Semifreddo Italian Cuisine — Restaurant in Manassas

On entry, the restaurant seems small, then it opens up into small spaces on either side of the main dining area. There is a small bar to the left and a decent amount of seating on both sides of the main dining area. The kitchen is out in the open, at the back of the restaurant, so you are free to talk with the chef or watch them cook. My family and I thought that this floor plan was lovely. (Owner) Chef Franklin was very personable, happy, and eager to have discussions with his patrons. He mentioned several topics of interest, including the fact that he has a book out, called "". The restaurant currently offers dine-in and carry out. We chose to dine-in for the evening and had a pleasant time. We arrived on a Sunday night around 5:30 PM and found that the restaurant was not very busy, thankfully. My grandmother and I both ordered the same food items; the Bistecchina Con Funghi which was a NY Steak with Wild Mushrooms sauce, Roasted Potatoes, Baby Spinach. Usually the Bistecchina Con Funghi comes with a side of polenta (a dish of boiled cornmeal), however I was told that I was able to substitute side items, and chose the roasted potatoes. The potatoes and mushrooms tasted great and were cooked wonderfully. The steak seemed small at first, but by the end of the meal I was glad that it was. It was a decent sized portion of food all-around, and the meal left me fully satisfied by the end of dinner. My steak, which I ordered to be cooked 'rare' was done so quite well. However, my grandmother ordered hers cooked at 'medium rare' and it came out slightly more cooked than she would have wanted, at a 'medium'. She did voice her concerns about the over-cooked steak to the waitress serving us, however, it does not seem that this issue went any further than the ears of the wait staff - it was not addressed with the chef, taken back to be corrected, or reflected on the bill in any way. It was a shock that a restaurant as up-scale as this would simply brush off the dissatisfaction of a 3rd-time visiting customer. This experience could very-well rub a customer the wrong way into not coming back. The plating and silverware were arranged in a lovely manner, with good colors to complement the winter season. The wait staff brought out new silverware for every course of the meal and were very attentive to drink level quantity, and also active in taking away plates that had been finished. I felt that this experience was lovely, but not 100% perfect. We will definitely be visiting again, however I believe my grandmother will be following her time-honored, and this time forgotten, tradition of ordering a rare steak when she wants it cooked...

We are new to the area and love Italian food. We just so happened to stumble upon this hidden gem! What an ABSOLUTE DELIGHT! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with all smiles and exceptional customer service. The food is all homemade and so packed with flavor. Every bite was a joy. The server was very knowledgeable and attentive. He always made sure we had what we needed and covered all the specials with us. I really wish I remembered his name, so I could give him a shout out for being fantastic! The music was quiet jazz renditions of modern songs, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Overall, it was a great atmosphere.

Now to the show-stoppers:

Bread and Olive Oil- I have no idea where they concocted the recipe for this bread, but it was so soft and fluffy. I could not stop eating it. It melts in your mouth. The bread had julienned sweet red bell beppers and zucchini baked on top, which added very nice flavor. After having the bread, I knew that we chose the right place for lunch and I became very excited for the rest of the meal.

Appetizer- (Sorry, I can't recall the name. It was one of their specials) Italian sausage over a bed of seasoned lentils. I am not a big fan of lentils and they absolutely made me love them. You could taste the fresh herbs and spices in the sausage and lentils. So good!! We will hopefully get to have this again. Please add it to the menu!

Entrees- Ravioli Polpa Di Granchio - the fact that I have never had this combination of homemade crab stuffed ravioli served over lobster bisque soup should be considered a crime. This was absolutely delicioussssss!! I truly cleaned the entire plate, and they are generous portions!

Fettuccine Alla Bolognese- (My husband's entree, but I snagged some) This really showcased the amazing handmade pasta! Perfectly proportioned sauce to pasta ratio. So hearty and flavorful with lots of veal. It really hit the spot!

Dessert- Tiramisu- Absolutely house-made. Fluffy and fresh. It is probably the best tiramisu I have ever eaten, and I order this dessert often. Just try some! Semifreddo- Oh.My.Gosh. This was an absolute delight. We have never had this before, so we weren't exactly sure how it would come presented, but it was absolute perfection. It was so light and refreshing. We will be having this again as well. Lol

10/10 WOULD RECCOMEND ALL OF THIS. Please do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this amazing food, service and atmosphere. We will see you...

AVOID THIS RESTAURANT!!!!!!!!! Horrible service and manager/waitress!!! Wish I had not tipped her at all but I did. I happened to be in the area with my children and was looking for an Italian restaurant that offers gluten-free, called the restaurant prior and they said they could make Gluten-Free, so I drove my kids and I there to dine in. When I walked it, they were all looking at me strange, the lady there at the front, perhaps a manager too, (who ended up waiting our table) was disgustingly rude, telling me that they have a dress code...I was dressed in sweats and not sure what my outfit had to do with eating there, she basically was trying to say that their restaurant is too good for us. They all looked at us very judgy, We still dined in there. My kids were uncomfortable, I felt like I was on eggshells constantly being stared at by them as they walk by. Almost as if they're thinking what's-this-woman-in-sweats-doing-here-with-little-children-in-our-upscale-restaurant type of look. Our waitress, aka dresscode police, was very nasty in her attitude treating us like we did not belong there. I regretted tipping her and not calling the head of the restaurant to speak to them about the mention of the "dress code"

It's not suprising that other people have complained about this nasty manager/waitress lady.

The only great thing about the experience was that the food

**UPDATE: I called the restaurant the next day and asked to speak to the manager/owner. Surprise surprise, the lady who served and offended answered the phone and claimed she was the owner as well (doubt that as that's public records that she's not). I let her know what she did and why it was not okay. I asked her if she could provide a copy of her so called "dress code" docs, she says she will, and hung up the phone. Hope they're ready for a lawsuit to come and to provide this document that I know doesn't exist and that this was PURE DISCRIMINATORY...