Alberto’s — Restaurant in Gallatin

My husband has been trying to take me here for years, and I've always pushed him off about it. I've worked in restaurants as a manager, cook, and server for 8+ years, so my expectations for the price were high, and I didn't want to be disappointed. It was my birthday, and he insisted we went, and so I happily agreed. The food was phenomenal, I must tell you! Tho, I have a few small gripes in other areas..

It was my Birthday, so we wanted to splurge and enjoy all they had to offer. We ordered the finger food sampler; little balls of fried meats and cheeses. Sad there wasn't a falafel in it, but understandable due to maybe availability. The green sauce on the side was excellent! 10/10

Main courses: chicken curry, prosciutto risotto, and kids mac-n-chz for the wee one. They curry and risotto were the BEST either of us have ever had! 10/10 Everyone has their own take on Mac, but I didn't like theirs. Basically, just a creamy butter noodle sauce without flavor. That's ok though, I'm sure others love it, but it wasn't for us and our little one didn't like it. Dessert: Peach tart. It was enjoyable, and well made. 6/10

The atmosphere and server were lacking for us. Including ourselves, there were maybe 3-4 tables occupied at the restaurant & 2 servers. The playlist of music felt -really- depressing. It was one of those compilations that consisted of piano remakes of famous songs, but very slow and dreary. Honestly, it reminded me of a moody coffee shop and not a Brazilian high-end cafe. It really brought the place down, just my take on it.

The server let us down. She wasn't straight forward when we asked her questions, and just said whatever was easiest. "Are the drinks free refills?" I asked, she said yes. I believe they were not, because she brought out a little flat can of cola, and never offered me a refill. "Do the entrèes come with sides?" My husband asked. She replied 'Yes, chips, soup, or salad' and didn't clarify that it was only the lunch combo/sandwich area of the menu. We asked again when ordering our food, and she basically didn't feel comfortable telling us that it wasn't included, and I kinda had to put her on the spot to get a clear answer. I felt sorry for her, because I think they probably put up with a lot of uncomfortable situations due to pricing. Aside from that, while she seemed pleasant enough, she was non-existent and back in the kitchen most of the time. I asked her for a box and check the next time she came out, and she came by us three times while we sat there waiting.. eventually, I guess she realized we were sitting there looking around waiting and asked us if we needed anything(again) lol.

Now onto the weird part, and one of the reasons I probably won't go back.. there was no check! She brought the box and stood there awkwardly looking at us. I said 'Check?' and she just motioned for our card?! I looked at her, and she had a little device tucked into her hip facing herself. I said 'Are you not even going to show us our bill?' she flipped it over quickly, and you could just see the amount and nothing else. I guess the restaurant is trying to save the world from paper waste, but I think it's your right as a customer to see your bill! That's kinda the fun part, don't take that away from us 😉 She did offer a receipt, but I declined. No point after you've already paid.

Another reason I won't be back, is that there isn't a baby changing station in the restroom. It's kinda a pet-peeve for me as a parent. There was another restroom marked 'CLOSED' and I really hope that there's a baby changing station in there for other parents, but there wasn't one in the restroom on the right side. If you don't want to install a Koala station, you could do a mobile changing station or small dresser with changing pillow on top. The restroom was large; there is room!

PROS: Food is exceptional and fresh! LOVED IT SO MUCH! CONS: Family accommodation, service, price, music, no bubbly soda.. get a contract with your local soda people, you'll make more money!! That's the cheapest flip in the biz. Your...

Brazillian/European cuisine in a nice old home. Gallatin sorely needs more unique fare such as this.

The good: Nice date quality atmosphere, 3 small cozy dining rooms decorated with oil paintings (for sale) from a Brazillian(?) Artist, feels like you're dining in an art gallery on real furniture. The menu is unique and unusual. The Curry Chicken was quite good (though the side of lays potato chips was confusing). Our server was very nice, with a great smile. The Desert case has an extensive selection.

The Bad: -Lots of menus.. Went during Brunch, which added a Brunch menu, plus the regular menu, then an entire extra menu to cover options for what I think is the "featured item", Pastels. I don't mind a healthy sized menu but I found myself juggling the loose sheets trying to get familiar with the options.

-What's a pastel? good question.. think of a hot pocket, about 4-5 times the size, with better quality ingredients. It looked and sounded great, but in the end it was a little underwhelming in the taste department (quality and execution seemed good, just the core concept was lacking in my opinion). It tasted fresh, and like care was put into it, but it just wasn't great. For $14 I was expecting a little more wow.. and maybe a side.

-Fresh Juices... I only tried one, the Pineapple juice with mint, sweetened requested. It wasn't sweet at all, and I couldn't detect pineapple by taste, only a subtle smell. The mint was VERY strong, and blended in whole. Overall it tasted like something you might use for a body cleanse, not for a nice meal. At $7, it was drinkable but far from enjoyable.

-Service was.. lacking? Two tables seated in the place, one server walking around one table talking to the customers never looked over, we stood in the middle of the room waiting to be noticed for about 8 or so minutes, then told we could seat ourselves. It's was pretty awkward. Menus, drinks, and food all came in good time, but about 20-25 minutes after we finished deserts we were still waiting for the check, and couldn't find anyone to let them know we were waiting.

The Ugly: -Deserts... There's a great selection of amazing looking deserts. Even multiple options for people that might want to avoid chocolate, which is welcome and unusual. But the reality is, these deserts are not made in house. Many (all?) are purchased. I was pretty disappointed to discover a place that touts itself as a bakery displays store bought macaroons. I selected the Tiramisu, which was trimmed with fresh whole strawberries and a pepperidge farm pirouette, and a chocolate mousse adorned with macaroons. The deserts were carried back to the kitchen, and I couldn't discern why.. when they returned, there was no silverware, and the chocolate mousse still had the plastic wrapper on it.. I'm thinking they just went for a walk. Then I tried the Pirouette.. it was bendy, and chewy, like it'd sat in a fridge (or the desert case) for a week. Completely inedible. Then I tried my Tiramisu... and it was still partially frozen! I could actually see ice crystals sheeted on the sides, and the filling had an iced crunchiness to it. I tried letting it sit for a few minutes but it made no difference. I do not think the pirouette and the tiramisu had been stored in the same place.. so I can only assume for some reason my slice was traded out for a new piece from the freezer. Ignoring the Ice I'd judge it to be an above average store bought Tiramisu made with sponge, rather than ladyfingers.

-The Bill.. I hesitate to complain, as the prices weren't misrepresented (desert menu was missing during desert selection, easy to get surprised there), but a mediocre lunch for 2 with desert ran about $65 before tip. That's not in the single $, or even $$ range for this area(google's representation, not the cafe's). I don't mind paying more for fantastic and unusual food.. but the overall feeling I got here was I was at a Brazillian friends grandmothers house for dinner. The food I had, excluding the Curry, was...

My wife and I decided to have an impromptu date day. I googled Italian food in the Gallatin area and stumbled across Alberto's. Listed as Brazilian fare, we decided to take a chance.

We cannot praise this little out-of-the-way restaurant more. We made an 11:00am reservation same day at about 8:00am. I attempted to call to confirm at roughly 9:10am and reached the voicemail, though I chose not to leave a message. Within a few minutes i received a call from Mariah, returning the missed call. I was quite surprised a restaurant would take the time to do that.

We arrived 30 minutes early to a beautiful location with a small, but sufficient parking area. We were quickly welcomed and seated immediately. The interior of Alberto's provides a beautiful, relaxing ambiance, perfect for our occasion, with ample space between tables. We learned the building was built around the Industrial Revolution era, originally to serve as a home for troubled youth. During conversation we learned the Chef has worked and trained throughout Europe and other locations, and is fluent in 9 languages. My wife and I both love details and history, so this was of interest to us.

Mariah was our waitress as well. To say she was amazing would be a vast understatement. She was exceptionally pleasant, friendly, and outgoing. She thoroughly answered every question we asked, explaining in detail the various dishes offered, suggestions on which dish may match our tastes, as well as the history of the area and details of the Chef's professional pedigree. As a sidenote, maybe it's the Gen X raised Millenial in us, but we thought Mariah rocking the Converse All-Star Chuck Taylors was awesome, and fitting her personality.

Now, the food! My wife ordered the Mediterranean salad with chicken and balsamic dressing, while I ordered the chicken salad on a croissant, with the spinach soup. Both meals were some of the absolute best we've eaten with what we would consider generous portions. I've eaten at various local eateries all over the country, so to top the list of "best" for me, it definitely speaks to the quality and taste. I thought "chicken salad is chicken salad, it won't knock my socks off", I was absolutely mistaken. Flavorful, filling, with just the right amount of pizazz. The soup was piping hot, and after mixing in the provided shredded mozzarella (as Mariah suggested) while still hot, it was an excellent pairing to the sandwich.

Pricing was on par, if not better, that we would have expected. We both drank ice water, and the two meals and Uncle Sam's portion came to $38. More than fair for the all-around experience she and I had. Some of their offerings were substantially higher on the pricing scale, but I feel they would still be reasonable for the portion size and quality

We chose to leave our phones in the truck, so unfortunately I have no pictures to share.

In closing, I highly recommend visiting Alberto's, I highly doubt you will be disappointed. Ask for Mariah, she is definitely at the top...