La Grotta Ristorante — Restaurant in Atlanta

We pulled up to a very suspicious looking old apartment building but the moment we were greeted by the friendly and helpful valet driver, we knew we were in the right spot. To be fair, my boyfriend and I, being in our early 30s, brought the average age for a Tuesday night out here, up by about a decade! But that didn’t bother us too much, the older crowd can sometimes be in a on secret that is we lads chasing fad dining might not even know exist! The evening started at the bar with a delicious cocktail, followed by quickly being seated 1/2hr before our reservation, out on the nice patio seating area for a lovely spring evening of outdoor dining. The bread was good but the olives here are worth the mention. They were delicious and I’m that girl who never eats the olives! We are them all. The waiter, having only 6 days of experience (we’d come to find out later), was so wonderful and helpful when we were taking in the large menu. We ordered the prosciutto and melon, which was so very delicious, some of the best meat either of us had tried before and the melon, perfectly sweet to balance it out. Our waiter suggested the risotto as a second app, because we simply couldn’t decide what to order for dinner, which neither of us regretted! The risotto was tender and rich, just enough to make us hungry for more! My boyfriend ordered the Sacchetti, on recommendation of the waiter that this dish shouldn’t be missed...he could not have been more right about this dish! The “pasta pockets” of deliciousness will fill my dream until the time I get to try it again! So full of flavors and perfectly complemented cheeses and truffle flavors. Mind you, I hate a truffle flavor that becomes the only thing you taste, even loving mushrooms, but this was perfect. And the crunch of the walnuts, devine! You. Must. Try. This. Dish. I ordered the Veal, Scaloppine di Vitello alla Grotta, which was also very tasty, the marsala sauce, so good! However, to be perfectly honest, I only wished I too had ordered the Sacchetti! Needing no convincing we also order the housemade Tiramisu. WITH NO regrets! Perfectly fluffy and wonderfully presented. The only thing I regret is not taking more pictures! I love sharing my eating adventures via my Instagram, but I was so wonderfully distracted by my perfect date and the delicious food that I forgot all about my pictures. I’m thankful this place is less than five miles from my house! I will definitely return and hopefully with more friends to show what a gem we have in...

Look we have been customers for over 10 years now and have always had great experiences with both the food and the service. I called to make a Mother’s Day order for pickup, my Mother’s Day gift because that’s how much I’ve loved this place. Everything was fine until I asked for a total and then sarcastically I was told a total would not be available until Sunday because that’s when it would be “rung up.” But still I politely said that’s okay and gave my debit card info anyways. Right after the lady asked if a gratuity for servers and staff would be okay and I said of course. She then asked if 20% was okay and I said that’s fine. She had already asked to put me on hold before taking my card info so I just felt kind of rushed. After a couple of minutes of thinking about it I thought how can I commit to a 20% tip when I wasn’t even given a total? I’m a mother of 2 young kids and this kind of dinner is a splurge plus the drive to the city because we are not local to the area. I called back and the same employee answered, I’m not going to name her directly, and I explained that of course we would leave a tip but could we decide that at the time of pickup? She said yes and she understood and then I got hung up on...no thank you or see you on Sunday, goodbye, just click. Keep in mind this was well over a $100 order. Just so unprofessional and flat out rude! And so unnecessary right now given the circumstances! Yes, everyone is under more stress and anxiety right now but that is no way to run a business! And I know all of those employees need support and extra help right now in restaurants and businesses everywhere. We could have chosen to support our local mom and pop restaurant businesses in our town but this is what I wanted for my Mother’s Day. Lesson learned, if you are not a weekly regular of this restaurant, then do not expect anything extraordinary. And for the price you should be treated like queens and kings every single time. So, so disappointed but will be canceling the order first thing in the morning and not sure when we’ll be back for dine in. Now more than ever is the time to be spreading positivity and kindness, not being unnecessarily...

We came for dinner because someone had whispered the name of this establishment to my sister in law, who was visiting from Orlando. I had dined here before but it had been many years ago. I have been remiss to not have returned sooner. We began our meal with an appetizer of Burrata Mozzarella with prosciutto, tomato, basil, olive oil, and aged balsamic. Accompanied with slices of toasted bread and olive oil with balsamic for dipping, this was a perfect choice, full of flavor... The Burrata was delicate and smooth. Next, we enjoyed a chilled soup pureed, with celery as a base and garnished with smoked salmon... It was delicious and refreshing. We ordered the same entre and both of us enjoyed the Filetto di Manzo al Barolo. This filet, topped with Gorgonzola in a Barolo pommery mustard sauce, was served on a bed of garlic mashed potatoes and surrounded by seasonal vegetables. This was THE BEST steak I've been served in a very long time. We chose a bottle of Chianti Clásico Riserva, Tenuta di Arceno, Strada al Sasso. I highly recommend this selection. It was dry, full bodied and had a very smooth finish. Beautiful. We completed our meal with Espresso, dark Sambuca, Cappuccino, Gran Marnier, and a shared Creme Brule garnished with raspberries and mint leaves. This dessert is not only one of my favorites to indulge in but is also one of my favorite to make so I feel, with some authority, that I can say the dessert was beautifully executed. The meal was, indeed, not inexpensive but the attentiveness of the wait staff, the care afforded us while dining, the presentation of the courses, and the delicious foods concocted by the chef and his staff made it worth every single penny. Thank you La Grotta for a wonderful...