Tuscan Moon Grill on Fifth
| Address: | 203 5th St, Kalona, IA 52247, USA |
| Phone: | +1 319-656-3315 |
| Site: | tuscan-moon.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | Closed Closed 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM 11AM–2PM Closed |
Location
Photos 89
Reviews 8
MA
Matt Uhlman
Tuscan moon is a place weve been hearing about for year and after finally making it down, it lived up to the hype. The restaurant is located in downtown Kalona inside a renovated, old hotel. The entrance is through their patio area at the back of the place, but its worth staying on the patio if the weather permits. We sat outside on a nice summer evening and with a light breeze, it was very pleasant. We stepped inside to take a look at the decor and it was quite impressive. Darker woods, some great, rustic furniture and mirrors as well as nice lighting set the ambiance for dinner and will impress the antiquarian in you (had to look that one up!). The bar was especially impressive and worth checking out. Upstairs were an additional small dining room and my favorite room in the entire place - the lounge. Its a waiting room with a small bar, some great tables and overall, a really unique feel to it - the sort of place youd love to sit and enjoy a glass of neat scotch. Put a couple big leather chairs in here and Id camp out all night! Back to the food now. The wine selection and beer selections are both pretty extensive. The wines included both standard choices as well as a good number for the more refined palate. The beer selection included the standard brews as well as plenty of specialty beers including the Trappiste #10 - the best beer ever ever! The selection of entrees ranged from $10 - $26 and included a half dozen pastas and 8 or so meat options, the majority of which were steaks - score! Between the four of us, we had the pasta bolognese - excellent and not too heavy, the pasta w/ dill salmon - fantastic flavor with a good amount of creaminess, but not so much that you were tasting it hours later, and a rib eye - a good steak, made great by the bleu cheese. The pastas were served al dente and they definitely got it right. The roasted garlic risotto as a side was straight awesome. It was flavorful, relatively light, and a perfect amount to share. The chef here apparently was at Lincoln cafe in the past, but got sick of the drive - Tuscan Moon wins! The five star bump here came from the atmosphere that was created with the addition of the live classical guitarist. We found out they have live music every Saturday in the summer and it really created a great feel for the place. The overall package of food, service, and ambiance made for the sort of experience weve found in many of the small town restaurants surrounding Iowa City. Im excited to come back here in the winter when well get a better feel for what its like inside.
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shooters addiction
What a wonderful place to have a very intimate dining experience. I have had the privilege of having several wonderful meals. The food is not your average menu, rather it is very creative. For example I was delighted to experience the mahi mahi tacos during one recent visit served with a corn and bean and cabage mixture that made the tacos a peasure to taste. The wine list is extensive but organized very well. The owners visit each table to check on you. They both always are able to offer great wine parings. I read other reviews complaining about slow service and the numerous times I have dined there I have been more then completely satisfied by the quality and service. The Tuscan Moon is a dining experience that should be enjoyed, you should enter the dining room with the idea that it is time to slow down, relax, and enjoy the atmosphere. If you are looking for an applebys or lone star steak house then this isnt the place to be. But if you want a high standard of service and quality then please visit. Please do not write negative reviews because you expect a fast food restaurant thank you for reading my review
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Noah Parks
My wife and I ate here in January. We had the lamb chops and a beef ternderlion, with delectable sides, and ordered side salads. The service was impeccable, as the servers were very knowledgeable about the menu, with great recommendations for wine and dinner items. In addition, the beef tenderloin was cooked perfectly as ordered, medium-rare and the lamb medium. Lastly, the atmosphere was warm, romantic, decorative, and friendly. The owners came around and made sure the experience was perfect and very genuine. I was told the special items are constantly changing and to come back and try one of the special. We would return as we are locals and Tuscan Moon has a very unique and special atmosphere. I
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Cole Brandt
(6:30pm) When we arrived we thought the place was very pleasant and had been sympathetically renovated. This, however, is one of the only positive things I can say about our experience. Table service was painfully slow. Unless you are being accompanied by good conversationalist be prepared to leave. When we managed to get our appetizers the Crab cakes "tasted like soggy crackers" and were wordlessly whisked away by a server who "knew the problem and didn’t have to ask." (8:30pm) The shrimp scampi is only one of deconstructed dishes and outdated presentations and a parody of how fine dining can be. If you are traveling from Iowa City, save the trip and go somewhere else.
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Todd Wilgenbusch
Horrible service! Over 3 hours to get our food. Was not even busy yet took 30 min to get our drinks and we were never asked again if we wanted drinks. We had to go to the bar to get them ourselves. Waitress acted as if she could not care less if we were taken care of. The owner had the same attitude. I have never felt the need to write a review on a restaurant before, this is my first, but I have never felt so insulted by wait staff/owner in my life. We will not be back. There are many other restaurants out there that deserve your money over this establishment. Good luck to them if this is how they treat all their clientele.
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Jennifer Mordan
We went on the Thursday evening and it was not too busy at all. The owner was wonderful and attentive. The waitress was also very accommodating. She even adjusted the volume of the music at our request. It was a little bit of a wait for the food but it was worth it. I had the Dill Salmon pasta which was absolutely wonderful. Along with a Pinot Grigio from their extensive wine list. My husband enjoyed the pork rib dinner. The atmosphere is old rustic, warm and inviting. It is a bit pricey but really great for a special night out!
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Ryley Thompson
Exceptional restaurant. We came here on a Thursday evening in January so we were actually the only people in the restaurant. Given that, the service was extremely quick. We really enjoyed the food. I ordered the carbonara with shrimp. It was prepared excellently and it was clearly from scratch. I started with crab cakes (huge and delicious) which came with an amazing chili jelly. The wine list is extensive and the beer selection is pretty strong. Ill be back again!
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cymerax
Good food and atmosphere, the service was very slow, but what I find most unsatisfactory is that they are only open 4 days a week and closed on pretty much every holiday Ive ever come by. Frankly thats a very poor business model - it says they, the management, come first and their clientele a distant second, so Ive decided not to continue to give them my business. Ill frequent establishments who cater more to the needs of the customer.
