Yelped italian restaurants in the area and this placed popped up. (I'm not from around here) and I'm glad it came up. Service and food was great from start to finish. Pesto crusted sea bass was excellent. Perfectly cooked fish on top of a creamy, smooth white/wasabi mashed potatoes (the wasabi wasn't prevalent if your curious), the Thai chili Beurre blanc was rich and of course it pairs well with fish. The butternut squash was the shocker, didn't think I would like it but it was rich and well balanced the dough was the right texture not too thick or thin. And the scallops with bacon was a match made in heaven, once again perfectly cooked, cudos to the chef this night. read more

Zelo - Butternut Squash Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Zelo...Zelo...Zelo... I've come here about a handful of times and have had a pretty decent experience. But my latest stop on 10/22 was marvelous. I booked a reservation ahead of time (I would encourage you to do so, this place can get crazy busy - even on a Tuesday at 8:30pm.) We started off with a lovely bottle of wine. Zelo has an extensive wine menu which is great if you happen to have a few picky drinkers in your group. Food: Appetizer: We ordered the Calamari Fritti which came with a lemon garlic aioli. The garlic was quite powerful, but it was delicious. The calamari was cooked perfectly. By far one of the best calamari dishes I've had in my life. Bravo to the chef! Entrees: 1. Fettuccine with Chicken: When I looked at this dish on the menu, I was a bit conflicted. I have never seen almonds in a pasta dish. I added sauteed shrimp and it also came with spinach. The almonds added a great crunch every couple of bites and it was great. 2. Herb Linguine w/ Lamb: This was a nice dish. However, the red wine was very noticeable in it. But it was delicious otherwise. The tomato was subtle but was noticeable. I would order this dish again. 3. Special: Jumbo Shrimp w/ Scallops. This was their special for the evening. It had a salad component to it, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, spinach, it was delicious and flavorful. The scallops were perfectly seared. Another fantastic dish! Desert: 1. Budino: If you like chocolate cake, this is a great choice. It is a warm flour-less chocolate cake, with Tahitian vanilla gelato and chocolate fudge sauce. This is packed with chocolate and flavorful. 2. Limonetta Bella: If you're a fan of lemon, I say go for this dish. I'm not too crazy about lemon but it seems like I was on an almond binge that evening. It had a graham cracker-pecan crust, lemon cream cheese filling, lemon curd, whipped cream and candied almonds. Not only was it plated beautifully, but it was delicious. Erika made this a fantastic dinner for us and we enjoyed every bite. We will definitely be back to enjoy more dishes! read more

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This is honestly the most amazing restaurant ever. The customer service and the food have exceeded all my expectations. The dessert is phenomenal!!! read more

Zelo - Linguini with Lamb - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Zelo is your modern day Dorsia (to my Patrick Bateman fans) minus the craziness of getting a reservation. It is a elegant Italian restaurant centered in the middle of Downtown Minneapolis. It is the perfect spot for an anniversary, date, or catch up session with your colleagues and friends. I've been here two times and am impressed by the great customer service, diverse selection of entrees, appetizers, and wines, and ambiance of the restaurant itself. Here's a food review of a recent experience when I made the stop on a busy Friday lunchtime. Ordered - Linguini Di Mare (4.5/5). This is a assorted seafood pasta of shrimp, scallops, and mussels. I ordered the small but that was more than enough in terms of portion size. It is very delicious and the seafood blended well with the house sauce. The noodles were good, but I have had better - Permesan Crusted Shrimp (5/5). This was delicious! Calamari-like but with a shrimpy flavor. I love the sauces provided too. Recommend dipping it in both the lemon garlic and cocktail at the same time - Sauvignon Blanc - Kim Crawford, New Zealand (5/5). Tasty white wine that is sweet and refreshing Zelo is great and definitely a classy but relaxed spot in downtown. I look forward to returning to try other dishes. read more

Zelo - Love the ambiance! - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

A vibrant spot with a lot of energy! The wild mushroom flatbread was great, delicious! Very attentive staff that made us welcome and comfortable. Food was beautifully presented. Chicken parmigiana was superb. A place to come back read more

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Our party of three dined at Zelo for lunch a few weeks ago while staying in Minneapolis for my kid's sporting event. We were greeted and seated immediately upon walking in. I quickly realized that we were underdressed in our jeans and sneakers and that this is more of a business attire kind of place. The food was delicious and everything was perfectly portioned. I chose a salad and the shrimp appetizer. Though we were offered a children's menu for my eleven-year-old, she ordered an adult lunch entree and was the only one with leftovers. When offered the dessert menu, we couldn't resist gelato and creme brûlée . Our server was wonderful. She not only took excellent care of us during our meal, but when we inquired about the history of the building, she did a bit of research and filled us in. read more

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I had the spicy crab pasta which was okay at best; there's no sauce and it tastes more tangy than spicy. I also tasted some of the walleye which was good but not good enough for me to come back again. The bruschetta was pretty good also aside from it being just tomatoes on bread. read more

My wife surprised me last week for birthday dinner here. After we parked at Hell's Kitchen, we didn't realize that Zelo had complimentary valet parking. Still, parking over the weekend is cheap here. My wife made reservations but the tables were really busy so we sat in the bar section. Luckily, we had a table and not at the bar table. We split a large Zelo salad and I got the spicy crab pasta while my wife had the lamb pasta. Mine was in a mint pepper wine sauce while my wife's dish was in a tomato based sauce. Overall, both dishes were very good as well as the salad. I am glad that we tried something new since I was leaning on getting the same seafood pasta dish before. We don't have North Italia around here and probably don't visit Kansas City area every year. So, this will be our go to place for fine food. read more

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Place was phenomenal....first of all it had free valet, that has nothing to do with the food quality but that's always a massive positive. The food was delicious filling and well worth the money, I had the chicken fettuccine which sounds boring but it was a spinach noodle in a thick hearty sauce. Very flavorful chicken was juicy and rich, and the spinach and almonds were a great addition. For dessert we had the Budino..... unbelievably rich chocolate, gelato.....that was fried on the bottom. Everything melted at the touch of your fork. Absolutely delicious and only 10 dollars....small dessert but very dense filling and flavorful. Would recommend to anyone read more

Zelo - Budino dessert, basically chocolate lava cake and fried gelato - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Service by John outstanding, cocktails delicious food I had the butter squash ravioli, my daughter had the lamb pasta but really wanted the seafood pasta but John walked away so quickly we weren't able to get that changed. Any hoo...- love zelo's it's been several years so nice to finally have dinner with my 20 something daughter! Tip well my fellow tellers! read more

We came here for early dinner at around 5 on a Friday. We parked in the Target parking structure as we planned to ship at target after. We couldn't find stress parking at the time. There was no wait to be seated. Host greeted us as soon as we walked in. The server came to introduce herself 5' later. The whole experience was ok. I would give 3.5 stars if I could. It's just not quite a four star Italian restaurant for a few reason. Bread did not come out until 10' after food came out. And bread got hard quickly. We ordered the seafood linguini. It was a bit too salty. Also ordered calamari small plate, and a beets salad. I asked the waitress for some marinara sauce to sit calamari in, and it was yummy. Beets salad was topped with sliced avocado, basils, and served with mozzarella. read more

Zelo - Calamari small plate - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

In town for business. Got ravioli and tuna appetizer. Both dishes were acceptable if a bit small for an Italian restaurant, kind of like kids meal size. If you're watching your diet but still want Italian then this is your place! read more

We really enjoyed our meal at Zelo. We opted for lighter choices but were treated by server as it we ordered the most expensive entrees. The drinks were perfection. Loved the mussels, salad and frites. A good option if going to orchestra hall. read more

Fabulous meal, spectacular service. Sat at a high top in the bar, and thoroughly enjoyed our meal!!

Zelo finally opened after a few long years due to Covid. The atmosphere is upscale and nice and friendly, and it is located in a convenient part of downtown Minneapolis. The food was amazing, we tried the pizza, the pasta, the heirloom salad, and the prosciutto burrata. We started off with flavorful bread and butter and lemon watThe pizza was the pepperoni, goat cheese, and jalapeño pizza, and it was not too spicy in the perfect amount of toppings. We tried the Tortilioni pasta and it was fabulous. I also ordered an Apperal spritz and it was good, but it wasn't amazing. I highly recommend this spot if you are looking for an upscale dinner and the downtown Minneapolis area. read more

Nice upscale casual spot. Both the restaurant and the bar were busy on the Wednesday early evening I went, so I squeezed into a corner stool at the bar. Got the seafood linguine, which was decent, but oilier than I would've liked, and I didn't think the inclusion of salmon in the dish worked well flavor-wise. The pasta was fresh and cooked al dente, and I may be wrong, but it seemed like an egg pasta, which isn't really my preference. Still, though, it was tasty, and any deficiency in the dish was largely made up for by the *excellent* bread (which I made a point of taking a picture of, but somehow appear not to have properly saved). read more

Zelo - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Had dinner at this restaurant and it was excellent. I had the chicken parm and it was delicious. The bread was fantastic. The service from Erica, Jaime, and Herman was top notch. I would highly recommend this restaurant. read more

This was all-around a pretty nice place but I think it is a bit over-rated. When you come in you have choices - you can dine at the bar, in the dining room, or al fresco outside - so it is nice to have choices. We ate in the formal dining room, which is really a refashioned part of the first floor of an old hotel - nice venue on a corner in downtown Minneapolis with windows to the world. For drinks: we had an Amaretto Sour (3 star the usual), and a Boulevardier with Bulleit Rye (4 star with a nice price point), and then at dinner had a couple of house Chiantis (3 stars, a bit over priced for the small 6 oz. pours). For food: we started with the Caprese Salad (4 stars) - comes out already split up for the number of people in your party - pretty good but could have used a bit more balsamic glaze. We also had a small bacon and blue cheese salad (3 stars). For mains: two of us had the spaghetti and meatballs (3 stars) - the meatballs were very good, but the sauce or noodles or something in there was too spicy and overpowered the meal. The last in our party had the appetizer crab cakes (4 stars) that had a very nice ratio of crab to filler. For dessert, we had the Budino (4 stars and essentially a chocolate lava cake) and the Tiramisu (3 star funky taste). The wait staff was 5 star stuff, knowing when to drop in and when to let us roll. This place earns a 3+ star for the food, but the wait staff rounds it up to 4 stars. read more

Absolutely no ambiance, average, overpriced food, less than stellar service. I can imagine going back. read more

We loved this place so much we went here twice for dinner. The first time I had one of their specials--Wild Alaskan Halibut. It originally was on top of potatoes, arugula, sweet corn, etc. but we requested the potatoes be swapped out with a vegetable--their caramelized onions and Brussels sprouts. It was incredible. The flavors, textures and smells all worked together. The service was impeccable and environment very hip and positive. Our second time there was a Friday dinner and since it was unplanned, there wasn't a table available until 9! We were lucky to have gotten a table in the bar area and I had my standard "check out their Italian cooking" dish and ordered their spaghetti and meatballs with bolognese sauce. Again it was wonderful! Service again was really fabulous. I really feel lucky to have had the opportunity to go here twice! It was a place that took the time and went the extra mile to ensure you left not only full but also extremely happy you went read more

Now that's a good Italian restaurant, definitely what I'm talking about! I came across this amazing place tonight, while a friend of mine insisted that well have a dinner at Zelo. He said this place is definitely a worthy and I wouldn't regret that and ho boy he was so right. Thered a lot of parking space across the street, the hosts were so nice and the place itself designed so cute. Really good vibes out there . Our waiter was so nice and professional. We ordered few starters, the ahi tuna and flatbread ,the bread was amazing too. For main dishes we had the Rosa pasta and ravioli,it was delicious! and of course the choclate cake for desert. The service was great and everything was spectacular, highly recommended! read more

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Amazing food!!! The atmosphere is very high end and sophisticated; good place for a nice dinner and night out. read more

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First of all, they have complimentary warm bread which is amazing! I would come just to eat that. The waiter was very attentive and explained the specials and various dishes we had questions on. We ended up ordering the walleye fish sandwich and cheese pizza. Both were delicious. The fries were sub-par. again, the bread was amazing! read more

Zelo - Walleye fish sandwich with fries - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

The service, ambiance, and food were outstanding at Zelo. After a tiring day, walking into Zelo for a delicious, relaxing meal was the perfect way to round out our day. My husband loved the walleye, and I was impressed with the spaghetti and meatballs--4 large meatballs! The staff was terrific--very knowledgeable and easy to talk with. A great restaurant. read more

This place was recommended by the hotel staff and did it disappoint. We went there both nights of our stay. Fantastic food, staff and ambiance! Highly recommend this place if you are looking for good Italian food. read more

Great service at the bar. Really nice drinks, and I would totally go back for the salad and pizza.

Came here for dinner with coworkers as this was the only place that could take us at short notice. The four of us enjoyed our dinner here. We ordered the following: crab cakes calamari fritti classic bruschetta caramelized brussels sprouts matchstick zucchini tortiglioni rossa dry aged pork chops Everything was delicious and just what you expect from Italian food. We left this place very full and satisfied. Will try their pork chop next time since its so popular and when we ordered it , it was one of the last four left for the night. read more

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We stayed at the Lofton Hotel and was a very easy, quick 7 minute walk to Zelo. Beautiful restaurant but people were both informal and more dressed up. I would suggest a reservation as busy on weekends. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Our appetizer was the delicious crab cakes with Dijon and Truffle sauce options. We had Linguini de Mara which had generous portions of all seafood options including scallop, shrimp, fish and mussels. Tortiglioni rossa was good and sausage chunks were not spicy. Overall excellent place to dine with great food and wonderful staff. read more

Sadly didn't get any photos of the pastas but wanted to leave my two cents! If you are coming here... the fish sounds delicious but I'd urge you STRONGLY to go for the pasta. Namely the spicy crab spaghetti. I did not order this dish but my party did and I will tell you I was green with food envy! Hands down I choose poorly (even though mine was quite delicious) Spicy crab spaghetti: 5/5 This dish looks like a small portion but it is DEEP! So deep it was actually packed into left overs which never happens. Huge chunks of lump crab meat, just the right amount of spice to bring out he great flavor but not quite as much of a burn as a jalapeño. This coupled with some freshly ground pepper and a smattering of Parmesan cheese and you cannot go wrong. Linguine primavera: 3/5 This dish was delicious packed with veggies and a great veggie-y sauce-y-ness that came out from when they sautéed the veggies before adding them to the fresh linguine. It was light but had great flavor however one of the main reasons I got the dish was because it boasted wild mushrooms of which there were a handful but the quality and quantity were severely lacking. Order the spaghetti with spicy crab instead reviewed above and you won't regret it! read more

Zelo - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

If you're in downtown Minneapolis, this is a great place for dinner. The vibe and decor is comfortable classy. Menu has good options to appeal to many tastes. Great for groups and service was fantastic. 4 stars - Roasted beet salad. With local goat cheese, grapefruit segments, arugula, olive oil, and aged balsamic drizzle. Every part of this dish worked so well together. I would suggest pairing this with a small dish because it would not be enough to fill you up on its own. 4 stars - Wild mushroom arincini. With mozzarella and a truffle aioli. There was a crispy panko coating and a soft risotto center oozing with cheese. The aioli cut through the heaviness of the fried arincini and gave it such a balanced flavor. They've got this bread and butter service that is so good. I had to remember that I actually ordered food, so I did have to refrain from taking another slice, and then another. Overall, this place is a good option next time I find myself in the city! read more

Zelo - Roasted Beet Salad - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Oh, Zelo, how I love you. Let me count the ways. . . 1. Mmmmm, pasta. Can I just get a bowl of the tomato-based sauce you put on the ravioli? K, thanks. The noodles in their pasta dishes are incredibly fresh, which makes a huge difference. I'm so happy that they come in half or full portions so I can stuff my face with more than one at a sitting. 2. Perfectly cooked seafood and fish. Dang can Zelo cook up a great scallop! Yesterday I used the work lunchroom microwave to warm up my leftover pesto-crusted sea bass with wasabi mashed potatoes and I practically had to act like a lion tamer to keep people away. Workplace food envy? Check. 3. Ahi tuna spring rolls and crisps appetizers. Never leave me my favorite irresistible friends! 4. $5 pineapple martinis and apps (see #3) during happy hour! 5. Have you ever stopped your conversation to just stare at the art and decorative ceiling here? It's like eating at an awesome art museum. 6. Banana caramel gelato. I'm drooling as I write this. They offer daily sorbet and gelato flavors and this one was one of my favs. I get giddy excited to see what flavors they have with each visit. I love surprises! And chocolate molten cake. Zelo's Budino dessert makes my chocolate-allergic friend risk the reaction. Yeah, that good. I could keep going on but my lunch break has come to an end. I dine at Zelo so often I practically live there. They could charge me rent and I'd be totally okay with that. read more

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We stumbled upon Zelo one Friday night when we were actually turned away at another nearby restaurant. But it was a wonderful surprise. The service we received was the best service we've had at any restaurant since we moved to the Twin Cities nine months ago. THE BEST. I was so blown away that I tipped 30%. It started when our waiter took one look at our table, snatched up my water glass and said, "That's dirty. I'm not letting you drink from that." From then on, the service was 5 star. The atmosphere was lovely -- perfect for an intimate dinner or a business dinner. Quiet even with a birthday party happening at the table directly behind us. The food was also excellent, and the wine list was great as well. I am not a huge order a bottle of wine at dinner kind of gal but could not help myself sitting in such a lovely place with such a nice wine list in front of me. We enjoyed the seasonal items on the menu (I had butternnut squash and proscuitto ravioli). I honestly can't remember what my husband had -- I was too busy scarfing down my own meal apparently. But I can say that we had a lovely meal from appetizer to dessert and will certainly be back. One other note that I wanted to mention was that Zelo actually understands how to TIME a meal. We had each course come directly from the kitchen fresh (no waiting under heat lamps), and the entire meal was timed flawlessly to allow us to enjoy each course but not feel like we were waiting too long in between. I really wish more restaurants would pay attention to such things. Overall it was one of the best meals we've had in the past year, period. What a fortunate thing that the other restaurant could not seat us! read more

Zelo - Tuna appetizer. Forget what it's called but it's really worth ordering! - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

This place looks fancy with a dark dining room. I actually had a hard time finding it because I was looking on the wrong side of the street. It's right on the corner of Nicollet and 9th. The windows were so dark, I didn't think they were open. I placed my carry out order with the hostess and waited by the bar. It took 15 minutes for my carry out order to be ready, which isn't bad. The bartender was friendly and offered me water while I waited. DINNER: Risotto - Lots of chicken and mushrooms! I love mushrooms, so this worked out well. DESSERT: Key Lime Pie - It's small but packs a big punch. The crust is really good and the cookies that came with it went well with the pie. The key lime itself is light and fluffy. The food is good and I'd come back to try something else if I was in the area. read more

Zelo - Carry Out Risotto comes with bread - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Visiting our son for his UMN graduation. Zelo was a perfect choice for our celebration. The atmosphere is great with the high ceilings. It is a bigger restaurant that does not feel big. Service was great and knowledgeable. They have a decent craft beer menu. We like MN beers. Wife and I share a Caesar's salad. I had the butternut squash ravioli. Excellent! Then we shared a lemonetta bella dessert. Also excellent. And a wonderful evening. read more

Zelo - Lemonetta Bella - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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This restaurant is located in the downtown grid area of Minneapolis. Walking distance from practically most of downtown. I elected to make a reservation months ahead because I heard how busy this place gets. I arrived on time for my reservation and restaurant was definitely busy. Bar was packed and the restaurant was full of patrons. Host staff instructed me it may be a few moments while a table opened up as some area opened up at the bar. I was hungry and went with bar. Waitstaff helped me to a seat near the window. After a few minutes to look over menu, two of the waitress had approached. I had a few questions to which the waitress was not able to provide me an answer immediately. I ordered a drink when I asked the question. Waitress came back about 10 minutes later with my drink (Manhattan) and some hot fresh bread from the oven. It was another 15 minutes for the answer to help with my decision for order. After my question was answered I finally got my food order in and by this time my bread was finished. Bar area staff was nice enough to check if I wanted more and some water refills while waiting on the food. It wasn't too long after my second helping of hot fresh bread did my order arrive. I ordered the sausage Rossa. Fresh sweetness of sauce mixed well with pasta, and savory sausage. The Rossa comes in small or full portion. During course of meal I drank plenty of water to which porter staff was aware and kept filled. My check at the conclusion of meal took some time. Meal itself was delicious. Price is consistent with the neighborhood. Portion was on. Drink hit the right notes. A proper balance of alcohol to sweetness expected of the mixes. Good delicious homestyle feel to the food. Bad service at times was slow. Overall a good visit. This is not a casual Italian place for the run a mill with kids. A little more dressy. Not super formal. I'd visit if I ever make it to Minneapolis again someday. read more

Zelo - Manhattan - Italian Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

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A Minneapolis staple. Glad to see it's open again. The service and ambiance are top-notch. The food is generally very good. The sea bass was tough last time, but the appetizers were on point. The bar is laid back and well-attended. read more

Great atmosphere, food & drinks. Reasonable prices and very knowledgeable staff. Go! You won't regret it.....

We walked in on a Friday night at 11:30pm..not too many people yet not completely dead!We got seated at the bar and Sharon was our bartender.Great gal, very fun and chirpy! Now this is why I give it 3 stars..we went on a not so busy night and the food that we ordered took forever to come out.We mainly had drinks and ordered a mushroom truffle flatbread which took sooo bloody long to get in our bellies.At around one we ordered the desert budino which was fantastic but took about 30mins to get to us! I was expecting quicker food service-I hope it's better the next time I go cuz I did like this place a lot.Until next time Zelo you handle my 3 stars!! read more

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This place has the ambiance of a fine dining establishment but fails to execute in some key areas. Wine service was so slow that I didn't get to drink the wine until the last couple bites of my meal. Not what I had in mind when I specifically ordered something to pair with the entree. It also was not worth the hefty price tag for a half-glass pour. I love the idea of featuring a Coravin selection, but the wines should be exquisite and poured tableside; I can't be sure what I had was what I ordered because it certainly didn't taste like it matched the online tasting notes. Food tasted good but wasn't anything special. Beet caprese boasted a 12 year aged balsamic which I could not taste at all. Duck breast special did not taste fresh and skin was soggy when it should have been crispy. Nothing tasted particularly bad but nothing excited the senses either. Best dish we had was probably the ravioli. Finally, I would mention I did not appreciate how close they crammed the booths together. We were just inches away from the party next to us which does not afford much privacy. Overall a good meal but not one I would pay that much for again. read more

This was our first time dining at Zelo. Hands down, it was the best dining experience we've had in and/or around the Twin Cities (and beyond). I can not remember a time where we've had a better overall experience. Our service was top-notch, our servers were attentive, friendly, and kind. Our meal was amazing, even the coffee was wonderful. We all ordered various linguini dishes AND splurged for desert. Each of us loved our meals, and look forward to enjoying the leftovers we brought home! We walked away feeling very happy and satisfied that our experience (food, service, and environment) justified every penny we spent. read more