Alessia's | Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Mesa

Went for my Birthday Dinner on a Sunday entire Experience was excellent The outside was clean owner said soon as we entered someone will be right with you excellent customer service acknowledge the customer a friendly Hostess dark hair checked our reservation we were early she upselled to visit there wine bar we ordered two wines were approached with one minute a girl bartender also offered water this is excellent wine was fresh the nose was good a white Zinfandel fresh and tasty served chilled glass was proper size clean we were sat at time of reservation a table in the right side of restaurant. Dining table clean all setup dining area had many wine bottles for purchase all nicely displayed also noticed in bar room wall had wine corks on the wall like a picture frame adding to the restaurant decor nice touch within minutes our waitress Kiana approached our table smiled very friendly dressed nice delivered our wine menu and menus she was excellent. Excellent menus all nicely displayed with all the food selections and various wines Kiana arrived back within two minutes we asked about appetizers and 001 ordered the antipasti Misto she said excellent choice . 001 ordered the Gamberi pasta fettuccini. 002 ordered the special which our waitress went over all dinner specials. Our appetizer arrived back within approximate time very quick was served fresh and tasty on a very nicely wooden serving wood plate. The black olives were fresh and tasty the nuts fresh and tasty all Italian cheese excellent fresh and moist . The Italian meats were all fresh and excellent the grapes were many big fresh and tasty . 001 and 002 dinners were served within standard time was served hot and fresh a gentleman dressed nice delivered our entrees. 001 observed his dish was large served hot was excellent very fresh and tasty was delicious. The shrimp was large fresh and most tasted great the fettuccine was moist and fresh . The Basil & tomato sauce was excellent added to the entree. Oo2 enjoyed the special was also served fresh hot and very tasty. 002 noticed excellent white sauce the ravioli ‘s were large fresh and tasty excellent entree. Kiana checked back on our entrees excellent. Also had fresh Italian bread with olive oil for dipping bread also fresh & tasty . Fresh water on table did have to stop busboy to fill my water was friendly and dressed nice was observed going around inside restaurant filling water at various tables . Noticed owner at all tables he was all around the restaurant assisting customers excellent dressed nice was very sharp and nice . 001 would note same gentlemen that said hi we will be right with you when we first entered restaurant this is top notch customer service. Inside restaurant was all clean and tidy . We also ordered two more wines were served quickly were both fresh and tasty served chilled . All our leftovers were nicely boxed by our waitress Kiana was excellent very friendly. Kiana stopped back offered dessert went over all selections. We ordered two Spmoni Boma desserts and two coffees decaf . Both desserts were delivered quickly and two coffee. The Spmoni was excellent fresh and tasty excellent presentation on plate scrumptious desserts. Kiana also delivered another dessert with a birthday candle this was also served fresh and tasty.Kiana said Happy Birthday. Kiana also delivered two coffees and offered cream And sugar. A excellent touch by management. Kiana stopped back to check on our desserts and coffees. Both coffees were served hot were fresh and tasty. All desserts were very fresh and tasty. Kiana also boxed up our leftovers on dessert. Kiana delivered our check all correctly food & drink selections all listed . Code 180746. All proper copies listed used a card on transaction. Left a tip for Kiana was $30 total - $118.05 . She said thank you have have a great evening thank You also was on check. 001 and 002 enjoyed our Dinner was top notch would highly recommend Alessia’s restaurant to his friends & Family. On the way out the Hostess dark hair dressed nice said Happy Birthday again &...

I've been going to Alessia's for many years- since the time when there was no one else there so the owner/chef (at the time) came and sat next to you to talk while you ate. It was always delicious and the pace unhurried but attentive. It's changed. Tonight was on a wait (hey, good for you. Things are going well). We were placed at a table after an hour wait (hostess: there aren't that many people ahead of you so it won't be long at all). Ok, no big deal. It's busy and you can't pace people eating all the time. We ordered a glass of wine and our entree and were given bread and then summarily ignored for the next 30 minutes. We watched as tables around us, including those who were seated after us, received bread refills, drink refills, additional drinks, etc. We attempted to flag down every server we saw but no one even looked in our direction as we we seated in the corner. Finally, having had enough of playing "flag your server down" unsuccessfully for long enough I went to the hostess stand and told her that I needed to pay for my glass of wine as we were tired of being ignored. The hostess directed me to the bartender to pay while she went to grab our server. The server approached and asked if he could help us. I said we wanted to pay and leave because we were being ignored. This is the part where the 1 star review was earned: he told us that it's very possible that we were ignored on a Friday night and that he would get to us when he could. After all, they're busy. Seriously? If you can't serve your customers at capacity either you hire more help or you reduce your capacity. You don't tell customers that they will be ignored. We ended up at a chain Mexican place where the food may not have been up to Alessia's level but at least the staff was attentive and we were treated like they were happy we were there. I'm afraid that Alessia's is going to regret not remembering those that visit out of season as well as those who only show up 4-5...

Our recent visit to Alessia's Ristorante was a culinary journey with both highs and lows. Three out of the four of us enjoyed very good Italian dishes that showcased the kitchen's skill and attention to detail. The pasta was perfectly al dente, the sauces were rich and flavorful, and the gelatos we had next door were a delightful end to the meal.

The risotto was a monumental disappointment. The following is long because of the anticipation this customer had for a well prepared risotto. It was not prepared according to any traditional mantecatura (or simply "tura") method. Instead, it was just rice, and not even arborio (or any other short grained rice cooked tura style), with some very good seafood—mussels, calamari, clams, and small pieces of fish. As connoisseurs of risotto, we can confidently say that this was not risotto. The texture and consistency were all wrong: it lacked the creamy, cohesive quality that defines a true tura based risotto. Considering that this kitchen cooks terrific Italian food and obviously knows better, it felt like a culinary ambush.

To prattle on (though with an aim): That the risotto was one of the costliest items on the menu, the disappointment was palpable. If a dish is to be called risotto, it should meet the standards of classic Italian preparation. OK, enough already: the dish fell more than short; and, if you've read this far, you also have culinary sensibilities and bless you.

Overall, while the majority of our meal was enjoyable, the risotto was a glaring misstep that the restaurant should address. We hope they reconsider serving it under the name "rice with seafood", and not "risotto," unless it truly meets traditional standards. Would I go back? Yes. With some questions about "Risotto"...