I've enjoyed exceptional cuisine in Italy, and C'era una Volta might be at the top of the list. It's a hidden gem, tucked away in its own little garden. The food is amazing, but the value was the true head turner. We had several platters of the antipasto, the raw seafood, focaccia, various asparagus oriented dishes (their specialty) even before we had our entrees. I had the the steak, which was good, not amazing, but that was likely because my adjacent colleagues had the polenta, the mushroom risotto, and the spaghetti frutti di mare and I had exceptional food envy.
We had several bottles of wine, dessert, and then grappa. The bill was around $100 per person. A meal of this caliber in Milan would have been 3x. In the US, in a major city, probably closing in on $400 per person.
We vowed to return and make this restaurant a regular in our rotation. Amazing. read more