Arrabiata Steakhouse Restaurant — Restaurant in Ivins

OMG. This was probably the best meal I’ve ever had in my entire life.

We were seated by a kind woman and the chef himself came out to explain the menu to us. It felt so personable, and it really felt like we were the only ones in the restaurant. You can either choose a 4 or 5 course meal prepared by the chef, or do a la carte if you do not have a lot of people in your party. We went all out and decided to do the 5 course meal. My mind was blown with each dish.

We were first served the barrata. Every single element of this dish was beyond anything I ever imagined. It reminded me of when I traveled to Europe and every ingredient of every food surpassed anything I had ever tasted. The balsamic glaze was heavenly. The mozzarella ball in the middle was so incredible soft and flavorful. The basil had immense flavor, unlike anything I had ever had. The bread was perfectly toasted. Me and my husband ate the entire thing and left nothing behind.

We next were served ravioli with tiger shrimp on top. Absolutely heavenly. The sauce was perfectly flavored, and again, I ate the entire plate and left nothing behind!

Next was the salad. My husband ordered the Caesar and I had the salad with a champagne raspberry vinaigrette with organic dried cranberries and bleu cheese. I didn’t know a salad could be this amazing! It was a perfect refreshing course before the main entree. My husband was eating my salad off my plate. He said it tasted so good! The vinaigrette really makes it.

We were able to choose what steaks we wanted. We both decided on a New York Prime which was absolutely heavenly. My husband said he liked his steaks medium and the chef said “no, you’re gonna eat it how I make it” which made me laugh but the chef was right, he knew exactly how to make it to enhance the juiciness and taste the best. The outside layer was so crisp and the inside was soooo juicy and tender and warm.

I will say at this point I was extremely full! So was my husband. I have never been this full in my life. But I couldn’t stop eating, it was soooo delicious. I was in heaven.

Next was dessert. We decided on crème brûlée and the chocolate mousse cake. The chef said the crème brûlée was the best in the world. He was absolutely correct. It was so sweet and creamy and just the right amount. My chocolate mousse cake was AMAZING. It wasn’t too sweet, which I loved. It tasted like real chocolate, not something artificial pumped with sugar. The chef also came out to top it with a special Italian sea salt made from the seas in Italy. This was the same salt that came on my steak as well.

What I really appreciated was after each course the chef wanted to know what we thought of each meal. He would also sometimes wait for us to take that first bite to see our reactions. You can tell he truly cares so much about what he does. I know if there was anything at all I’d be unhappy with he would do anything he could to remedy it.

I do not see why anyone would ever give this place less than a 5 star review. I would give 100 stars if I could. If I ever move away from this area I will 100% be flying back just to eat here. I have never seen such a hospitable, kind, stupendous restaurant. I cannot thank the chef...

Wow. My experience was 180 degree different from prior comments. I called last night looking for somewhere I could order take out (which is stated on Arrabiata's listing). I was told it was a "fine dining" restaurant but I would be accommodated. I ordered at 8:00 and the restaurant closes at 9:00 and the food would be ready at 8:30. I was shocked when I asked if the restaurant was located at the prior restaurant establishment (Aragosta's) as I did not want to send my husband on a goose chase to an establishment that had moved. The owner then want into a rant about how his business was so much better than the prior establishment in terms of food quality and the only thing I would be missing was the "fake smile and rose" from the prior chef. That comment came out of nowhere and shocking. So, I still went with the flow and we ordered as our options limited at that time of hour. When ordering I called in my CC card so my husband would not have to pay when he arrived to pick up the food. When my husband arrived he was told my CC card did not go through so my husband being surprised went ahead and put the order on his card. Even with that the chef asked if he wanted to add a gratuity for take out. When I learned of the experience I was surprised as my card has never been declined. The next day I looked at my AMEX statement and saw the charge was pending with Arrabiata. Being concerned I called the restaurant to report a potential error/over charge. The chef/owner was very defensive and told me he does not overcharge, etc....which is fine as I was just trying to correct an apparent oversight. Although the charge was reversed his conversation with me was disturbing in that he asked that we not go back and instead go to the new location of Arragosta's in St. George. He mentioned this twice on a voicemail using Chef Ami as the chef from the prior ownership. I never mentioned the prior establishment (nor name of chef) other than wanting to make sure the location was correct to pick up take out. Apparently there is more to the story I will ever know but the point is I was somehow the brunt of this restaurant's feud with the prior establishment. As for the food....my husband liked his entree except for how pricey and only two shrimp, clams,, etc. in pasta preparation. I had the lemon chicken picatta which appeared to have no lemon added as probably inadvertently omitted in error. It had a plain brown sauce with capers. Frankly, in all of my dining experiences anywhere this encounter was probably the strangest I have experienced....and we dine out frequently in Utah and otherwise. Maybe they were having a bad night but the inappropriate comments unprovoked not appreciated...

Having heard only good things about Arrabiata from some family and it being one of the few dining options in Ivins, we had to give it a try! We were not disappointed! The chef is very personable and talks to everyone and let me tell you he’s a wizard in the kitchen.

I’m not big on caprese salads and haven’t really liked burrata that much but the caprese and burrata appetizer was amazing! I had more than just the obligatory bite much to my wife’s dismay (she loves both caprese salads and burrata). It was delicious and definitely got things rolling for dinner.

For the meal I ordered the aged del monico ribeye. It was the best steak I’ve ever had. It had a perfect crisp on the outside, and I mean absolutely perfect, and was a true medium rare on the inside. The meat was tender, delicious and seasoned just right. I’m still thinking about the salt crystals and the dynamic between the crispy outside and tender and juicy inside. The side of lobster ravioli could have stood all on its own and I would probably go back just for that! The sauce with the ravioli was to die for, very smooth and full of flavor. The dish altogether was a masterpiece.

My wife had the chicken Alfredo and it was quite perfect. I had a small bite, needed to save room for my steak and ravioli! I can say that the Alfredo sauce and the chicken were both tasty and were everything that could be desired in a chicken Alfredo.

The dessert was a perfect end to the meal. It was a a delight, a delicious hazelnut gelato with a chocolate ripple and little crispy pieces throughout.

If you have been considering going, DO IT! Between the experience of actually getting to talk to Chef Eric and interact with him and have him take your order and cook your food to perfection and the food being actual perfection it’s a MUST! The whole evening was the perfect date, we loved getting to know Chef Eric, listening to his stories and experiences and dining on his delicious food! Just make sure to make reservations on open table before, it is a very close knit experience and just like everywhere else they are running short staffed so can only accommodate so many...