Bona Vita Bistro — Restaurant in Lehi

My husband and I just visited this place for dinner for the first time. We love finding new food places and enjoy a large variety of dining experiences. That said this was a huge disappointment. The service was fine but either something has changed in the kitchen or the B team (more like C team) was working tonight.

We were excited to get a basket of fresh bread as we were ordering. It was still warm. Unfortunately it had a really odd texture and flavor. It was probably the first time my husband didn't finish a piece of bread. In fact, I usually have to fight for one slice in the entire serving.

As we were ordering, the real problems began. I have been turning over a new leaf and eating really healthy at home. I didn't have an expectation of a light meal out but was hoping to limit some of the saturated fat. I asked if I could get an alternate side from the potato stuffed with sour cream, butter & cheese to go with the New York Steak. My waitress said she have to go back and ask the kitchen. When she returned, I was informed that there were no substitutes because of the way they do it but that it already came with some vegetables.

Since I wasn't crazy about that, I figures I could order one of the ravioli dishes and just substitute their fresh marinara for the cream sauce. I was told all three of the ones I mentioned would not be recommended and it wouldn't taste right. Then I was directed to the pasta listings. She recommended 3 boring spaghetti dishes that could have a marinara substitute. I'm sorry, but I just don't go out to eat spaghetti.

I this point I just settled for the Steak and didn't plan on eating the potato. I ordered it Medium Well (I know this isn't an ideal but I have a wussy stomach that can't handle anything too pink or red). The stead was WELL done. Unfortunately to the state of dryness. There was no juice when the meat was cut. It was also a horrible cut as there was fat running through the middle and each bite was extremely chewy. I'm embarrassed to say that for the first time at a restaurant I spit meat out into my napkin as I couldn't keep chewing. To add insult to injury, It was also under- seasoned. As a positive note, the veggies on the side were really good but I was pretty hungry at this point.

I was hoping just I got a bad dish but my husband ordered the Salmon Fettuccine with cream sauce and a side Caesar Salad. He said he really couldn't eat the salad because of no dressing and it only being romaine lettuce. He pushed it over for me to try the salad as I like very little dressing. Nope pretty much just lettuce and croutons. I got the house balsamic salad and really enjoyed it.

Sadly his Salmon Pasta was worse. The Salmon was dry to the point of rubbery. The pasta was very under-seasoned. It was obviously a night for many firsts for us as he used salt in a restaurant for the first time on a main dish. Then he added more and eventually put on red pepper flakes just to get a little flavor.

We had planned on having a desert as this was a late valentines celebration for us but decided since the small ice in our waters was the highlight of our meal that perhaps we would seek desert elsewhere.

Because my brother who is a professional chef is staying with us right now, we took home leftovers just to see his take on the meat. If I hadn't given him a Peanut butter brownie from the Thanksgiving Point deli he would never have forgiven me. He said it was the worst steak he had ever had.

So in a nutshell...cute restaurant, nice service, but...

The most I liked about bona vita was the ambiance of the restaurant. It was nice, modern and stylish but that’s about where the positives end for me here. What I care most about with my dining experience that costs as much as this place does, is the food first and foremost and how staff acts with each other and their guests. I didn’t mind waiting a little bit for a table, we were quoted something like 40 minutes but actually waited 20. It was really nice to not have to wait that long, so we sat down and again, had to wait about 15 minutes for our waitress to greet us and bring us drinks. I understand it was busy, so this doesn’t bother me, but what did bother me is while we were waiting for our food and drinks two waitresses, one of whom was ours got into an argument over something with not just staff, but a customer also. It was really uncomfortable for us to witness and they should’ve gone somewhere else to talk about it in private. Our food came pretty quickly (like really quick, I thought it would take longer than 8 minutes but nope) and my disappointment came to its second highest point. Why do two dishes that cost over 15 dollars each look like they were microwave meals? The Alfredo dish was bland in looks and taste, and the pizza looked like reused ingredients that were just sitting around. The Alfredo sauce wasn’t seasoned whatsoever, we added chicken and the chicken had no seasoning at all, and the pasta was WAY over cooked! It was like chewing on a sponge! The pizza was okay, but the peppers and onions were wet, the sausage was just a cut up reindeer sausage, and the whole thing was soaking wet! And why is a pizza being served in a PASTA dish? Why not an actual flat plate? Everything slid off the pizza when I pulled it apart, cause I was given a bowl and not a plate. It just seemed like the dishes weren’t prepared with any care whatsoever, just threw things together. We were hoping we had finally found one good Italian restaurant in Utah, but our search continues as this restaurant did not deliver good food nor a good experience. The cost of the food does not at all justify the quality or taste of it. I would not recommend this place.

Edit: I’m only updating this because it wasn’t till after we left the restaurant my wife started having an allergic reaction to something from the restaurant or in the food. 1/5 only for the ambiance, everything else here...

Italian food has a special place in my heart, but I was so disappointed with my first experience at Bona Vita. A good friend of mine who knows Italian cuisine inside and out, and who does restaurant judging for Best of State awards, recommended Bona Vita. Maybe he went on a good day.

The bread that comes with the meal was mediocre. In fact, I make a better crusty bread than what Bona Vita serves. I love dipping Italian bread in EVOO. Not sure what the oil was in the bottles on our table, but I doubt it was EVOO. Maybe it's a light olive oil...maybe it's EVOO diluted with canola oil...the oil I have from Costco has a much fuller, truer EVOO flavor (when you notice a slight peppery kick in the back of your throat, you know you've got the real thing).

The Caesar salad...which is extra, BTW...was remarkably small and had an oily dressing. I guess Caesar dressing can be oily rather than creamy, but it was odd. Don't expect a Texas Roadhouse-size side salad....(which, of course, is included in the cost of the meal at Texas Roadhouse).

My entree was a customized pasta dish of penne, pesto, and chicken. This part of my experience wasn't bad. The pesto could have had a stronger flavor, but it was acceptable. My wife had alfredo (no chicken) and finished it all...which is unusual. Usually she has to take home part of it, but the portions here aren't too big.

Speaking of not too big...tiramisu is one of my favorite desserts so I ordered that. Photo is how my take-home tiramisu was given to me. My daughter ordered it too...hers was at least intact but still postage-stamp size (only a slight exaggeration). If you can't tell, it's about five bites' worth...or more than $1 per bite. An outrageous ripoff for $7. Don't get dessert at Bona Vita....go next door to Crumbl and for $7 you can get two cookies.

And, BTW, as I was leaving I showed the hostess the tiramisu and asked if it was always that size and she said yes. And without any concern for the way it was dumped in my take-home box. I should have raised concerns for the other items while there. But I doubt they would have brought real EVOO to our table or increased our portion sizes.

Finally, service was somewhat inattentive and this place is noisy. If you plan to converse with your group, be ready to raise your voice. It's like a junior high cafeteria or...