Casanova Ristorante — Restaurant in Dana Point

My goddess and I tried Casanova for the first time on Valentines Day. We started at the bar for a drink, the Goddess getting a Pear Delight, which is a pear-flavored martini, and I the Casanova Martini, which I'd describe as a martini flavored with pomegranate. We both really liked her drink but thought mine was just ok.

When we checked in they told us our table was being cleared and should be ready in a few minutes. We were at the bar for nearly 30 minutes when I finally enquired again about our table. The hostesses had obviously forgotten about us. They sat us immediately...at a table directly behind our bar seats...and that table was empty from the moment we walked in! This is part of the reason for only 3 stars for service.

It took quite a while for a server to appear at our table, as well as bread. The oil & balsamic for the bread was not brought until we we about done with the bread. This accounts for the rest of the 3 star rating. Now for the good stuff...

The food was excellent, and our server very attentive for the rest of the evening! The goddess had linguine pescatora...she loved it! Lots of seafood and the dish was flavored just right! I had the ossobuco. The presentation was pic worthy and the flavors even better!

Valentine's Day is definitely a busy day for restaurants, so i can overlook the service issues that day. If you are looking for an Italian restaurant with an old school look and feel, I'd definitely...

I am so disappointed in almost every aspect of this once favorite restaurant. I knew there was new ownership since last eating here and that's part of why we chose to come back tonight. Well what ever changes they have made have ruined the food, service, and atmosphere. Walking in we could see every server standing in the back just chatting among themselves. The first person to greet us waited 15 seconds before walking away. We were promptly sat by the owner and greeted shortly by our server. Not knowing what we wanted to start with he said he would return it took 10 minutes before we saw him again in an almost empty restaurant. And that was just for the drink order. We ordered the drink and asked about the description of the "zesty alfredo" wondering if it meant lemony. He said in a put off kind of way that it was not it was a normal Alfredo he didn't know why the menu says that. Ended up ordering the dish I have had many times there and I expected to have some tomatoes in the alla checca sauce and found an entire can of stewed tomatoes dumped on top of the pasta. I just looked at my husband and said gross as I scraped them to the side of the plate. I have so much more to say but have lost the urge and momentum. So to sum it up from beginning to end our experience was such a let down. Our once deliciously favorite local Italian restaurant is nothing like it used to be. Sad to even have to say it. I hope they can survive...

Inconsistency in the kitchen or going down hill? I hade never eaten there but my family recently had and pumped it up as really good Italian food. No one was crazy for the food this time around. As we often, do we speculated on what had changed with our conclusion being that there was a different chef in the kitchen today. Aside from myself the comments around the table were over salted and under flavored. My dad said “this is not bad but when I had it last time it was the best mushroom ravioli I’ve ever had.” I had tried the lobster ravioli. It was good for ravioli but not good for lobster ravioli if that makes any sense. The sauce was good the pasta itself was fine but nothing stood out that made it a lobster themed dish. That is to say that the lobster was hidden amongst all of the other ingredients. I did Find a chunk of lobster in one of the raviolis in ate it by itself. I was left with the distinct impression that it was from a can (yes I have eaten canned lobster before, It has all the drawbacks of any canned meat, especially being fishy). So unfortunately rather than the lobster being a feature of the food it was something that had to be...