Gianna Restaurant — Restaurant in New Orleans

This place is such a delight to drive up to. Once my husband said, "Here it is," I gasped in awe! It's stunning. The rounded building with the French quarter balconies are gorgeous from just short of a half block away. When you're right up on it, the massive windows and view of the "high class" diners reminded me of your typical high end DC restaurant, which is a nice change from our traditional New Orleans restaurants. Definitely on par with Peche.

The inside of the restaurant felt Art Deco, Ocean Drive, Cadillac Hotel. Super high ceilings, massive 3-sided bar, Italian tile throughout, varied lighting design, phenomenal wood fire oven.

Our servers were Steve and Faith. I assume they're both transplants. I believe Steve was our main server. He gave us our initial greetings, but Faith spent the most time with us. I kind of think it was a strategic choice, because I'm a chatty diner (shocker!), and I think Steve may have picked up on that and let Faith take over... Which, if true, was wise. She was perfect. Her personality was exactly what I love in a server. She assured us our choices were good by sharing that they were also her favorites. We found some common ground and built rapport. It felt 100% genuine. If I had an opportunity, I'd definitely hire Faith to represent my organization. She's a catch for the industry. I just hope our New Orleans-service-industry underworld doesn't harden here and leave a bad taste in her mouth.

My husband loved everything we were served. He suggested 4.5 stars. I only want to give it 3 stars for the food, but only because I'm not a fan of pickled things. If I'd read the menu ahead of time, I would have vetoed it, but I didn't and I'm okay with that because he really enjoyed every bite.

We ordered the Feed Me Menu, which is where the Chef chooses everything for you. It was $50 each, which was probably a great deal. (I forgot my glasses, so I never actually read the menu myself. I've become my parents. My husband had to read the menu to me. Face-Palm!) I'd usually be super psyched for a Feed Me Menu, but most every menu item had some kind of pickled/vinegar something or capers in it, so I felt I was taking a big risk.

1st course: Small dish of Olives (I really want to like Olives, and I try them every time, but I just don't), chopped salad (very unimpressive and included pickled artichoke hearts, pickled olives, and pickled peppercini (sp.), Carbonatta (vinegar and capers-pickled), and mozzarella cheese (unimpressive, tasted like nothing).

2nd course: Italian Sausage with provolone cheese in a cast iron skillet (similar to those they usually serve escargot in) [PHENOMENAL], spaghetti-like pasta with a light red sauce and FRESH BASIL [yum!]- I could have eaten a pound of each. Very,very simple,yet very tasty!

3rd course: swordfish (with a tomato/onion and I swear vinegar sauce-not for me), broccoli (I swear with vinegar on it), and these To-Die-For potatoes (my husband described them perfectly "mashed potatoes inside a perfectly crispy outer shell" with a perfectly balanced parmesan-like, but so much better, cheese. Those were so satisfying.

At some point, we got a plate of Cheesy Chibatta (sp.) Bread ( I swear they squeezed lemon juice on these, EXCELLENT CALL, that just brought out the cheese's flavor to a whole new level!)

4th course: lemon mousse (light, airy, candied almonds on top-very nice end note)

Overall, it was very good, just too heavy on the pickled inclusions...

Where to start. Food: started with the trumpets and carrot salad. Trumpets were tasty but it literally is one grilled sliced mushroom on a plate. Nothing else. The roasted carrots and whipped goat cheese were delicious after adding a touch of salt. Very under seasoned. The crispy farro was tooth shattering though. Mostly inedible. We had the spaghetti and clams which was pretty much tasteless. Again salt made it better. I had several gritty clams. I had the gnocchi which was actually the best plate of the evening. The pasta was tender and fluffy and light.The cream sauce was flavorful. I ordered the roasted cauliflower which came 10 minutes after my gnocchi and was not roasted but mostly raw. My husband had the scallops. Three lonely scallops on a pinch of greens in a broth ... for $36. That's $12 a scallop. It was OK. Overall, portions were small by Nola standards. The lemon mousse tart was light and fluffy and very good. Food rating a 3 and that is generous. Service was very good with one exception. the late cauliflower. I waited for 5 minutes letting my gnocchi get cold thinking it was coming any minute. Had to ask for it. Also the ladies room needed attention and I had to find the manager to address it. Mind you the restaurant had just opened. But the wait staff was very good. The cauliflower issue was really a kitchen issue. It was loud and lively which I guess is fine but I prefer a bit quieter experience. It's one reason why we go early. We will likely not go back. Nothing was special and in New Orleans, that's a...

My party of 2 visited Gianna for Sunday brunch. I chose the first reservation of the day and we were literally the only guests for quite a while. However, things eventually picked up. The food and drinks were a solid 4. The only reason I’m not saying 5 is because this was the least tasty beef short rib I’ve ever had. It wasn’t bad, but I’ve had way better. Everything else was enjoyable. The meatball appetizer was delicious, but you really need to order the ciabatta garlic bread to accompany it. There are only 3 meatballs in the order, so we paid to add another so each person would have 2. I had the butterscotch budino for dessert and our server explained it so I’d know what to expect and how to eat it to get the maximum flavor. As a matter of fact, I want another as I’m writing this review. Our server was great and made our experience so much better. He really listened to what I was saying and catered our experience accordingly. For example, I’m a germaphobe and don’t like my eating utensils placed on the table. I jokingly told him that and reached for my fork and knife before he could place it down. Later in the meal, the young lady he was training brought new utensils and placed them on a napkin. That was mind blowing to me, but very much appreciated. Overall, amazing experience…I’d definitely like to visit for...