ABBONDANZA!

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.

Social media is a wonderful thing. Where else can you learn about a household “hack” that will wind-up taking you twice as long to do a chore. You can read a post from someone trying to convince you that the earth is flat, complete with Photoshopped pictures. Also, you are able to engage in a rousing argument about which is the best toe nail clipper. We have to admit, sometimes social media does come in handy, like when we heard the buzz about a new Italian restaurant in Marengo. It piqued our curiosity, so we locked up little Rosie in her crate, armed our GPS, and dashed off to Abbondanza Cucina.

We parked by the front entrance of the restaurant which is not handicap accessible, but the rear entrance is, if you can find it. The venue is small with 14 tables. There is one bar to the right in front of the kitchen which they use as a staging area for the waitresses and carry-out orders. In a back room there is another bar and three tables.

After we were seated, the waitress brought over a basket of warm crusty Italian bread to dip in the olive oil, parmesan, and balsamic vinegar that was on the table. This was a welcome treat while we looked over the menu.

We decided on the House Bruschetta (4) for $9.95 as our appetizer this evening. This was to be baked crostinis, fresh diced tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil. What arrived looked fantastic, but was disappointing. The crostinis were soggy, there was not even a hint of garlic, and the fresh basil was missing in action. They also drenched the top in balsamic vinegar which totally overpowered everything.

Nancy had a taste for Traditional Spaghetti and Meatballs ($19.95). This was spaghetti with meat sauce and two meatballs. What came was a huge bowl of pasta with two small meatballs on top. It was unappetizing to see a ring of orange grease from the meat sauce around the rim of the bowl. This was tasteless and needed seasoning. For her side she had a house salad with honey vinaigrette dressing.

Jim ordered his favorite Italian dish, Veal Saltimbocca ($23.90). This was veal cutlets topped with prosciutto, sage, sauteed in a white wine sauce then baked with mozzarella, and served with asparagus. He changed out the asparagus for angel hair pasta with meat sauce. Here again, it was a huge portion but lacking flavor. It was just mediocre. He chose pasta fagioli as his side and it was very watered down.

We thought we would give desserts a try since we were really disappointed in the appetizer and entrees. Jim ordered the Tiramisu ($7) which was two layers of mascarpone cheese and fresh cream between lady fingers soaked in rum and espresso. This turned out to be a ginormous slice that could easily feed two people. The only problem was, there was a puddle of espresso and rum at the bottom of the plate. We wouldn’t recommend this dessert if you are the designated driver. The bitter espresso and the abundance of rum overtook all the flavor.

Nancy wanted to try the Limoncello Mascarpone Cake ($6). This was layers of sponge cake drizzled with limoncello and topped with creamy lemon infused frosting. What showed up was a teeny-tiny piece of cake that was just okay.

We had high hopes for this restaurant, and I’m sure the staff is trying very hard, but they missed the mark on so many details. We did take huge doggie bags home, added our own seasoning, drained off the grease which all made a difference in the taste.

The price for our evening out was $75.97. Being disappointed in a new Italian restaurant, bummer…

Jim’s take: It was MY idea to try this restaurant and Nancy won’t let me live it down.

Nancy’s take: When we received our bill, we saw they rounded up the pricing. Not very business-like since their menu with pricing is on the website.

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com

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