Italian Kitchen — Restaurant in Spokane

UPDATE: Need any more proof that this restaurant is a joke? I screenshot their very own menu, on their website, stating that it was in fact listed as “focaccia” and not flatbread, and they did in fact list that the cioppino would come with risotto, and not pasta, as they claimed in their response to me. They even wrote “focaccia” on the takeout container! They are now both liars and thieves. And bullies to anyone who would dare give an honest review.

I rarely, if ever, post negative reviews, but this experience left a bad taste in mouth - both figuratively and literally. I paid $150 for a dinner that was inedible. I don’t mind paying good money for delicious food, but I felt ripped off.

I ordered stuffed mushrooms, focaccia, cioppino, chicken formaggio, and the crème brûlée and “the Godfather” brownie for dessert.

Where do I start? The stuffed mushrooms were the only decent thing I had. But $18 for 6 tiny mushrooms that were just decent? Robbery.

The “focaccia” was store bought PITA BREAD. With cheese on top? I had no idea what I was eating. I’d even forgive that if it tasted good, but, again, it did not. $17 for pita bread.

“Cioppino”: I’ve had cioppino many times. Even in San Francisco, where it originated. I was intrigued by the description, that it was served with risotto, because I’d never had it prepared that way. Guess what? It was served with PASTA, and NOT risotto. Which again, would be fine if the pasta was delicious, which it was not. I couldn’t eat more than a few bites because the stew/sauce it was served with was… bizarre. I can’t even describe it. It tasted like the leftover, almost burnt remains, last in the pot tomato sauce…? Another reason I only took a few bites is because given the “quality” of the food I’d had thus far, I was scared to get food poisoning from the seafood. $36 for that mess.

I didn’t try the chicken formaggio. My friend had it and said she suspected the pasta was previously frozen because it kept breaking apart. $29 for a reheated dinner.

The desserts. The “godfather” brownie was a giant, dry brick. They tried to add moisture by drizzling it with caramel sauce and ice cream. I am a dessert fiend - I’ve never met a dessert I didn’t like. I also did not take more than a few bites. The only dish I/my friends finished? The ice cream. Which I could have probably purchased by the half gallon at my local grocery store. $25 for dessert.

I only took 1 photo of the food, from which you can prob tell was a sad affair for $150. Again, $150?!!??? I take a lot of photos of my food. I get poked fun at because it feels like I hold photo shoots of my food when I go out to eat. So the fact that I only took 1 photo is really telling.

Don’t come here. Don’t waste money. Don’t waste calories. Don’t waste time. I can’t believe I wasted time writing this review, but that’s how hot I...

Seems like a nice restaurant. Why can’t they have good food? Price is high, food is so-so. Because if the food quality the experience is underwhelming. The atmosphere is good. The service was good. Having six people eat dinner at the booth was nice, Not very many people in the restaurant. The food is so-so, especially for how much it costs and how nice the restaurant seems. I suggest ordering simple meals and you might be happy with it. I had marsala chicken that didn’t taste anything like marsala chicken and more like a gorgonzola chicken with cheap vegetables which were zucchini and carrots with too much pepper and flavoring on them. My Italian soda cost $15 without alcohol. Shouldn’t it cost $7.

My daughter got the pasta plate with half marinara and half Alfredo and it was good — might’ve been the best thing at our table. My wife’s chicken Parmesan was good with the cheap vegetables are cheap, zucchini, carrots, with too much salt and pepper and flavoring on them. The stuffed mushrooms taste like sausage. Calamari was probably the worst calamari I’ve had in years. The mozzarella sticks are average. The bread was average, the oil and balsamic vinegar decent/average with no extra flavors.The salad was okay/Normal. The Italian Dressing is better than some. My daughter also got ranch on her salad, which is maybe a bacon ranch, basically tasted like a burnt ranch. The gnocchi that somebody got was OK, just extremely rich and creamy in flavor. My friend liked the seafood fettuccine. His wife’s pasta tasted like hamburger helper.

I went once 15 years ago and was underwhelmed then by the food where you would think it is good — and it held the same today. Can’t believe they are in business.

They must have a good wine selection. Maybe you have to drink alcohol to appreciate...

We kind of found this place by accident. We were walking down the street looking for a different restaurant when we saw this one, and decided to go inside.

First of all the atmosphere is great. It has a very intimate feel and it was quite charming. We were greeted immediately, which in this day is kind of nice, and our waitress came to the table almost immediately to take our drink order. We perused the menu and decided upon appetizers and entrees.

We had a house side salad and a Caesar salad to start and an antipasta platter. Both were excellent. The salads were dressed right and looked beautiful. The antipasta plate was gorgeous and included prosciutto mozzarella goat cheese blue cheese kalamata olives artichoke hearts and pepperoncinis as well as toasted baguettes. As you can see by the photos they looked beautiful and tasted great.

We kept our entree simple. My wife had the spaghetti with meatballs and I had linguine pasta with sausage all in a pomodoro. The meatballs were amazing, and the Italian sausage was cooked very crispy on the outside and very juicy and succulent on the inside. The sauce was delicious as it wasn't overpowering and the pasta itself was cooked al dente.

Overall this was a very nice experience. We topped off our meal with a white chocolate cheesecake with a key lime base and a raspberry coulis. It was the perfect ending to this meal.

If you find yourself in Spokane, or if you live there, you should treat yourself to this once in awhile. If you like authentic Italian cuisine, it's the right place.

Four and a half stars not five because I have yet to find at a true five star establishment, but I have to admit, this place is pretty close....