Trattoria 360 — Restaurant in Campbell

My wife and I joined another couple tonight for a wonderful meal and experience at Trattoria 360. The four of us have been to this restaurant more than four prior times and have always been very satisfied with the food, service and ambience.

Tonight was every bit as good as our prior dinners. Our waitress was very helpful as we asked a few questions about the menu and the staff did a fabulous job serving the wine we brought with us for dinner.

The waitress asked if we were celebrating an event tonight and we let her know that my wife's birthday was earlier this month.

My wife ordered the rib-eye special which had a spectacular mushroom sauce with just the right amount of pepper. We all shared a few pieces of the generous portion of rib-eye and decided it was so good that we would ask our waitress if she could give us some hints about how the sauce was made. She indicated that the owner could help us with that.

My friend enjoyed the risotto frutti de mare which was provided without the calamari per his request. His wife had the mafaldine calabrese and I had the mafaldine tirolese. All three of us were very happy with our meals. But, the rib-eye was clearly the star attraction tonight.

Near the end of our meal, the owner (Pino) not only helped us understand how the sauce was prepared, but entertained us with a brief description of how he started the restaurant (30 years ago as I recall).

Before the desert that the waitress had arranged for my wife arrived, Pino also if anyone at the table enjoyed caramel. We all said yes to that question. He then provided us with a very scrumptuous caramel Panna cotta (with walnuts). He also ordered four limoncello drinks for our table. These drinks were a great palate cleanser before the desserts arrived.

Please note that the caramel panna cotta is not on the menu, but is available whenever the restaurant has the caramel sauce (which I understand is most of the time). I plan to return to this restaurant many times in the future and will hopefully remember to save some room for dessert and ask for the caramel panna cotta.

The strawberry panna cotta also arrived at our table and it was very good - but did not enchant us as much as the caramel panna cotta.

The waitress indicated that she had worked at the restaurant for three years and found that customers were generally very nice and she indicated that the wait staff enjoyed each other and that the owner was wonderful as an employer.

I highly recommend that you enjoy this restaurant for any...

IF NEVER READ ANOTHER ONE OF MY REVIEWS AGAIN..THIS WOULD BE THE ONE TO READ. PLEASE READ THIS ONE!!!!!!

One in a Million!!!!!! Where do I even start, wifey and I had a 8pm reservation so we stop by at 7:30 to let them know that we would like an inside table if possible by 8. The maitre d said I have a perfict table for you and your wife right now, Wow! Our waiter Raphael took care of us in true Italian fashion. 5 Stars. I ordered the Bresaola Capacious (thinly sliced beef with Capers and arugula. tastes like prosciutto only better) I started getting warm and fuzzy all over. 5.99 stars out of 5.

Wifey ordered a Midori Sour also five stars.

For dinner I ordered the risotto fruta del Mar. OH-MY-GOSH!!!!! My food gasm hit so hard that my eyes never returned back to the front of my head until I was completely done with the dish. 5.99 stars!!!

Wifey ordered the Ravioli d' aragosta (Lobster stuffed Raviolis) again 5 stars!!

For dessert I ordered the tiramisu. It was light and creamy with a hint of amaretto. 5 stars. Wifey ordered the Coffee Tartufo (just look at the pic) it was Very GOOD!! 5 STARS!!

After dinner I asked to seek with Pino (the owner) I made a point of thanking him for such a beautiful meal. We started talking about Italia and what part each other was from. The next thing I knew he said wait..I got something special I want you to try..(Cassata) see pic. Let me tell you, this dessert took my food-gazzam to a whole new level. It just took me over the top! As my eyes started tearing up, Wifey was was looking at me funny..whats wrong she asked. All I could muster was a quivering response, (beautiful!!) Pion's food took me back to Memories of my mother's home cooking and the last meal she cooked for me. . Pino's restaurant is way more than good food, service and ambience..it's Family.

After we left Pino came running outside after us...and in true Italian form gave my wife a kiss on the cheek. There is not enough stars I can give him and his restaurant. Any number I give him would simply be an insult. So instead of stars I give him and his restaurant a...

Trattoria has so many things going for it. It is just a fantastic Italian joint serving home-style Italian classics. Fresh ingredients, prepared not cutting corners, and you can absolutely sense the care that goes in. As far as Italian comfort food is concerned, it doesn't get better than this.

The restaurant is somewhat small and gives a cozy vibe. Yes, it is nestled in the cute downtown of Campbell but you could easily imagine such a layout and snug settings in NYC or a small Italian town. It is upscale but done comfortably. Doesn't come across haughty or daunting, but rather welcoming. You can dress up or down and either will work.

So the food. The chefs present the dishes almost as a piece of art. But it isn't just presentation and looks done for the sake of pleasantries. There is a functional aspect guiding the layout and dressing of the food. And fundamentally the food tastes great - fresh ingredients, home-style cooking, bursting with flavors. Bold and definitely not timid.

Absolutely would recommend the squid ink tagliolini with lobster. This is so good, there's very few ways to describe the balance. The dish stands on its own, is filling both in quantity and flavor, and makes a clear statement that nothing was held back. One of the best pastas I have tasted in the Bay Area, perhaps only rivaled with Belotti in Oakland. The Panna Cotta was also something out of this planet. The texture was absolutely silky yet firm. Not too sweet but garnished with fruits and condensed milk.

So then, why only 4 stars? The tables are so stuck closely to one another that it becomes almost uncomfortable dining next to other parties. You aren't bashing elbows with the folks at the next table but it comes pretty close. They have squeezed as many as possible in a small space and it certainly starts to impact the experience.

Regardless of this, I'll be returning to Trattoria 360 rather sooner than later. This is a true gem of Campbell and would love to come as...