Baroncini Ristorante Italiano and Pizza — Restaurant in Iowa City

Upon arrival, I found the lack of a host station confusing. In its place... a coat rack that created quite the traffic jam with people trying to put their coats on while others were trying to enter and exit the restaurant. Pretty awkward layout decision, though slightly understandable given that Baroncini is a smallish place. Right away the host sat us and brought us waters. In fact the service was excellent from start to finish( that concludes all of the good things I can say about my experience at Baroncini) . Which brings me to the food; the food was simply a travesty. Like most Italian restaurants the meal starts with a basket of bread and some olive oil with cracked pepper. I cannot stress how disappointing this bread was. Stale and crumbling with no distinguishing flavor other than flour, this bread was on par with something you might find marked down at a local Cub Foods or HyVee. Truly a bad omen for an Italian restaurant of all places. For our appetizer we ordered a simple caprese bruschetta which wasn’t good but was by far the best tasting thing we had all night. Again the bread was questionable. Three thin, floppy bruschettas with melted mozzarella and halved cherry tomatoes, olive oil and some basaltic reduction. In all my life I don’t think I’ve had such a floppy bruschetta, not appetizing and honestly, very wimpy. Next we had two simple house salads, which aside from the scallops were the grossest dishes of the evening . The lettuce was not fresh and the bits of carrot added a wetness that no one ever wants. Strange decision to add a heap of what tasted like canned chickpeas on top. The salad also had a few cherry tomatoes that looked and tasted like someone sliced them the previous day (they had that pale, gelatinous quality that tomatoes get when cut open and left to absorb the fridge air, you may have had a salad like this at the airport for example). Finally, the entrees, which we waited for approximately 20 mins. When they arrived the plates were hot on top which typically indicates that our food had been sitting under heat lamps for some time. Not a great sign. We ordered the linguini and the scallops. The linguini pasta was actually pretty good, nice texture and felt homemade. I would have found the linguini quite tasty if it had not been salted to death and the shrimp not over cooked. I needed my water refilled mid dish due to the epic salt levels. Sad really. Next the scallops. Typically the quality of a scallop dish comes down to not over or under cooking them. These scallops were basically raw. Surprisingly that didn’t bother me as much as the flavorless butternut squash purée on top of an even more flavorless leek (I think?) purée. We each had three or four bites and that was all me could muster. Determined to end our experience on a positive note, we ordered dessert. We chose the panna cotta. In retrospect we should have ordered a more fool proof dessert but.... we didn’t. The panna cotta was essentially white jello with a raspberry drizzle and whip cream. It’s perhaps unfair to say it was like jello when only the top three quarters was jello-like( or an undercooked scallop..) the very bottom portion had that creamy texture you look for in a good pana cotta. The total cost of the meal was approximately $120 for two very disappointed people. In conclusion, the service was excellent and the food was an utter failure. I would go as far as to say the kitchen staff did an adequate job executing what I would call very bad recipes. Sadly I will not be returning to Baroncini though I wish them the best and hope the menu sees BIG...

It’s not often I eat at a place and order an entree that I can’t pronounce but last nights visit to Baroncini Ristorante Italiano just changed that. I can’t believe its been there for 6 years and I’ve just now heard of it. If you haven't; either you need to try it. Immediately upon entry the decor was warm and inviting, elegant without being stuffy. I guess you could even say romantic. We were greeted warmly and throughout the evening our service was spectacular. I just love an engaged and knowledgeable wait staff. It’s not often a salad makes one of my reviews because if a salad is not included with my meal I usually don’t order one. Theirs was not and my wife wanted to try one so we ordered their panzanella salad Traditional Italian bread salad with bread, tomato, onion, spinach, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and basil. I know salads are usually “light” even with the bread it was super light and refreshing. It has now joined the list of just two or three places that I can think of I’ll make an exception for where I will order a salad. Usually when I try a new restaurant I rely heavily on the recommendation of the staff and when for I asked our server what they were known and what was her favorite the first thing out of her mouth was the ANGNOLOTTI DI CARNE now I still can't pronounce it but she was able to roll it off her lips like she grew up in Italy my reply was I’ll have what she said. It consisted of a house made agnolotti pasta stuffed with beef and parmesan in a light sage and brown butter sauce. She had me at brown butter surprisingly it was the hint of sage that was the star of the dish. I was able to steal a few bites of my wife’s LASAGNE ALLA BOLOGNESE which was like no other Lasagne I’ve ever had as it had a crunchy panko type topping which provided a textural difference rarely found in a lasagne. I always get excited when a review contains the words “I had the best ever” Baroncini Ristorante Italiano’s TORTA AL MASCARPONE cheesecake is hands down the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet. Caramelizing the mascarpone was absolutely brilliant, it was like the most decadent creme brulee you’ll ever meet or eat but it was cheesecake! The fresh berries and strawberry sauce added a freshness to this amazing dessert. The meals I remember the most are the ones where my stomach is just plain happy afterwards and mine was happy for hours after leaving Baroncini Ristorante Italiano. I think I also had a restaurant first as when we were leaving one of the staff said ciao! We can't’ wait to return, if for nothing else the...

I'll start at the beginning: I ordered a very dry Bombay Sapphire martini, straight up, two olives. I got a dirty martini, which was replaced. Then I was served a mixed green salad. Delicious. My entrée was a veal chop with garlic mashed potato and a vegetable mix of asparagus, green beans, and red bell pepper. I ordered the veal rare, knowing that when I order rare in Iowa City I can expect, maybe, medium rare. I ordered two glasses of the house sauvignon blanc. I can say on the positive side that the wine was excellent. We have lived in Iowa almost five years, the pork and beef capital of the world. I suspect the best cuts of both, and now veal as well, are exported to other parts of the world. There is no pride in the claim "sourced locally" if the cut is fatty, tough and improperly butchered. Beyond that, my veal was not medium rare, not even medium. It was overdone and burnt on some parts. Unrecognizable as veal. The mashed potatoes were dry, but the vegetables were tasty. My date ordered a pasta with mushroom truffle sauce with grilled shrimp. The shrimp was good. The pasta was well past al dente. In fact, it looked as if both pasta and sauce were placed in a warming bowl which was overturned on the plate when the shrimp was done. By then it was cooled and sticky. My entrée was $41 and the total bill was $124. This is inexcusable and a fraud. $41 for a cut of veal I would otherwise not pay $10 for! Our favorite Italian restaurant in the area is--believe it--Monica's on the strip. Their menu is vast. Their service is flawless and if there is a slip it is corrected immediately. The food, every plate, is delicious and fairly priced. The atmosphere is not elegant, but comfortable and friendly. Above all it is honest. And downtown Iowa City needs to...