seem concerned when we didnât want a doggie bag for it.
Jim was excited to get his beloved Veal Saltimbocca ($26). This was veal topped with prosciutto and mozzarella cheese, baked in a sherry wine sauce. It was served with a side of pasta marinara, and your choice of soup or salad. He chose the Pasta Fagioli soup which was chock full of veggies and tasty. Unfortunately, the saltimbocca was not as he remembered it. There was a special seasoning that was missing which made the dish a disappointment.
Nancy went with the Personalizza La Tua Pasta because it sounded romantic. This was a create your own pasta, and she chose Aglio Olio ($15) which is garlic, olive oil, parmesan, and crushed red pepper. She decided on orecchiette pasta and added shrimp ($7.95) and broccoli ($2.50). What arrived was a huge bowl of pasta with only four shrimp and about eight broccoli florets. It was tasty, but she said it needed more garlic. She took most of her meal home in a doggie bag.
I asked Jim what he wanted for dessert and he said, âwhatâ? I repeated myself and got the same response. After having to scream all evening long, I decided to take out my phone and text him. He decided to forgo dessert since our romantic date night got lost in all the noise. An interesting point is that the drink and dessert menu had no prices.
In conclusion, this restaurant is the perfect place for the modern family that doesnât talk to each other and just plays with their cell phones. Seriously, the noise level was so bad that a younger couple sat down next to us and asked to be moved to a quieter table. Maybe that was because Nancy and I were screaming at each otherâŚ
By the way, we had a Groupon coupon that we forgot to use since we were both anxious to leave. That was a real downer.
The price for our romantic night out was $78.25, getting into our quiet car, pricelessâŚ
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible. Reservations are a must on weekends.
Jimâs take: My romantic dinner backfired. All the noise gave Nancy a headache.
Nancyâs take: What??? What did he say???
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