La Tavola Trattoria — Restaurant in Atlanta

Chose this place to celebrate our first anniversary, even though we'd never been. When booking two days before, they asked if this was a special occasion and my husband said yes, our first anniversary. When they called to confirm the day of, they verified we were celebrating an anniversary. When we arrived (on time on a weeknight), we were immediately taken to what has to be the worst table in the house: a tiny 2-person table crammed in the window next to another couple, so tight even the waiter couldn't get between us without a butt in the face. It was like everyone else was in the main dining room and we were stuck at the kids' table--on our anniversary. The corner was so dark that I couldn't even read the menu. People waiting for a table at the door were perched over my husbands shoulder and kept staring at what he was eating over his shoulder like we were on display. We were very disappointed but tried to make the best of it. Our salads and the veal meatballs were very good as was the tiramisu; however, our entrees were disappointing. I had the tagliolini mushroom ragu--based on all the good reviews--however, I found that my noodles were very gooey and bland. There was no salt on the table so I couldn't even try to season it to my taste. I don't remember what dish my husband had but he was also disappointed and said the sauce was way too watery. So, the atmosphere was disappointing, as were the entrees. At no time did anyone acknowledge our anniversary even though they had asked about it on two separate occasions and had obviously made a note of it because the person calling to confirm the reservation did verify it. I don't need a comped meal or other freebies, but if you're going to ask if it's a special occasion and we say yes, at least acknowledge it! What's the point of even asking? At least save us a nice table! I could see getting a crappy table if we showed up late, but we were on time and the one person who should have acknowledged our special night, the manager, is the one who sat us with no acknowledgement and did not even ask if that table was acceptable. It was like making a reservation was pointless--no tables had been reserved for us and we would have gotten the same table if we had just walked in. Eating out is a treat for us and we wanted something extra special for our first anniversary--we could have gone anywhere--but this place really took our special day and made it ordinary. We would have been much happier just going to Carrabba's for better food, half the cost, and a...

An Ok Italian

My husband and I love food. We cook a lot at home and always appreciate a good quality dish from fresh ingredients, no matter what part of the world it comes from. I’m also a pasta fan, so Italian is my cup of tea (or bowl of pasta). I made a reservation online a couple of days in advance thinking that making a reservation secures you the best table in the house. We were put at the last table by the kitchen entrance on the covered porch. From looking at the menu and reading reviews I assumed this was a date night restaurant, but on the terrace we were surrounded by lots of families with kids, so I didn’t get the vibe of anything special or romantic. Now to the food. We ordered 2 appetizers: veal meatballs with polenta- which were outstanding, best of the whole meal, and sfincione - which is just glorified bread with marinara, onion and cheese on top. For entries we both had seafood dishes, which might have been a mistake. I had a squid ink spaghetti. The seafood in my dish was very fresh and its delicate taste was overpowered by pesto, which was really oily considering that the portion was not too big. I also have no idea if squid ink spaghetti has any special taste on its own. My husband had zuppa di pesce - which sounded like a seafood soup. Again the seafood was wonderfully fresh and delicious, but the broth was mostly for dunking bread into and too concentrated to be consumed on its own. So it was a plate of seafood with no side except for bread. For dessert we had boccone dolce - if you read the description and it sounds like a lot going on, you are right. Merengue, whipped cream, chocolate cream and sautéed pears. It was delicious, mostly because each ingredient was delicious on its own, but they didn’t merge together to create one dish. No coffee was offered with dessert. So my verdict is that it’s a regular neighborhood Italian restaurant without any special ambiance. It’s definitely a quality place in terms of ingredients, but combined together they don’t create anything special, or maybe because there’s too much going on and the ingredients are lost. So I prefer going to Atlanta’s good old Nino’s - same bill amount, but a...

La Tavola, has long since been a staple restaurant in the Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta. It is a personal staple for me because I find it enjoyable on my own, on a date or with a group of friends/family. I have enjoyed many remarkable meals and indulgences at La Tavola, and this past Monday serves as a perfect example of why I keep coming back for more.

The new updates to the menu feature a wide variety of tomatoes, a food that I can tend to romanticize from time to time. I was, therefore, curious about a number of the new menu items. The server, John (or maybe it's Jon), briefly and accurately went through each new item citing something unique about each dish. I was having trouble deciding my appetizer, and ultimately I ordered both of the items over which I had been quibbling.

I started with a Tomato Panzella (I can't remember the actual name on the menu), which featured the perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes. That was followed by a second course of the Market Crudo, which was yellowfin tuna, with fresh patio basil, small, red and yellow heirloom (cherry?) tomatoes. The continuity of one dish into the next really built like a crescendo, not simply more of the same thing. The flavor was unique compared to the first appetizer and highlighted the delicious cuts of fish.

Lastly, as my main course, I had Lasagnette, which is similar to Lasagna, but with thin crispy layers of pasta. It is lighter and more delicate in nature than a standard Lasagna. I cannot remember all of the ingredients, but once again the tomatoes were featured along with fresh burratta cheese. The flavor of this dish is akin to that of the delectably fried bit of cheese that had fallen onto the skillet beyond the edge of a cheese crepe. An entire dish with this amount of perfectly-prepared crispness is lavishly rich with flavor. In this instance, cheese and pasta were transformed into an excellent combination of savoriness, flakiness, and delicacy.

Overall, a wonderful...