Tavolàta

Reviews 7

MA

Matthew Nelson

Ive been meaning to try this place, and ended up here with my gf after waiting at List for them to run out of gnocchi yet again :/. First, the food. I had the $18 Papardelle - Beef Cheek Ragu, Grana Padano. This dish looked like it was going to be good, but it had a vague hint of what I can only describe as chocolate flavor, that really threw the dish off. The noodles were cooked well. My girlfriend had the $25 Potato Gnocchi - Young Matsutake, Baby Shiitake, Parmesan. For being one of the highest priced dishes I was expecting it to be more. In my opinion, gnocchi is such a heavy starch that it most palatable when paired with rich surroundings. In this case the flavor was very bland, not much mushroom or much of anything adding flavor. The Matsutakes were barely noticeable, and likely added to the menu in order to fetch the higher price for the "Seattle" vibe. Unfortunately we were comparing the gnocchi to our true desires down the st for 1/2 the price. At the last minute we opted for bread, which of course is a $4 up-charge. Service was overly friendly but not efficient, reminded me of a corporate atmosphere, waitress made sure to push appetizers and higher priced dishes right from the start of the conversation which instantly turned me off, I was almost looking for her "flair", lol. Playing 80s music which is cool, but not ideal for a fine dining Italian restaurant. Ive only tried 2 of the other ES restaurants so far, but overall, I forsee another Tom Douglas style mediocre chain in the making. Ive seen this before, Once these chefs start opening multiple restaurants their true colors as businesspersons show as money rapidly overshadows their passion for making good food. Fortunately Seattle is plentiful with independent chefs making great food. I foresee another Tom Douglas style mediocre chain in the making.

---

F.

F.

We stumbled onto this place because it was 10:00 at night and we didnt intend to go to a bar. This place had good reviews and a dining area open for under age of 21 people up to 11:00 pm, so we decided to give it a shot. The price point was ~$18-$30 for an entree. For example, the Gnocchi alla Romano was $18 and the Ravioli with black truffle was $26. Desserts were all under $10. Portions sized werent huge, but they were filling and well-proportioned after we sat for awhile and realized we were pleasantly full. The ambiance of the restaurant is very bare, stripped down with concrete walls a lot of candle-like lighting, but is overall very cozy and romantic in a low-light setting. The service in our experience was attentive and polite. Waiter did his job, but otherwise left us alone to talk to each other (which is perfect for the romantic mood of the spot) Then, most importantly, the food. The food was of obvious quality. The gnocchi was soft and tender to the teeth. The sauce was well-balanced and had good flavor. The better dish of the two as far as impact (for us) was the Ravioli with black truffle! It was a "Oh my god" on the first bite kind of dish. It had a much smaller seeming portion, but every bite was just as delicious. Overall, a strong recommendation. Lastly, we tried the seasonal sorbet (Pink Lemonade) and the doughnuts dish for dessert. The sorbetto was delicious, very tart and refreshing. The doughnuts were VERY light and paired well with the very bitter, dark chocolate sauce they come with. In short, a great spot for top quality food even if its late at night. A good spot for a date due to the ambiance and quality of food. A really good gem of an Italian restaurant.

---

MI

MinDea My Life In Bites

We were looking for a new place to try out one night and decided to check out Tavolata. We had heard it was good but didnt know a whole lot about it. We made a reservation and Im glad we did. This place gets busy! Our waitress was nice, but at times I felt a little rushed by her. We were wanting a nice relaxing evening out with a 3 course meal. For the appetizer we ordered the Macrina Baguette and the Fingerling Potatoes. The potatoes came out first and they were pretty darn good. That sauce! It was creamy, rich and had a nice touch of heat to it. So good. The baguette was good...but it was just a regular baguette that you would normally get complimentary at an Italian restaurant. I wouldnt bother ordering this again. For dinner I ordered the Ricotta Ravioli and my boyfriend ordered the Rigatoni. The brown butter sauce on the ravioli was amazing! The Rigatoni was very good but a little heavy. For dessert we ordered the Lemon Donuts with Chocolate sauce. My boyfriend really liked these. We watched them get dropped and immediately brought to our table. So Fresh! At the end of the meal they brought two single serving bags of fresh made pasta. Lagana Pasta. Such a great idea!

---

TH

Thomas Po

Dinning at Tavolata is always a treat. Their house-made pastas are wonderful. My favorite being gnocchi, has just the right texture with that soft, silky, pillowy dough that has just enough bite. The Grilled squid on their appetizer is a must. We played it safe and ordered the rigatoni (with sausage in tomato sauce) and I requested the Telefono be made with butter sauce rather than tomato since we didnt want 2 tomato dishes. The chef was happy to oblige and it was amazingly velvety smooth/rich dish that we couldnt finish it. First time trying lobster mushroom (w/ asparagus) and reminds me of oyster mushrooms, but these might have been dried and reconstituted which gave it a more pronounce woody/earthy flavor and hardier bite. Amazing.

---

DA

Darren Chan

Amazing spot for Italian pasta. Great place for groups events to date night. An Ethan Stowell restaurant with a great selection of pasta, wine, and beer. Bring your appetite because the portions for pasta are generous. Have frequently eaten here to try the entire menu. And its the same great experience. My favorite starter is the beet salad. So simple and delicious. Pastas are all great in their own way you just have to go with what you are craving. My favorite desserts are the zeppole and the peanut butter cheesecake. All Ethan Stowell restaurants now have a gratuity policy of 20% added to all bills. Just as a FYI. But do not let this deter you from a great dining experience in any of his restaurants!!!

---

JE

Jeff Fisher

Ive been to Tavolata twice and I just dont get it. I have no idea how it gets such high reviews. It seems to me this place is running off of Ethan Stowells reputation and little else. This would explain all the turtle necked Belltown yuppies at least. The service is alright. Its hard to get a table, I had to wait both times. The bar was packed. The food was mediocre. Portions were small for the price. The chick pea salad was weird. The Agnolotti was bland and the Gnocchi over cooked. Its a big, cold space not at all inviting for an Italian restaurant. On the plus side, I didnt get sick and the Altesino red wine the waitress recommended was good.

---

KE

Kelly Walsh-Lackey

I was completely disappointed. I ordered a chicken dish that was tasteless and had to be picked off a bone. For $88.00 I got chicken on a bone, my daughter received ten ravioli and a glass of wine. No salad, no side dish, no bread on the table. If I wanted to pick chicken off the bone I would go to KFC. As far as forcing customers to pay 20% gratuity, if you want to make sure your staff is paid well, pay them a decent wage. Dont force your customers to do your job and pay extra to an already inflated price for food.

---

---