La Tavola Trattoria

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Hi my loves! I'm back with another foodie post, this time we have ventured out to an "authentic Italian trattoria." 

La Tavola came highly recommended by a friend and based on the restaurant's online reviews, everyone seems to really enjoy the food and appreciate the service. I absolutely love Italian cuisine, so it doesn't take much convincing to get me to try new restaurants, especially when their reputation precedes them! 

On this particular evening, we tried the Salumi Board, Squid Ink Spaghetti, and the Lobster Spaghetti. 

I must say, I really enjoyed the Salumi Board; I think it was the perfect starter, and I mean, you can't really go wrong with some cured meat and pickled peppers!

My Lobster Spaghetti was selected off of the Abbondanza menu (which literally just means "plenty" in Italian...) and it was a "half-portion" plate, so if you have quite the appetite, you may want to stick to their regular entrée sized portions (this was the only serving size offered for my lobster dish, so I didn't really have a choice). I was really excited to try this dish because I LOVE seafood and paired with some form of pasta, OH MAMMA MIA! What could be better?! (Did you choke on the cringe factor, I did a little.) And of course, who could resist wanting to try squid ink pasta because if made correctly, it is absolutely delicious and just gorgeous when plated and dressed- a stunner!

We had quite the wait for our main dishes because apparently the kitchen had been a bit backed up, and I honestly didn't mind too much because we could all clearly see how packed the restaurant was. The staff was also so lovely and our server seemed to have a wealth of knowledge when it came to explaining each dish and even suggesting wine pairings (if you're into all of that...). But let's just cut to the chase because we came here for the food!

So, here comes the sad bit- I had such high hopes for these dishes, but they honestly disappointed me quite a bit. 

In the Lobster Spaghetti dish, the lobster was cooked perfectly, but my spaghetti was undercooked. No, it was not al dente- I am fully aware of the consistency of pasta cooked al dente, and this was not it. The cook on my pasta was inconsistent because I had pieces that were perfect, but the majority seemed to be a bit underdone. Perhaps a minute or two more in some boiling water, and it could have been perfect. 

As for the Squid Ink Spaghetti, there was the same inconsistency in the overall cook of the spaghetti (also it was not my 'genius' idea to shower a dish containing quite a bit of seafood, in parmesan cheese...boys will be boys I guess). The calamari was cooked well, it was not rubbery, and the overall flavour of this dish was nice, but the fact that the spaghetti was not cooked properly left us really disappointed. 

On to a sweet note; for dessert we tried their tiramisu because I just cannot resist a tiramisu if I see one on a menu. You guys! When I say this tiramisu was absolutely delectable, I mean it! I've never had one quite as "elevated" as this; it had a hazelnut-praline, mascarpone mousse, and an espresso granita that we initially mistook for caramelised sugar bits or something. It was perfectly delicious and light, all while being so incredibly satisfying. I could honestly pop in just to order this dessert! Not sure if you can tell, but I really enjoyed it.

So overall, what have I learned from this trip out to La Tavola? Their Salumi Board is a great starter to share and their Tiramisu is out of this world. But when you claim to be authentic Italian trattoria, you better serve perfectly cooked pasta!

OVERALL THOUGHTS ON LA TAVOLA TRATTORIA

Ambience: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Food: 3/5
Value: 3/5

- Would I dine there again?

I don't know that I would necessarily dine here again (at least not any time soon) because there are already so many restaurants that serve great Italian cuisine, and they nail their pasta every time, so I don't see why I would bother driving out to La Tavola. But I will give them the benefit of the doubt that the error in undercooking the pasta could have been due to oversight considering how hectic the kitchen must have been, peroooo, they're busy almost every single evening....so is that even an excuse?

- Things I enjoyed?

Their tiramisu

I'm sure I may be in the 1% off people who don't rate them 5-stars, but hey, I gotta keep it real with you guys. Let me know if you've ever dined at La Tavola, what was your experience like? What should I try next?

xoxo

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