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Comment Archives: Locations: Restaurants: Italian

Re: “Wild Olive”

Great food, great atmosphere, great service, worth every penny.

Posted by Varied1 on August 27, 2011 at 9:30 PM

Re: “Bocci's Italian Restaurant”

Thanks to Bocci's I am able to be lazy and not have to worry about cooking good Italian at home anymore. Now I can just go there for great Italian! My father is Italian and a bit of a foodie who prides himself on being able to distinguish great Italian from Fazoli's. He was thoroughly impressed with the tuscan duck, and I really enjoyed the grilled salmon. This quaint little place has a nice authentic atmosphere with a friendly waitstaff and a terrific selection of food to suit any taste. They are gluten and vegan friendly too!

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by BGBob on August 16, 2011 at 4:18 PM

Re: “Bocci's Italian Restaurant”

Bocci's is a decent little Italian joint. Great food for the price. The tuscan duck was one of the best dishes I've ever had. Nice downtown location is definitely worth a try if your're in the area.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by willygzus on August 16, 2011 at 10:38 AM

Re: “Al di La”

Not the best Italian food! Way too pretentious and pricey.

0 of 5 people like this.
Posted by Native76 on July 21, 2011 at 1:56 PM

Re: “Trattoria Lucca”

Have been there three times now and each time we have had superb meals, creativity and flavor went hand And hand. exceptionally good appetizers and superb service by Casey our server and Drew in the kitchen.

Posted by Karen T on July 16, 2011 at 10:08 PM

Re: “Bella Napoli”

Isn't mediochre a color?

2 of 2 people like this.
Posted by mat catastrophe on July 16, 2011 at 4:51 PM

Re: “Bella Napoli”

I have been to Bella Napoli several times and have never had a bad experience.The waitstaff are great, one little girl is a little snooty; but the rest are wonderfully welcoming.
The food is authentic and fresh. I am sure the people griping are used to the "chef boyrdee" stuff that the Olive Garden and Carrabas microwaves and calls some ridiculous name.
The specials are usually the best thing on the menu.
The place is in a strip mall and the decor doesn't live up to "mt plastic" but it lends the type of atmosphere that you find in Italy in the little towns...
I care about great, fresh food and that is what they serve at Bella Napoli.

Posted by TexanInSC on July 14, 2011 at 3:57 PM

Re: “Bella Napoli”

Reasonably priced, mediochre italian/american fare. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente. The eggplant was soggy and loaded with stale bread crumbs. The table bread was dense and cubed; wonder bread wrapped in a black napkin and served in a basket is still wonder bread. The dipping oil was sour. The alfredo was like paste but the flavor was good. The service was slow. Everything about Bella Napoli is "eh" at best. BUT, the bf and I got to have lunch together which makes everything better.

1 of 2 people like this.
Posted by danadominata on July 14, 2011 at 1:49 PM

Re: “Trattoria Lucca”

I had been hearing about Lucca for a while so my expectations were high, and it definitely did not disappoint. My girlfriends and I went in last night for family night and it was AMAZING!! For our antipasti we got a mixture of items, one of which was the most delicious fried eggplant with a provolone fonduta. It was such a great way to start the meal. For our pasta we got their house made tagliolini with clams cooked in Italian white wine and oven roasted herb tomatoes. The entree was the best chicken I have ever had. Everything from the potatoes and caramelized onions it was over, to how perfectly the chicken was cooked, to the pickled red peppers on top was the best flavor combination ever. I never order chicken when I go out to dinner but I would order that again in a heartbeat. One of my friends is a pescatarian so when the entree came out they accommodated her by making her a parmesan crusted fish dish that was just as amazing as the chicken. The desert lived up to the rest of the meal as well. It was a Chocolate pudding. Now I know that does not sound exiting but the texture was like a really silky crem brule and it was topped with flaked sea salt and candied hazelnuts. Oh, and there was olive oil on top of it too! Might be the best desert I have ever had.

The service was just as impressive as the food. I am a total stranger to Italian wines, so our server described in detail several wines on the menu and gave us amazing recommendations. She was so knowledgable about the food as well. Every course she presented to us she was able to perfectly describe each dish and answer all of our questions about the preparation of the food, and believe me, we had a lot! She, along with the other servers at the restaurant, made sure we were happy throughout the whole meal. The manager even came over at one point to make sure everything was to our liking. I read a review last week that the wait staff there had issues splitting checks but that was not at all the case with our table. We were a party of 6 and they gave us each our own check without any issues at all.

Overall I was extremely happy with our experience. Everything from the food, to the service, to the ambiance was perfect. I has easily become my favorite restaurant in town.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by tizialbano376 on June 28, 2011 at 4:42 PM

Re: “Mondo's”

I give 2 stars for the food which was delicious. Sad to say though that service goes a long way and theirs was not impressive. This place has awful management. I have never dealt with such unprofessional people.

1 of 2 people like this.
Posted by Food connoisseur on June 21, 2011 at 9:32 PM

Re: “Trattoria Lucca”

Wow. Wow. wow.
The cancer of charleston strikes again.
I am so sorry we inconvenienced our servers by being there last night. I had friendlier service at DLR. I mean: they wouldn't let us in before 6. Ok, that's when they open, but that's when our ten top's reservation was for and two other tables also. We all waited outside in the 100+ temperatures, some for over 15 minutes. I understand that's when they open, but come on, don't you think some people might be early or late? It happens. I understand you're super stressful 4 hour shift making $100 plus off of six tables that 7 of you share just could not be expected to simply let someone in to sit 10 minutes earlier.
Then, once allowed into their presence, there was zero warmth from the inside (oh it was hot as hell though, everyone was sweating) no greeting, no explaination of the menu for the night (except as the platters were sat down), just a disgust that not everyone was there yet (4 minutes later) and when asked about drinks.........jesus it's just not worth it.
Long story short: crap service to 4 out of 9 people that are all in f&B, one that owns a restaurant right up the street. They will never have anyone sent their way from any of us! But, they REALLY seem to not want any customers anyway. The family dinner was a set price for each person........so, all our server would have to do is keep track of our drinks, right? No, she said it would be really hard to seperate our bill and would take her a long time. IT"S YOUR FUCKING JOB!!!!!
She said, normally one person just pays for the bill. Are you kidding me? Really? every monday night, each table only has ONE person dump out $800 to $1000 for their guest to eat? Am I crazy to think that's bullshit?
There are still a lot of people in this town that want to feel like dropping, a hard earned, $150 for dinner seemed worth it.
And then, no "thank you". No "thank you" from anyone in the place. Our bill folders dropped on the table for us to figure out and that was it. Nothing. They didn't give ONE shit if anyone liked anything or had any questions about anything.
I just don't get it.

2 of 4 people like this.
Posted by Frugal Gourmet on June 21, 2011 at 1:11 PM

Re: “Osteria La Bottiglia”

Had dinner there tonight. I called ahead for reservations but got the machine... undeterred we walked up around 8:30 and got a seat immediately. The decor is very classic, old-city European. The lighting is candelight-toned and just made the place feel good. Yes it is dim, but I had no problem discerning the menu or any parts of my meal... but different strokes and all that.

The service was very attentive throughout the meal, from the host/greeter to our server Abby to the expediter. We never felt ignored but also not smothered. The wine list looked thorough, but I didn't really peruse it, opting instead for a single-barrel bourbon to go with my octopus appetizer. The complimentary foccacia came with a dash of very fragrant olive oil on our bread plates, but most of it was dedicated to the arrabiata sauce on the octopi.

That dish was done perfectly. I loved it... the texture, flavor, and presentation all hit the high notes. If you don't like many-legged invertebrates, it probably wouldn't be worth it, but if you do you might appreciate how difficult it is to cook them and maintain a tender feel. Yum and double-yum.

Our server was quite patient with our request to order entrees after we'd gotten into the appetizer. We had the artichoke ravioli (in a cream sauce that was pretty much a guaranteed winner) and asparagus soup. The meal was consistently delicious and well-presented, with the different textures in both dishes presenting clearly but harmoniously. The temperatures for everything was ideal, right down to the water, so clearly a better experience for us than some.

We had a nice long chat with Abby after dinner and it was nice to get more than the "schmooze until they tip" level of interaction. The bill was very reasonable, and would have been more so had I resisted the temptation for a big ol' glass of Kentucky's finest. Definitely a quality addition to Upper King, and a place that I will recommend to my friends.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by factoryconnection on June 18, 2011 at 11:56 PM

Re: “Trattoria Lucca”

Visited Charleston for 10 days in May. This was the only place we made reservations. Called two weeks in advance and followed up on that day. Arrived at Lucca only to be shuttled a block down the street to their bar. This was fine as we don't mind waiting a bit. We were there an hour and a half. After calling from the bar and being told our table was not quite ready, we walked back to the restaurant. Only to arrive and find out that the table they originally told us was ours was occupied by someone else. At this point they began to seat us at another table. I felt that the customer was put last and decided to leave. We went to another restaurant Fulton 5. We did not have a reservation and with a short wait they were able to seat us. It was a very delightful and fantastic meal.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by Kikimert on June 8, 2011 at 2:47 AM

Re: “Il Cortile Del Re”

i have eaten at this restaurant only once. I took my wife, my son and his wife. The food is ok and the service is ok. There are much better Italian food options in Charleston.

Posted by abacoboat on June 4, 2011 at 12:41 PM

Re: “Gennaro's Italian Ristorante”

This place is AWSOME!!!! My husband & I ate there the other night for the 1st time. The antipasto salad (meat, cheeses & marinated veggies) will blow ur mind!!! I had the shrimp alfredo which was hands down the best I have ever ate!! My husband had the steak caruso it was a mind blower too!! Each meal came with a nice side salad with a tastie italian vinigerette! So good! The bread & dipping oil was warm & fresh! We also had a bottle of reasonably priced merlot & the best cheese cake to finish up the meal. They also give u a ton of food! We walked out with two boxes. This is our new FAVORITE place!! In fact were going back tonight!! YAY :)

Posted by SCrays on May 29, 2011 at 5:14 PM

Re: “Osteria La Bottiglia”

Love this restaurant. There is a good selection of vegetarian options - even a vegetarian lasagna on the menu listed before the meat version. The bruschettas are excellent, the soups are good, the pastas we tried were excellent, and the portions are more than enough. We were fortunate enough to go with a large group and were able to pass plates around and try things. We ended the meal with coffee and a round of shared desserts - the night we were there, the desserts were from Sugar bakeshop.
Favorites: goat cheese/olive bruschetta, white bean/rosemary soup, veg lasagna, and the spinach/ricotta? ravioli, and the Italian wedding cake. Some loved the cabbage salad, too.
We all loved the dimly lit room, the lively atmosphere, and the incredible renovation. It's in the old Salon Couture space some of you may know. Overall, our new fave!

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by KrantosChick on May 12, 2011 at 12:44 PM

Re: “Wild Olive”

My wife and I ate dinner at The Wild Olive last night and we were extremely impressed. Tons of busy employees buzzing around, creative specials, nice atmosphere. Jacques is doing a great job.

Posted by ryanh on May 7, 2011 at 5:12 PM

Re: “Osteria La Bottiglia”

My husband and I stopped in during Design Walk. We took advantage of the special offer of a free sampler plate when we bought two glasses of wine. The wine list was fantastic and reasonably priced. Everything on the sample plate was great. The house made mozzarella was rich and delicious, the olive oil cured anchovies were surprisingly good and not overly fishy, and the cured meats were great. The Kobe meatball was a bit dry, but they are aware of the issue and are working on it. They'd only been open two days and it was free, so I'm not going to hold one it against them! By this time the torrential downpour had started so we decided to get another glass of wine and try more food. We selected the duck confit over ravioli in a mushroom cream sauce. It was unbelievably good. Also, the bartender recommended an absolutely perfect wine pairing for the dish. All in all, we were happy we had stopped in and had such a pleasant place to ride out the rain. We will definitely return.

1 of 1 people like this.
Posted by mle on April 28, 2011 at 9:07 AM

Re: “Osteria La Bottiglia”

@susieg

To do list:
1. First learn Spelling - It's "plating" not "platting"
2. Then learn Grammar -"The Lobster Ravioli was also had somewhat of a fishy taste, so I wouldn't recommend it."
3. Was not like also so that you can understand perhaps go try Applebees. It thinks it has right up your alley. Will fill you up for good price. Look me has blog. Show pictures on blog.
4. Go find something else to do. By all means, keep eating. Just quit typing.

3 of 7 people like this.
Posted by isidella on April 26, 2011 at 9:52 PM

Re: “Osteria La Bottiglia”

@susieg: have you ever enjoyed a meal in Charleston? Seems all of your long-winded reviews are full of negativity. Maybe if you lightened up a bit you'd have more hits on you OWN blog and stop hi-jacking this venue?

4 of 5 people like this.
Posted by Jaxx on April 25, 2011 at 9:46 PM
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