Taking a dive into Ippolito's Italian Cuisine.
A door to another world. An entire experience in just one place. The comfort of home and the excitement of a brand-new, authentic experience. All of this is what visitors of Ippolito's Trattoria receive. Stepping inside feels less like entering a restaurant and more like being welcomed into Italy itself; the smell of spices wafts through the air, friendly staff are there to serve you, and golden lighting makes everything appear dream-like.
All of this said, Ippolito's must be judged on the same level as any other restaurant. Firstly, the cleanliness of the restaurant was immaculate. For an environment with so many ornate details, not a bit of dust was to be found. Even if someone were to be actively looking for issues, the only thing askew was one singular lamp on a high shelf. Not only that, but tables were cleaned in a timely manner despite minimal staffing, and the kitchen looked just as intricately cared for as the rest of the building. Being able to watch one of the cooks through a built-in window was only one of many perks the environment offered, among other things, such as atmospheric lighting, well-presented place settings, lack of clutter, Italian music, and homey yet elegant interior decor.
All of these environmental strengths set a high bar for the rest of the dining experience. However, the attention poured into the décor seemed to come at the expense of staffing. To be completely fair, it was a fairly slow Tuesday night, but only one waiter appeared to be on staff. It would have been to everyone's benefit if one more person could have helped out in both the kitchen and with the customers, just to reduce wait times, but the waiter on staff was kind, caring, and light-hearted. Aside from missing the detail of moving over a third place setting, he was quite on top of technical things and exhibited very friendly customer service skills, making even first-time customers feel at home.
With the minor service hiccups acknowledged, any patron might now shift their attention to the flavor and accuracy of the authentic Italian food. Their signature appetizer came out quickly after our order was in: warm bread rolls with balsamic vinegar and oil. This is an authentic Italian dish served free of charge and designed to get any patron's meal started the right way. A classic garlic bread was the perfect follow-up. It was freshly made in-house and perfectly embodied a balance of warm, crunchy, and flavorful. Did you know that Allicin, a chemical element of garlic, is primarily responsible for garlic bread's particular smell? The aroma of the garlic bread, as well as the other dishes for that matter, was incredible. I had the opportunity to sample three different main dishes: the Fettuccini Alfredo, Lasagna, and Wild Mushroom Tortellini. From an authenticity standpoint, each dish was well-prepared and presented, and had a very accurate and well-spiced taste. I wasn't a fan of the Wild Mushroom Tortellini, but Ippolito's can't be blamed for my extreme distaste for mushrooms. The portion sizes were also very fair; they were able to be eaten in one long sitting, but if you wished to have some to take home, that was also very doable. The one thing that wasn't ideal was that one dish came out a bit cooler than it should have, but by no definition was it cold.
The pricing of each dish was also quite fair, with a bill for three people who'd ordered three meals and an appetizer being around $80. Add-ons such as meat for the Fettuccini Alfredo or cream in the cream soda were also priced very fairly, at $1.50 and $0.50, respectively. For larger parties, one may have to ask in advance if the bill can be broken apart, as my experience was that we were given one bill and weren't questioned on how/if we wanted it split.
Ippolito's is a genuine, authentic, and family-like restaurant. Even though it was only my first visit, I quickly felt at home. In a dining scene cluttered with options, Ippolito's stands out from the crowd. With its quaint exterior, it doesn't beg for attention; it earns it dish by dish. By the time you step back out into the cold street, you'll no longer be searching for the soul of Italian cooking. You'll have already found it. read more