Enoteca Italia — Restaurant in Dallas

I want to start by saying that while some parts of this review may be MISREAD as negative, I wholeheartedly recommend Enoteca Italia and give my response as honest, well-considered critique of an eatery that made me think about what it was doing.

We were welcomed by the proprietress before even getting in the door. The service was prompt, polite, knowledgeable, and courteous. The general atmosphere, though nice, seemed undecided. The location is good for customer traffic but not conducive to building a sense of identity. It would be a great spot for an intimate date, but the music and ambient noise are a bit too much for quiet conversation.

For appetizers, we got the focaccia and the garlic parmesan fries. The seasoned fries were good, but the aioli to dip them in was what made the dish notable. The focaccia, however, was the first point where I had to stop and consider what I was eating. This was NOT focaccia as it is baked anywhere else under that name. Do not set yourself to thinking of the pockmarked, pillowy, savory bread that spent its dough-hood and baking swimming in olive oil. This is more akin to an unusual cross between a good thin pizza crust and a crab rangoon. The tangy cheese pockets in the crispy bread were wonderful, and the honeycomb served as a beautiful counterpoint. I would change nothing about it if it were at my restaurant except the name and perhaps to put fresh fruit with it and serve it after instead of before the meal. Three of the four of us ordered drinks. The peach mocktail was on point, the miscusi was refreshing, but the negroni--while tasty--was oddly floral, almost but not quite to the point of being perfumey.

Of the mains, two of us ordered dishes containing braised short rib. They have mastered this: it was intensely butyraceous, had a perfectly seared crust, and had a melty soft interior. Mine was served with cheese-filled tortellini. It was called carbonara, but it seemed to be a more complex cream and cheese sauce. Instead of just one type of cured pork tossed in the sauce, it had four, to include crispy prosciutto, which added textural interest. It was just as good served with the gnocchi and ragu. Do not miss any treatment they may give of the braised short rib. The seafood ravioli were rich and more filling than the pescatarian in our group is used to getting with a fish dish. The chicken parm was the dish we took the most home; it could serve two.

We were all quite full, so we only ordered three desserts. I do not usually like flourless chocolate cake. Theirs was okay for me, but the pastry chef in our group has a soft spot for it and said that it was one of the better they had had. The Basque cheesecake suffered under the weight of its name: it was delicious, but it was not a Basque cheesecake. I NEVER have endorsed a blondie in half a century of overindulging in the world's fine variety of baked goods. I must, however, shamefacedly admit that Enoteca Italia's brown butter blondie is a delightful bit of awesomeness.

Despite no shortage of good places to eat in the area, I will absolutely find my way back here to see what new offerings they may add to an...

Starting, I understand people are not perfect and situations happen, I understand first impressions are very important & sometimes they do not go as planned. My first impression did not go well but the maximum effort put in to change my perspective was phenomenal.

Owner, head chef Alban & his wife run a amazing restaurant. The staff they have hired are well skilled , educated and gifted. The experience my significant other, friend & I were given is top tier. Despite our prior attempt to dine-in this encountering was made warm. We were greeted by the head chef himself & completely made to feel like a priority. Our server was magnificent, very knowledgeable, very attentive, i wish I would’ve gotten her name because when we return we will ask for her service. Food presentation was beautiful, fresh, hot, it was beautifully made & tasted cared about. Even though I’m pregnant my mock tail was amazing, beautiful presentation, my partners & friends cocktail was strong, beautiful & added a nice touch to the experience.

Owner Albans wife, ( wish I would’ve gotten her name as well) is the smiling face that greets you when you come into the door, she is beautifully spirted & added so much passion to our experience this evening, despite our prior attempt to dine, she really did turn this experience around with the most genuine, warm real apology i could’ve received. Her aura is felt all around the restaurant through her pleasant greetings, smile , & customer service. She has the talent of connecting & doing the right thing. These owners run a well crafted, home oriented restaurant that i will be returning too more & more. This is a place I have absolutely no issue in referring, nominating, suggesting whatever form to spread the word.

I hope they enjoyed serving us as much as we enjoyed being served! I am excited to add this restaurant to our regular Dallas spots & to bring more & more people along to experience the amazing staff as a whole. All is forgiven, and moving forward i have absolutely no negative feedback, no harsh words, no regrets this is truly one of Dallas most...

We had high hopes coming into this Italian restaurant after a bit of research and skimming over the photos and reviews of others who had already experienced Enoteca. We were left underwhelmed for a variety of reasons. While the ambience and aesthetics were pleasing for the type of vibe you expect in the Oaklawn area, the appreciation stopped there. The menu appears to have decent selection of what you would expect from an Italian restaurant but the items we chose were definitely not reflective of authentic quality Italian in taste. Certainly not in value per dish. The whipped ricotta with honeycomb was bland, accompanied by grilled sourdough in an attempt to elevate the taste of the dish as a whole. The truffle fries were good, probably the best of what we ate but really, how could you screw up such a simple appetizer? My partner ordered the bolognese, which was also lacking flavor and truly reminded him of Chef Boyardee from childhood. Yikes! That's not okay for such an expensive pasta dish. The chicken parmesan also tasted underwhelming and artificial; definitely not thoughtfully prepared with quality ingredients. Our daughter had the fettuccine alfredo, which she did enjoy to a degree, but didn't rave about as we've witnessed in other Italian restaurants in Dallas. Our server was virtually non-existent and didn't ask for feedback on each of our courses or appear to intend on staying long each time other than to ask if we wanted another cocktail. We tried 4 different drinks and each were watered down. Very disappointing. Perhaps the higher end dishes such as the ribeye and seafood varieties were good, although we all were mainly craving carbohydrates that night and perhaps made the better choice to not splurge on ultimately being dissatisfied. Overall, we left feeling like we didn't have a great meal and to not have a head waiter or manager come by the tables to check on guests during or after dinner demonstrates how little they are invested in their guests' opinion of the food and service. We won't be going back...