Il Venetian — Restaurant in Cleveland

My wife and I had dinner here when we were in town for the eclipse, and it was honestly quite the mixed bag - the food overall was excellent, our waiter was awesome, and the atmosphere was great (upscale while still being "comfortable"), but there were some glaring "oddities" that I'll describe in detail below.

We got to work pretty quickly on arrival and put in an order for some appetizers and drinks. The bartender had unfortunately just gone on break, so we had to wait ~10 minutes for the drinks. Our waiter was deeply apologetic, and comped us an Eggplant Rollatini to make up for it. We were pleased, but the calamari that we ordered never showed up.

From there, we ordered our two entrees (the rigatoni and cavatelli) along with two sides to share. The entrees were both fantastic, but our sides never showed up. Fortunately, this ended up working out, as we were both pretty full from the pasta. We had just enough room for dessert, so we decided to order two to share. However, after ordering, our waiter brought out some of the spumoni spaghetti and told us that "he wanted us to try it". It was great, but we were at the point where we had pretty much no room for our other two desserts - given that they were both cold and wouldn't have lasted, we ended up scarfing them down regardless and having a quite uncomfortable walk back to our hotel.

The whole situation was just kind of bizarre - as I mentioned, our waiter was pleasant and professional, but forgetting 3 different items that were ordered and then covering with two entirely different items being comped (at least I assume that's what was happening given that it neither of the explanations tied it together explicitly) is pretty bad. It may have also been the kitchen's fault, which would partially explain the weird excuses for the comped items. The night wasn't particularly busy either - maybe 1/4 of the tables were filled, and it was down to just a couple tables by the time we left.

The really strange part about the whole situation was that it came one night after a similarly bizarre experience at the Marble Room, which I didn't realize until later is owned by the same group. I'm sure it may have been coincidental, but I do wonder if there are some systemic issues at play. Either way, my takeaway is the same as that meal - I can chalk it up to a bad night and I'd give them another shot, but I wouldn't be back if that ended up being anything less...

We were excited to try Il Venetian, seeing as how it consistently ranks among Cleveland's top restaurants. Our actual experience was rather mixed. First, a warning about the menu: hope you like truffles, since over half of the menu features some sort of mushroom (which is a shame, since the last time I checked, fungus is not a prerequisite for haute cuisine). That said, the meal actually began very solidly with the house made cocktails and rosemary bread and dipping oil. Well, the bread was merely fine, but the dipping oil was delicious - herby, garlicky, and salty and with a neutral oil that was not too grassy. The salads were likewise outstanding: the Caesar salad was unctuously eggy and mustardy and tasted like it had been kissed by the ocean, while the tomato salad was a perfect balance of sweet and tangy and umami flavors. The mains, on the other hand... oof. The filet mignon was the grayest, ugliest, untrimmed hunk of meat we've seen this side of a nursing home. At least it was well-seasoned, and, once you got past the appearance, tasted okay. The homemade fettuccine (with not 1, not 2, but 3 (!) different types of mushroom) was easily the better dish. It could have used more of a sauce, but was otherwise quite fresh and toothsome. Note for the future: stick to the pasta. Dessert was a nice, light gelato sampler - the vanilla was forgettable, but the hazelnut tasted like eating chilled nutella (true luxury) and the bergamot was a bracing and aromatic tour de force.

As far as the overall experience, while our server was very friendly and helpful, the meal pacing left a lot to be desired: our first course came out not 5 minutes after placing the order, with the main course close on its heels. We worried we might be kicked out in half an hourl, but then things slowed down… considerably. This gave time to take in the ambiance, such as it was: classic jazz on the radio (lovely, if a little loud) and a profusion of metal and crystal fixtures (honestly? kind of gaudy).

Knowing that Il Venetian is owned by the same company as The Marble Room, the difference in quality in the two properties is staggering. That's not to say Il Venetian was bad by any means, however it could have (should have) been better. If I were in charge of Savour Hospitality I wouldn’t put the two together in the same...

We had an amazing time dining on a Saturday evening. The only thing I would change is the amount of food I could eat! The atmosphere is charming and elegant. It is not too loud even when full. We made reservations easily on open table and I made a note that it was my boyfriends birthday and they brought him out these cream puffs with a birthday message! Our server was wondering and attentive, my water was never empty for more than a moment! You will absolutely want to take your time eating here so you can experience all of the courses. We arrived for a late dinner around 8 and left around close at 11pm. We started off with the eggplant rollatini and wagyu beef appetizers. They were both delicious. They also served bread and oil for dipping which was perfect. I ordered the rack of veal (medium) which is served with scalloped potatoes and broccoli. My boyfriend ordered the veal Parmesan which is served with spaghetti. We got to try some of the other pasta dishes as well. Now when I tell you this veal was to DIE FOR, I am not kidding. Both of our veals were cooked perfectly. Mine was lightly crunchy on the outside and the inside was just a little pink (exactly how I wanted it) and melted in my mouth. I have had veal many times before (even in Italy) and this was hands down the best I’ve ever had. The desserts were just as good. The tiramisu and gelato were both amazing. Every time I took bite of something my first thought was “OMG!” The drinks were equally as good. I had a glass of Prosecco, and a Bellini which was delicious. My boyfriend had a very cool smoked bourbon drink that they serve with a cover and then let out real wood smell. Overall, our experience was amazing. It was definitely worth the amount of money spent on this meal. You get what you pay for! Also, special shout out to Chef Jose for making our apps and...