Calafuria — Restaurant in Reno

I debated writing this because, especially right now, I don't want to speak poorly about a local establishment. But this was just too alarming not to make folks aware. Yesterday I came across a special that they had been doing which I thought was a great idea. Flat Iron steak, 4 homemade sausages, salad, bread and homemade butter. Amazing. Well, turns out, far from amazing...

I picked up the food around 1:30 yesterday, super easy, it was ready. The person that was working was not wearing a mask but I know we are all trying to figure it all out so I tried not to read into it. I got everything home, peaked at it. The steak looked pretty discolored but I chalked it up to being the marinade and put it in the fridge for later.

Dinner rolls around, I throw everything on the grill. The sausages look good but I am still concerned about the steak but thought I would still give it a shot. When I took it off to rest it was just not looking right. But in the meantime I opened the homemade butter. It had completely gone bad and smelt like sour milk. I then cut a piece of the steak. Without a doubt had also gone bad. It smelled exactly like a piece of meat does when it is no longer eatable.

So we called, nicely and just asked if we could bring the food back and get a refund since most of the meal is inedible although the sausages were probably fine we didn't want to chance it. The person on the phone agreed and we drove it over.

I walked in politely (wearing a mask, while NOT ONE of the three people working wore a mask which is required by the state) then said we were the people who called about the order. Immediately a young man came out from the patio and said right away without even looking at the food "none of this is bad. I'm sorry but its not" and I asked that he take a look at it. He opened the butter and lectured me about how this butter is supposed to taste like this.

I'm sorry, I know when food is bad, I may not be a fancy chef but I do know how to cook and I have also been eating for a long time. homemade butter (or butter in general) of any kind should never taste like spoiled soured milk. He then took his bare finger and scooped out the butter and put it in his mouth. All the while essentially telling me I had no clue what I was talking about. I then asked him to look at the steak which had a terrible smell and an "off" color. He also grabbed it with his bare hands and put it to his face and said it was fine.

He was HIGHLY condescending and rude and while I understand that it is difficult to hear that perhaps the food you prepared is bad, you have to take these things seriously. After all, aside from the inconvenience and disappointment, ultimately it could make someone sick.

I was really looking forward to going back to this place again once their beautiful patio opens back up, but that will certainly not be...

I am so mightily impressed with Calafuria, I felt compelled to write this review.

I had the pleasure of meeting a member of the staff, twice, and after my discussions with her, my wife and I decided to try out Calafuria for a weekend dinner date.

WOW. HOLY WOW. I think this may have been the best dining experience we have had since we moved here in 2018.

The bottled water was a GREAT, European, first sensation and experience. The food selection was absolutely perfect, and since Calafuria is a Coastal Region in Italy, we were both fine with the seafood-centric collection. We ordered, and drank a Tuscan Red just because, while we waited for the courses to come out.

First up was the Caprese salad. FRESH Mozzarella, imported daily from Italy, along with REAL Italian olive oil, which had that just-opened effervescence and light, light taste. We literally licked the plate clean.

Then came the pasta. We ordered the squid ink, and it was freakin' divine. My wife had never tasted sauce with squid ink, and she's not overly adventurous, but again - we split the dish and ate every morsel.

Finally? My scallops and shrimp. Again - spiced JUST RIGHT, cooked JUST RIGHT, and the scallops literally melted in your mouth.

I have to say - the entire concept of the restaurant is cool. The kitchen is accessible, the indoor-outdoor table count is just right for the staff, and you all focused on putting us in the shade, to offset the July heat. Furthermore, I LOVE the vines around the fence and up the front of the building. It keeps things private, but allows you to see the world passing by.

It felt VERY authentic, and it was a wonderful experience. I collected some 3x5's from the front to pass around to friends; We were that impressed.

We'll be bringing family and friends with us in future visits, for sure.

OH - and the 'not every night' thing? Honestly, I wish there were MORE restaurants like that. It keeps staff from going crazy, and puts the Restauratuer in charge of quality and presentation.

So thank you - our 11th anniversary couldn't have gone better. Y'all have something unique and magical, and I can't wait for some of your classes and the speakeasy to kick in so we can learn as you share a bit...

Tucked inside a lovingly preserved 1920s home on a quiet street in downtown Reno, Calafuria is the kind of restaurant that makes you want to linger until the chairs go up and the busboys start sweeping around your feet. From the moment my wife and I stepped through the door, we felt like we were walking into a friend’s house—a friend who just happened to have converted the back half of their home into a full-size, open kitchen.

We were intrigued by the chef’s backstory: an American, classically trained in Italy, who staged at the world-famous Noma in Copenhagen, opened a restaurant in Calafuria, Italy, and then returned home to Reno to share the wealth of his culinary travels.

We started light with the Caprese salad—a bit of a surprise to see cherry tomatoes where I would have expected beefsteak or San Marzano. But their sweetness perfectly balanced the mini mozzarella balls and basil chiffonnade, all drizzled with just enough balsamic and EVOO to remind you that restraint is its own art form.

For our main course, we shared the Fettuccine Carbonara (homemade fettuccine, naturally) and the Ribeye with house smashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. Here’s where the quality truly came through. The ribeye was perfectly cooked—arguably the most tender cut of meat I’ve had in recent memory. A simple pepper sauce paired beautifully with the carbonara’s creamy, peppery flavors. And to be clear, this was real carbonara—no cream here. Just the luxurious silkiness of egg yolks binding pecorino, guanciale, and pasta into an unforgettable bite.

The roasted bell pepper, zucchini, and Vidalia onion medley added another layer of sweetness, tying the primi and secondi together like a Tuscan sunset.

Service was impeccable: warm, attentive, and never intrusive. Our server guided us through the menu with the ease of someone who clearly loves the food as much as the chef does.

Calafuria isn’t just dinner—it’s transportive. A place where you can almost hear the waves of the Tyrrhenian coast in one bite and feel the discipline of a Noma kitchen in the next. Perhaps that’s the magic of this place: a quiet meritage of two culinary worlds, where French Laundry meets Noma, in the most unexpected...