DaVinci Ristorante — Restaurant in Salem

My significant other and I were looking for a new intimate place to try for our 5 year anniversary and it came down to two places. We ultimately settled on DaVinci due to their menu that sounded more along the lines of things we'd eat - and let me tell you .. we are so happy we went with them!

DaVinci Ristorante is located right beside the Elsinore Theatre on High St - you literally can't miss it. For first timers, when entering it's very dim lit and the classical music really sets off a romantic, intimate tone from the start. A word to the wise: while there is no dress code both posted or specified at the door, this is very much a dressier, legitimate, intimate dinner spot and so take that for what you will.

Service was some of the best, personal and authentic service we've ever received in a restaurant, period. Our hostess Linda was very welcoming, polite, and talked to us throughout the evening about life and food. It was really great and rare to find these days.

DaVinci has a "hard single course ordering" process it seems like, where they ask you if you'd like to start with appetizers or drinks and then if so, they bring you out that item, let you relax and enjoy it, and then once finished then they ask you for the next course, etc. We LOVED this process and it again, added authenticity to that older style restaurant that just doesn't exist anymore.

We ordered the Canary Melon Prosciutto for our appetizer, and then the Blackened Halibut and Lemon Prawn Pappardelle, and finished off with a Flourless Chocolate Cake, Winthrop’s Special (Glenlivit 12 poured over vanilla gelato and salted caramel) and a Brandy Alexander.

When I tell you that every single dish was made to absolute perfection, both in presentation and taste? This is not an exaggeration. I told my significant other that this place gives "The Bear" vibes in the sense that a dish will not leave that kitchen if it is not literal perfection.

The melon was the ripest, crispiest we've had. The halibut actually had that char-blackened richness to it and was perfect cooked. The absolute star though was the Pappardelle. We were told that DaVinci makes their Pappardelle in house; it's kind of like an wider Alfredo noodle for those that have never had it. The cook of the Pappardelle, the bite/chew and how the noodle just soaked up the flavor .. every single noodle was heaven. We honestly had to talk ourselves out of ordering another plate of the prawns just for the Pappardelle - and we'd 10000% recommend a first timer get this first. It's their "signature dish" and it was the best pasta we've ever had, period.

Our desserts were, just like the rest of our courses, sublime and perfect as well. I was very skeptical of how you could pull off a dessert with scotch, but damn if DaVinci didn't nail this. If you're a scotch fan, this is the dessert of kings. The Flourless Chocolate Cake was extremely rich and decadent and had my significant other wanting more.

I have not enjoyed writing a review for a restaurant this much in a very long time, and I cannot stress that 5 stars is underrated for DaVinci, and I'd argue 10 star is still lower than what is deserved. This is hands down THE BEST AUTHENTIC DINNER RESTAURANT YOU WILL FIND IN THIS AREA.

But don't take my word for it - go try their food and be blown...

My husband and I decided on DaVinci's for our anniversary dinner, and we were definitely impressed! The ambiance, decoration, etc was absolutely delightful -- perfect for a romantic evening out or even just a typical date night. We were slightly disappointed that there was not a piano player as was expected, being that it was the height of dinner times (7pm), but maybe they are scheduled for certain nights (not Wednesday's apparently!) The restaurant was not too terribly crowded, and there was no host/hostess present so we were actually seated by the bartender, strangely. Our waiter took a while to get to us, but after that was pretty attentive. There were some seemingly drunk/loud people at the bar, but I guess that could happen anywhere.

As for food - we tried to semi go all out (for us). They give you complimentary flatbread which is AMAZING. The olive oil dipping sauce even has a hint of tobasco in it which is pretty neat. We got the "Burrata - English Peas, Orange, Spicy Almond, Red Chili" for an appetizer. This was something we had never heard of but were intrigued. It wasn't bad, and the various flavors were a nice combination, however, I'm not sure I would order it again. We then got a salad, the "Fennel Salad - Tarragon, Candied Walnuts, Fresh Mozz di Buffalo, Red Onion & Chili, Lemon Vinagrette" and ohhhh myyy gooodness was it good! The candied walnuts were to die for, and though not listed, there were pomegranate seeds too which was just the icing on the cake. I would order this five million times over. We wanted to try a pasta and a main dish, so we ordered both and split them. For the pasta, we got "Rigatoni - Pork Belly, Mushrooms, San Morzano Tomato, Broccoli Rabe" -- absolutely delicious! I am not a huge fan of pork products but the flavor was divine. But by far the best portion of the meal was the "Hangar Steak - Chipotle Marinated, Gorgonzola, Aged Balsamic" -- PERFECTLY cooked & flavored to the point where it just seemed to melt in your mouth, just the right amount of Gorgonzola and balsamic, and it was served with mashed potatoes & greens which were so so yummy. We also got a desert, the "Crème Brule with Banana - Brittle caramelized topping and smooth creamy custard". The custard part was to die for! However, our caramelized topping tasted a bit burnt which was disappointing.

Pair all of this with two glasses of wine, and we still somehow managed to spend less than $100 (minus tip), which I don't think is bad considering the quality.

Overall, we would definitely return. I think I would be hard pressed not to order the steak again, but I do want to try a...

We were looking forward to dining at DaVinci’s last night, where we had occasionally celebrated special occasions for decades, but we were immediately soured at the onset when the hostess, in lavish evening gown, said she’s supposed to enforce a dress code (which is noted online as “business casual”), gesturing to a member of our party who wears a hat for a personal reason. It was embarrassing for our party member to be singled out, and awkward for us all standing there in the entrance area, before our eyes had even adjusted to the darkness of the restaurant. It immediately made me think DaVinci’s has become a bit too full of itself. Aren’t we the paying customers? Shouldn’t they be caring about our needs, not vice versa? There was no place near the table to safely put a hat so our party member went back downstairs and down the street to put it in the car. We noticed at another table a gentleman sitting with his hat on his lap. Our waiter was cold and impersonal. Not a single friendly word or smile. Seemed in a hurry to get us finished. Brought the cambozola without the usual seasoned olive oil for dipping. When asked for the oil he brought only enough for one person. We had to ask for more. My impression is DaVinci’s has become snobby and stingy. What was once a genuinely fun and special place to eat now felt stuffy and cold. That said, the gentleman who poured our water, keeping our glasses full, was a gentle warmth of calming delight who helped soften the atmosphere with a genuine smile and human touch. And the pianist was reason alone to dine there on this special occasion. The food was delicious, despite the skimpy portions. I had the salmon but was still a little hungry when finished. My plate arrived with a filet of salmon, four tiny bites of baby potato, each the size of half a grape, and some broccoli sprigs that were tough and we had no knives. Would it have been so less fancy to add a few more potatoes? But it was ok, because we had birthday cake waiting at home. So we didn’t order drinks, salads or dessert, just the cambozola appetizer and four middle-priced entrees, and our bill including tip was $200. Had we ordered wine, salads and desserts that bill would have been doubled easily. Yes, I get that you pay more for the ambiance, but in last night’s case it wasn’t worth it. We’ll take our money elsewhere next time, where we feel our patronage is appreciated, someplace where the quality of customer experience is more valued than the restaurant’s...