Viale — Restaurant in Cambridge

Outstanding food. For take-out/delivery this is definitely a splurge given the small portion sizes and the high prices but coupled with the dining in experience (which I haven't had a chance to experience yet) it wouldn't even be a thought in my mind. The menu consists primarily of contemporary Italian food - let's call it Italian-lite. The shaved brussel salad is equal parts shredded Brussel sprouts and blue cheese garnished with crunchy slices of pepper and quinoa and a spectacular Dijon vinaigrette. It is incredibly rich and decadent, and it is a salad with probably as many calories as a Big Mac... but worth it. The salmon tartare is yolky rich with a briny/salty finish accompanied by house-made chips. It is absolutely phenomenal. I think I would prefer more of a cracker to cut the richness of the tartare, but the chips are delicious. The chicken parm sandwich was a bit of a disappointments. To me, chicken parm sandwiches (or heroes as they say where I'm from in NY) should be crunchy chicken and crunchy bread. Unfortunately, this was soft and flimsy like a fast-food chicken sandwich with a dab of sauce and cheese on it. I would skip this for sure. The lumache is a think pasta dish drenched in oil and breadcrumbs with delicious fresh shellfish mixed in. Again, it is absolutely decadent. Viale is at the top of the list for really inventive and creative modern Italian-style food. As long as you have a few spare notches in your belt, it is a must-try if you are in the...

When you dine at a restaurant twice - for the first and last time...

Came in for dinner with business colleagues, and what a mistake that was for a group dinner! The acoustics of the place are terrible, and as a result the noise levels feel like a club. Further, the restaurant plays music on top of all the noise. The result - it is so hard to have a conversation. Frankly, it was such a relief to leave the noisy restaurant and step outside at the end of the meal, that I hope the employees are using earplugs!

Ah, and don't count on reading lips instead of hearing what's being said - the lights are so deemed that I saw people using their cellphone's flashlight to read the menu. Yes, that bad.

The food was mediocre at best. Starting with the complimentary bread sticks, which tasted like they came from the Walmart frozen food aisle. The fish pate was generic, and the pizza entree....tasted like it came from the same aisle as the bread sticks.

The service was also, unfortunately, below par. For some reason, just when you need your server (like ordering a refill or for help with the bill) they were nowhere to be found. Be prepared to wave other servers from across the room. 20% gratuity is added automatically to the bill, so here's a suggestion for management - please charge 25% and start offering good service.

My bottom line - Viale should function as a bar. They have no business...

Came here with a last minute reservation on a weekday. It seemed like a lot of people were coming here after work for their daily dollar oysters from 5 to 7, but we were still able to snag one of their private booth seatings.

The dollar oysters were very small but still good enough to satisfy our cravings. We then tried the saffron arancini and the smoked beet salad. The salad was plain, but the saffron arancini came with a palatable sauce that left us wanting for more.

Standout dishes from the entrées were the lumache and the seared salmon. Spicy breadcrumbs and clams added nice textures to the lumache, and I liked that the garlic white wine sauce had a good amount of acidity which usually works well with seafood pastas. Forking a piece of salmon with a concoction of celeriac purée, shaved celery, Umbrian lentils, and pomegranate was also a transformative experience. The sweetness from the pomegranate perfectly complemented the slightly bitter and acidic taste from the shaved celery, and each bite was a sheer bliss. My only complaint was that the pistachio pesto pizza was overcooked, and it was quite difficult to bite through the bread. Otherwise, everything from the service to the food were flawless, and I would definitely come back for a casual weekday dinner with my friends...