Isabellas Italian — Fayetteville — Restaurant in Fayetteville

My wife and I just tried Isabella's for the first time this past Saturday. Overall, it was pretty good and the service was great. I have a few nit-picks, but Isabella's is certainly a place I would try again. I do really like that they have a lot of authentic Italian dishes that are hard to find in NWA like Bolognese with tagliatelle and orecchiette.

The ingredients they use do seem to be pretty high quality, but some of the execution isn't spectacular. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer. They were pretty under salted and the sauce they were in had WAY too much garlic (and I love my garlic...). The actual flavor of the mushroom was good, but just needed an extra hit of salt in either the sauce or the mushrooms.

For the entrees, I had the Filet Oscar and my wife had the seafood risotto. My filet was cooked perfectly, but I wish there had been a little more crab on there. The actual taste of the steak and the crab were great, though. Now, let's get to the béarnaise sauce on the steak. The sauce was definitely way too acidic (likely too much white wine or didn't let the wine cook down enough) and there was too much tarragon to the point where it was pretty much all I could taste in the sauce. The potato cake that comes with it also could have used some more salt, but it was crispy and generally pretty good. The asparagus was a little more flimsy and soggy than I like, so a little less cook on that would have been great.

My wife's seafood risotto was absolutely amazing. 10/10 would order every time I went from here forward. Great seafood flavor and ample amounts of everything. Great texture to the risotto. For those of you used to standard risotto, know that this one is a little soupier than you would expect, but everything about it is on point.

My biggest issue had to do with the price of their wine. Holy mark-up, Batman! I totally get that alcohol mark-up is how many restaurants make a good portion of their money, but it seems a little crazy here. They had a Francis Ford Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon by the bottle for about $70 (which, for the record, you can go to any liquor store in NWA and get either of the cabs between $16-20). Their by-the-glass prices were not really any better.

Between an appetizer, two entrees, and four glasses of wine the bill ran about $200 after tip. I would probably go for the food again, but would likely just bring my own wine and pay the cork fee to keep it cheaper.

Our waiter was good and very knowledgeable. Our drinks and food came out super fast. Was not a big fan of sitting at the table next to the kitchen and bar; way too much traffic and kitchen noise, but certainly less chatter from other patrons.

Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for some good Italian fine dining. Lots of classics for those who, say, want that old-school flavor but don't want to slave over a stove to make authentic Bolognese. Definitely recommend a visit for anyone looking for a date night or...

I should have taken pictures of the food. I will say that the food was good. Not great, but good. The portions were comically small. Had I known ahead of time that we were going to be limited to the Valentine's Day menu, I would have gone somewhere else. $95 per person is simply too much for what you receive.

Like others have said, it gets cold inside. They really need to build out some sort of entrance area to keep the weather out of the dining room. And the credit card processing fee is ridiculous.

My entree was the 4oz filet and scallops. 3 scallops, to be exact. And the 2.75oz filet, after cooking, was not warm enough to melt the butter on top of it. Oh, the 1/2 cup of mushroom crab bisque seemed sad to be served in a giant bowl. It would have been nice to have the escargot served like every other place in the world serves it. Naw, how about a tiny puff pastry with what I assume to be the snails served with some crunchy tomato strips. Nice!

I simply can't fathom how my wife and I spent $360 for this meal. I had 3 drinks and she had one. Very, very disappointed with this establishment.

More...

Oh, Nikki, you most definitely graced us with your presence several times. The reservation was neither made by me, nor in my name. The couple who made the reservation knew nothing of the "special menu" and were apologetic to the others in our group. In fact, one of our group flatly refused to order anything due to the $95 price.

Several people at other tables commented on the temperature and you said you had just turned on the heat. Thanks!

I don't think many of us would have been upset with price if the menu warranted it. But, seriously, my friend had the shrimp appetizer and laughed when he was served 3 shrimp.

I've been dining with you and Todd since the Belvedeer's days and was excited to try Isabella. But your apparent new focus on profit makes me hesitant to even visit Mermaids again, even though I have always enjoyed it.

And let's not pretend that your overhead at Isabella is anywhere near what it is at Mermaids. Yet somehow the same dishes (from the menu I intended to use last night) are at least as expensive as Mermaids.

Anyway, if the majority of your patrons last night were pleased to spend $350+ per couple on what you served, more power to you. I'll just not be visiting any Golden restaurants again.

Again.... Nikki, did you really post that no one complains about...

As much as we were eager to embrace Isabella's Italian, our dining experience left us underwhelmed. My wife and I have long been enthusiasts of Todd Golden's culinary prowess, tracing back to his days at Belvedere's in the early 90s and later at Mermaids in the 2000s. Naturally, the prospect of his latest venture, Isabella's in Fayetteville, stirred our anticipation.

The ambiance and service were impeccable, as one would expect from an intimate dining establishment. However, the culinary offerings told a different tale. We kicked off our meal with the French Onion Skillet. Familiar with Chef Todd's renowned Swiss Onion Soup, we anticipated a treat. Instead, we were presented with a shallow cast iron skillet containing a thin layer of French onion soup overladen with bread and cheese. Unfortunately, the bread had absorbed most of the soup, leaving us with a gelatinous mass of soggy bread and cheese. While the flavor remained intact, the execution left much to be desired. We longed for the traditional warm bowl of soup topped with toasted bread and cheese, a presentation we knew and loved.

My wife opted for the Chicken Parmigiana. While the chicken and al dente bucatini were cooked to perfection, the pink vodka sauce lacked depth and clung thinly to the pasta, failing to impart the desired flavor.

I chose the shrimp alfredo, only to be met with disappointment. The jumbo shrimp appeared to have been hastily thawed from frozen, lacking the sear one would expect from proper sautéing. Furthermore, the dish lacked garlic, parmesan, and seasoning, with the sauce resembling skimmed milk in consistency. Despite the well-cooked noodles, the overall experience was lackluster.

I'd wager that Chef Todd or one of his seasoned chefs wasn't overseeing operations that night, especially considering the lack of flavor in both cream sauces. They were likely preoccupied with a large party in another room. Although I'm unsure of the specific chef or sous chef responsible for the main dining room, it's crucial that Chef Todd is made aware of the kitchen's...