Lago di Como Ristorante & Pizzeria

Reviews 4

CO

Cory Ban

This is definitely one of the best Italian places I have been to in the tri-county area. I would have preferred the ability to give it 4.5 stars, but there are no half stars. I came w/ 2 friends. The Italian Soda needs to be served with a straw, or something to stir the drink with. Due to the fact there was no stirring utensil all of the syrup for the drink was at the bottom, so there was little flavor until the end. Italian Soda is supposed to have the carbonated water and syrup mixed together. We also made the mistake of not asking for a straw as well mind you, and the friend who ordered it believe it was meant to be that way. I am hoping that this was a simple oversight/mistake that we also forgot to correct. This is the main reason I couldnt bring myself to give the restaurant a 5 star rating. My friend ate the Minestrone with gusto, so I assume he enjoyed it. I forgot to ask The Gnocchi was delectable from the piece a friend gave me. It had a great texture which was a combination of soft resistance and creaminess of the wrapping, cheese, and sauce. This dish was not too grainy or watery at all, and went well above my expectations. This restaurant actually does a great job at making Gnocchi I have gone to too many places that have an overly grainy and/or watery texture, which this restaurant did not have an issue with. Flavor-wise there are no complaints from me, although I think a hint of pepper may have improved the dish some. The Bolognese Penne Pasta was made fairly well. I personally felt that the pasta was under-cooked slightly, but not by too much. It was just one stage away from the desired Al Dente I prefer. This pasta had slightly more resistance than I am used to, but I did not request for an alteration due to being unsure whether "authentic pasta" is meant to have that much resistance. That being said I believe they did a great job with their sauce. The meat did not have its entire flavor sapped from it during the cooking of the sauce, which happens fairly often in my experiences with this sauce. The texture of the meat was excellent as well between a stewed and seared texturing. The flavor of the sauce itself was good as well, but not outstanding. I think there needed to be a little more chopped vegetables in the distribution of the sauce it would have added more texture and flavor diversity into the dish. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish and would be willing to order it again. The Chocolate Soufflé had a nice flavor and texture to it. The quality of the chocolate was nice and rich without being overpowering. One of them did, however, come out deflated. This is something that can happen fairly easily, so I dont think there is too much reason to complain over it, but it does need to be noted. I feel if they used higher cacao content it would have been even better. I feel higher cacao content would have been better because it would have had a stronger flavor, and some powdered sugar on top could help alleviate the bitterness. The amount used definitely suits the average persons palate more. I ordered the Tiramisu. I enjoyed the dish quite a bit, and my friends seemed to like the share I offered them as well. It did need a little more coffee flavor in it. I enjoy a contrast between strong bitter and slight sweetness. I believe they put in just enough chocolate for the dish to accentuate the flavors of the mascarpone and coffee. The texture of the lady fingers was just right, and absorbed the flavors of the surrounding ingredients well. I feel there should have been slightly more lady fingers in the dessert itself, but there was just enough to not be too dissatisfied by it. I think the whipped mixture was done incredibly well having a good balance between airy and thick the way it was meant to be. The service was magnificent. Our waiter Dan did a great job with his attentiveness and check timing. He and the staff kept our bread and waters filled. I would recommend this place to a friend, and come back again myself. I think it is one of the better restaurants in this county, especially for Italian.

MA

Mark Hanford

This was our first time at Lago Di Como, and Im not sure well be back. The menu and ambiance were great, but our waiter seemed to have very little actual knowledge of the menu. My Italian pronunciation isnt perfect, but I had to repeat all of our dishes with the English description. We asked him for various things throughout the meal, and hed always stop and do something else, making us wait for whatever we requested. Annoying. His reading of the dessert menu did nothing to inspire us, and he couldnt tell us where the Gelato was made, and when he went to the kitchen and asked, he got the name wrong when he came back and told us (because we happen to know the Gelato maker). The squid ink linguini with clams and mussels was acceptable, though not as good as Id hoped. My date ordered the Puttanesca special, and got a tiny bowl of spiral pasta with puttanesca sauce. Not sure how this justifies the $18 or so price tag. The wine we ordered was a red Primitivo, and, while it was okay, it was actually quite warmer than room temperature. I dont expect red wine to be chilled, but I dont expect it to be warm. So, all in all, we dropped $100+ or so that we could have spent at better restaurants in the Santa Cruz area. Bummer.

DU

Dustin Vaden Pascal

Walking in the door, I was greeted with the pleasant aroma of fine Italian food, decor fitting of the setting with gentle lighting, and a gracious host who seated myself and my date promptly. Our server Carlo brilliantly explained the specials of the night and made suggestions upon our request. We ordered drinks and an appetizer which were served promptly by Carlo with a pleasant demeanor. We ate the best caprese of my life. The cheese was warm, succulent, creamy, and savory. The tomatoes were ripe and sweet. The basil was fresh. The prosciutto had a perfect saltiness to balance the flavors. Exquisite. For dinner I ordered the seafood stew and my date had the ravioli of the day. There was seemingly no wait from finishing our appetizer to being served our main course. The stew was the best Ive ever had, far surpassing any cioppino Ive had in the past. Big chunks of perfectly cooked albacore and salmon, clams galore, and decadent, herbaceous broth with a light tomato flavor. The ravioli were cooked to perfection and covered in a delicious sauce. Our plates were cleared promptly and Carlo returned to ask if we were interested in dessert or coffee to finish our meal. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone.

AN

Andrea Invernizzi

I really suggest this place. Im Italian from lake of Como and the dinner here has been fantastic! I felt like I have been in Bellagio tonight. The Chef is from Bellagio, the lake town from which the Bellagio casino in Vegas is named after. The pizza was just as at home, very flat and with few selected ingredients. The pasta (ravioli) in our case where really tasty as all the other plates. We ate a very good appetizer with a carpaccio and a Burrata plate. We tried a very good fish dish aswell as a very good meat one. Personally I love desserts and I was just waiting for it. The tiramisu was just great, didnt taste too much after coffee. The place atmosphere is just romantic and nicely decorated