Chianti Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Greenwood Village

Add this to your list of places to eat in Colorado (they have some of the best gnocchi in town)...

Let me introduce you to Chianti Ristorante Italiano in Greenwood Village, Colorado. This cozy, family-owned restaurant creates amazing Italian dishes based on a menu designed by the owner himself, Chef Alessandro Carollo.

We arrived and were seated in the main dining room. Our server Gerry was phenomenal; he knew the menu inside & out and had great recommendations for us. He was quick with service and had a fabulous demeanor that made our double date so much fun. Chianti had a stellar wine list with exclusive options from Italy & France (which Gerry led us through).

The Veal Meatballs were made with garlic, eggs, gorgonzola cream sauce, parmesan cheese, arrabiata sauce, pancetta and grilled bread. The Veal meatballs sat atop the robust & fiery arrabiata sauce. The parmesan cheese added a sharp and salty counterpoint to the sweetness of the veal. The grilled bread provided a contrasting texture of soft chew against the juicy meatballs.

The Calmarretti e Zucchine was made with flash-fried calamari, julienne zucchini, & spicy marinara sauce. I was impressed with the calamari - it was the perfect level of flash-fried and kept the integrity of its taste profile.

The Burrata e Pomodoro was made with creamy burrata, heirloom tomatoes, wild arugula, olives, & a Modena balsamic reduction. The burrata was cool & mild, which went beautifully with the acidity of the tomatoes.

The star of dinner was the Gnocchi alla Vodka e Burrata made with potato dumplings in vodka pink sauce and parmesan cheese & served with a fresh burratina. Bury me in this burrata. The gnocchi were soft and pillowy on the inside with a slightly chewy texture. Their mild, starchy flavor complemented the smooth, sweet & tangy pink sauce, salty parmesan, & rich and milky burratina.

The Ravioli di Salsiccia was made with homemade round ravioli filled with Italian Sausage and ricotta; & a fresh tomato-wine sauce. The homemade pasta dough of the ravioli had a subtle wheat flavor; it was thin, elastic, & provided a satisfying bite. Each ravioli enveloped the savory & meaty Italian sausage.

The Scaloppine ai Carciofi e Limone was made with veal scaloppine with grilled artichoke hearts & finished with a lemon wine butter sauce. This was a well-balanced dish. The veal & sauce created a rich base that was cut through by the bright and tangy lemon juice. The artichoke hearts added a unique & contrasting flavor profile.

For dessert we had the cheesecake - a lovely finish to a...

Hands-down, this is the best Italian food I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. For those of you who only read the first statement in each review, that’s the “meat and cheese”of the matter. But for those of you who genuinely appreciate critical reviews, I can personally attest to the passion that is the foundation of this Italian culinary experience. Firstly, VICTOR is the general manager. VICTOR has been at this restaurant for over 22 years, as have many of the other employees, including the sous che— a rarity in a whirlwind industry. The restaurant remains and its unpresumptuous strip mall location, a nod to its roots— and overwhelmingly shocks newcomers with a violent wave of appreciation for traditional preparations and the utilization of Authentic Italian ingredient sourcing. My first experience at the restaurant, I ordered the ravioli parmigiano- and was immediately impressed with the balanced flavor of the egg in the handmade pasta, the light Gorgonzola cheese sauce, and the beautiful shimmer that must’ve come from nothing short of egg whites added lastly to gloss up the finished sauce. Additionally, it was immediately apparent that the cheese was sourced from Europe, and not from the United States, as the enzyme present in the gastric stomach juices of cows has been removed from most manufactured “fake” cheese here in the United States— most U.S. cheese is chemical plastic cheese. The cheese that was present on this plate was absolutely an unequivocably from Italy, because it was an celebration of all things aged dairy. I was so completely impressed by this restaurant that we returned to enjoy this quaint artistic experience a second time before we returned to our home state of Utah. We ordered the muscles in Chardonnay and the Adonotti de Fungi - which instantly tasted like authentic truffle. The general manager Victor confirmed that they do in fact source 2 pounds of ripe truffle bricks at the cost of $1600 and lovingly ration a couple shaves for each plate (a GIFT as it is a financial loss to the bottom line of the plate costs) and a real testament to the intention of the whole team at Chianti’s. The experience was not only one of warmth and generosity creating a feeling of coming home for even outsiders like us Utahan’s, but overall the entire experience was one of the most memorable of my culinary...

I'm sorry Chianti, we really wanted to love the restaurant. Unfortunately, our visit was just a comical disappointment. We were there, Tuesday, January 17th. We were 1 of 4 tables in the restaurant. We were seated towards the "back" of the restaurant by the wine wall. The server who approached us was friendly and polite. He never did give us his name and seemed to have a hard time reading the table for timing and attention. However, this was minor. It was immediately evident that this table wasn't great as we were right next to the server area. Our server was arguing with another server about who had cleaned what and how he was going to check it. The other server was not thrilled with this information and they continued to go back and forth throughout the meal. They were speaking in Spanish, I'm not fluent, but I know enough to know when two people are cussing at each other. Not a great ambiance for what was supposed to be a quiet, relaxing date night with my wife. We could also here the radio being played in the kitchen. Wasn't a great mix of Nat King Cole in my left ear and Cumbia in my right. We ordered creme brulee with berries. The other food had been good. This was absolutely, disgusting. The sugar crust was not freshly caramelized and the custard was gritty and separating. The top was cold and mushy and the berries were soft and old. We each had taken one bite. During dessert, our server and the other server began arguing about one of them having closed out the wrong table. It got so loud I thought a fight was going to break out. I literally had to interject to get them to be aware of how they were disturbing the 3 last tables in the restaurant. Server finally brought the check and never asked about the fact that we had barely touched the dessert. There was clearly no manager or owner on site. Let me tell you, you need to be there and run your restaurant. As a 24 year veteran of the industry, I'm embarrassed for you. While we will NEVER return, perhaps you can take this feedback and use it to improve your business....