Tutto Bene — Restaurant in Bemidji

You will leave hungry and the tables are uncomfortably close. 3 ravioli for $24, 3 each about 1.5” in size. This was set in front of me after the server estimated this “half portion” with her hands to make it look like it would be a small mound. I would have expected at least 5 or six based on her misleading estimate.

I was starving and ended up having to order a dessert I didn’t even want just to get over being irritably hungry with ongoing special occasion conversation with other guests at my table.

Then, afterwards, I had to separate from my party so I could slink off to another restaurant to get adequate calories to feel like I’d had a balanced enough meal to sleep that night. Others in my party arty orders pizza within 2 hours to fill the void. We spent well over $200 for 3 people.

Apparently, this is expected to be excused under the guise of “fine dining;” but there are no circumstances under which 3 small ravioli constitute a meal-and I’m just a medium-framed female. I wasn’t expecting or wanting to feel stuffed full, but this was beyond what one should have to tolerate.

I will not go back. I feel they grossly misrepresented portion size and took advantage of the quiet atmosphere which applies social pressure to be polite and not...

We had heard great things about this restaurant, so we were looking forward to dining. First, we were seated in an empty dining room in the very next table to one of the only other filled tables. We had to focus to not hear their conversation. Soon after, a larger group was seated right next to us, yet there were still open tables where we could have all been separated. Turning the lights down a bit lower would help with the cramped seating. The drinks were great, although I was surprised the cocktail menu was limited. We ordered roasted olives and it smelled odd (like dog food or an old barn) and we realized there was something off about the sausage. It was also obvious it was microwaved and not truly roasted. The server noticed we had not touched it and apologized and removed it from our bill. The main course was good, but would have been better had it been plated differently as all the food was piled together. We ordered apple crisp for dessert which was again, obviously reheated in the microwave. There was no crispy topping. Overall the service was good, but we did not leave wow’d as we hoped. We would be happy to try again with...

This is the third time we have dined here since the new owners took over four years ago. We will be back much more often. The green olive soup was absolutely delicious without being overly salty and the soup of the day was the rock shrimp chowder which was delicious as well! We ordered the classico bruchetta which was not your typical bruchetta but was above and beyond the norm. My wife ordered the watermelon salad and I ordered the beet salad both of which were fresh and delicious. The main courses were wild crab stuffed ravioli and a lamb sugo pasta which went well with our recommended bottle of a French rose! We finished with a lemon pistachio canoli desert that was light, delicious and not too sweet! We spoke to the owner afterwards and found out that she trained under the chef at Bar La Grassa in downtown Minneapolis which is arguably the premier Italian restaurant in the Midwest. Everything is locally fresh, in season and homemade here! Bemidji is very fortunate to have a restaurant of this caliber outside of the...