Vivo Kitchen
| Address: | 15435 Founders Ln, Apple Valley, MN 55124, USA |
| Phone: | +1 952-891-8808 |
| Site: | vivomn.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 3–9PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–12AM 10AM–12AM 10AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
GE
Geoff Pike
My family and I dined at Vivio tonight for the first time; overall we were not impressed. Let me begin by saying the stone and wood work in the restaurant is beautiful, but the modern abstract flair scattered around the restaurant does not coordinate well with it. The bar area looks nice, but it is so loud thst throughout the restaurant you can hear the music, 80s Rock primarily, throughout the main dining area. That, combined with the confused decor, muddles the identity of the restaurant. The service at the table was attentive, but awkward; uncomfortable might be a good word to use. We ordered the Ahi Tuna Crisps and the Calamari with garlic aoli to start. The Ahi Tuna Crisps were good; though theyd be better if they were served on a wonton crisp instead of a cracker. Also they needed a bit more of the sauce drizzled across them. The Calamari seemed fresh, but the fry was quite oily which resulted breaking falling off and also being slightly soggy. The aoli that came with the dish was not a true aoli, which is made using egg yolks, but instead was mayo based. The mayo was overpowering, and quite unpleasant. They said their kitchen is a scratch kitchen, so I wonder if they made their own mayo... We had two Caesar Salads, these were good. Although, due to the color of the lettuce, it was apparent the romaine was a little old; it hadnt spoiled yet though. Two in our party ordered the fettuccine dish. This was an oily disgusting mess. It was incredibly bland, which is a shame because the freshly made pasta they serve there is actually well-made. The Seafood Lingunie was not bad, the pasta was made well, and the flavor of the broth was acceptable. The seafood component was a little off-putting however because the fish did not taste fresh like they claimed it is. The Spaghetti and Meatballs dish was hit and miss. The red-sauce used in the dish was good, but slightly bland. Again, the pasta itself was well-made... The big letdown were meatballs. These meatballs are made of veal and finely ground sausage. They were bland, soggy, and had the smell, and I imagine the taste, of wet cat food. Seriously, meatballs are easy. Good meats, onion, garlic, fresh herbs, egg, panko, salt and pepper, and celery sead makes a great meatball; these were disappointing. We paid way too much for the garbage we were served. Based on how empty the restaurant was, I imagine other people have had similar experiences. I give them maybe a year or two before they close; unless they learn how to really cook food. We will not be back.
EL
Elle S
Updated review (see original below): unfortunately the last two visits to this restaurant have been disappointing in contrast to my first review, and I cannot ignore this happening twice. The service and food have been inconsistent, and at times just wrong. A server today was unfamilar with lunch/dinner hours (tried to tell me today they only do happy hour from 2-4pm which is about 6 bar food choices only, no lunch menu) despite what their signs say. She didnt want to seat us outside during slow hours even though the weather was perfect and partly why we chose to eat there because of the beautiful patio. She said they didnt have any servers for the low tables. Last time we couldnt sit outside at all. Pasta has been undercooked twice now and one time it was partially discolored, salad was wilty. No bread service since our first visit...not sure why. So sad because we really loved this place and had made it a regular stop. I guess our first visit was just a rare, shining moment, that could not be duplicated. Original review: You cannot go wrong with scratch made pastas and original sauces. Truly the best Italian Ive had at a restaurant, in a long time and possibly ever! Lively bar crowd, but the restaurant is quite large and beautifully decorated. Outdoor patio looks peaceful overlooking water, and a nice party room available for larger groups. Kids menus and fun coloring page with clean crayons. We will definitely be back!
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Kevin Calgren
What a pleasant surprise! I go out to a new restaurant every Saturday with my wife and generally we do not go further south then Bloomington due to the absolute desert of quality restaurants down there. We heard about VIVO and took the 40 minute drive to check it out. My steak was amazing and surpassed many of the trendy downtown Minneapolis steak houses. It was great to see a quality restaurant in the southern suburbs and hopefully they will expand to multiple locations that need them. Do yourself a favor and check it out. Due to this we had VIVO take care of Network Medics holiday party catering and it was a huge success with our staff. The ribs were absolutely glorious as was the chicken, cole slaw, corn muffins, and other sides. The cost was more affordable then other places downtown, so it was awesome there too!
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andrew kroth
I frequent Vivo from time to time and I ordered the Ribs Platter last night and they were phenomenal!! Im from Texas so I know good bbq. These were perfect! Definitely smoked and sause was on point! I will definitely order these again. Everything is always good here, but the ribs are my new favorite!!! Unfortunately ordered the same thing a week later and they forgot the mashed potatoes I ordered. No coleslaw. And no bread that they asked me if I wanted... I even gave the hostess a $5.00 tip for getting my order. I called and the manager took my info and said he was going to mail me a gift card. Never received that. Kinda a bad experience when I gave such a nice review from my week before visit. Guess Ill take a break for awhile...
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J Leckington
New to the area and decided to try somewhere new for dinner. When we walked in, we were told that there was an hour wait since we hadnt made reservations. This was disappointing as we were there to celebrate my birthday. I asked if my party would like to go else where and when the occasion was mentioned, Devin the host, asked us to wait a moment. She then got us right in. The food was wonderful and filling. Just when I thought I couldnt eat another bite, our server brought out a brownie sundae with a candle and sang to me. On the way out of the door, Devin again wished me a happy birthday, making me feel very welcome. Kudos to your staff for making this a wonderful night.
MA
Matthew Gantz
Vivo is a great place for a drink and appetizers - especially during happy hour, when they feature solid discounts on otherwise somewhat expensive dishes and drinks.They have a nice patio and a large indoor dining area as well. The place is definitely a step up from casual, but you wont feel too uncomfortable in shorts and a nice shirt. Overall this place gets a 4/5 because the wait staff made us feel a little awkward at times (they were not always extremely friendly). Other than that slight issue, Vivo is a great spot.
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] Amanda Bedell
Went for my mother in laws birthday. Started out good and rapidly went down hill. Busy when we arrived but waiter checkd in right away. Ordered appetizers and they took a very long time. Restaraunt was empty by the tim we received our food. When we finally received our food it was cold. Order a hanger steak, worst steak Ive ever had, bad flavor and cold. I ate my daughters $5 pizza instead. Very disappointed. Received 2 free deserts which did not seem to be enough for disappointing 6. A 160 bill for aweful food:(
