Dulivia Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Springdale

This restaurant has that particularly strong vibe of a mega rich person either retiring from a career in consulting or finance and starting a restaurant or letting their significant other do so. The decor and building are obviously super expensive but they're not cohesive or particularly tasteful. Again it just reeks of huge money being filtered through someone doing this for the first time.

The strangest thing is they brag about having everything imported from Italy, which I'm sure is very expensive, but fail to realize that italian food is all about using local fresh ingredients done simply and extremely well. They've missed the boat on what makes Italian food good.

Upon entering the restaurant we were greeted by a friendly hostess who for some reason is also the Gelato server which really disrupts the flow of a supposedly high end place. We were taken to our table and greeted by a nervous man who took our drink order. The hostess stopped by twice in the time of placing the order and getting our drinks to make sure we were actually getting service, which seemed odd.

We went with the octopus appetizer which was prepared well for a frozen protein, and the bread, which was approximately 20 large pieces for two people. The pita was delightful, the Italian bread was cold in the middle.

For main courses I went with the Branzino which was the highlight of the meal. They actually prepared it simply with lemon and rosemary and let the meat speak for itself. Definitely get this if you come here. My wife got the bologonese and it was awful. The hostess said they make it overnight and then have to add the meat later, but I don't even know how you make a bologonese like that. It was watery and bland and the veal was clearly unseasoned and browned and then thrown in at the last moment. A bologonese is supposed to meat cooked down with the sauce until its so saturated and rich, but this was just sauce with meat thrown in.

Also the wine menu was tragic. A bunch of $12-$18 dollar Costco bottles marked up to $60-$80 bucks. Obviously everyone marks up wine, but their list really seems to be a bulk order at Costco with very few thoughtful choices you'd expect from a high end eatery. Once you get into the $100 range some decent options emerge, but overall it's lacking. Once the wine guy got to our table he sullenly showed us the bottle and then banged it against the table as he opened it. Not a big deal in general but when you're trying to be fine dining it's another small detail that they don't know what they're doing.

This seems like the kind of spot Gordon Ramsey could make a good show about in another year or two. Unless they figure out how to actually run a proper fine dining establishment they'll keep pumping money in...

The wife and I enjoyed a wonderful meal, appetizers, desserts and paired well with wine and cocktails. We started with 2 antipasto dishes; a lobster ravioli and a fried mushroom and mozzarella. Both recommend by our server, Charles. I was amazed with the flavor and thickness of the sauce with the lobster ravioli, not forget mentioning the large chunks of lobster in the ravioli!

Wife ordered a special entree of Beef Tenderloin over a bed of fettuccini with prosciutto. What an astonishing flavor and so tender you could use a butterknife! I enjoyed the Seafood Linguini. The shrimp, clams, and scallops had a fresh flavor - not a frozen flavor. the Parmesan sauce with roasted garlic and lemon. BTW... the scallops REAL from Massachusetts (pleasant aroma and not a fishy smell). All dishes were well presented.

Dulivia's pasta is house-made. It was not soggy, crunchy, over or under cooked. The lobster ravioli did not split or separate as I've experience with ravioli dishes elsewhere. My wife and I (wife of Italian heritage) often make our own ravioli and pasta - which we find pasta making an art to appreciate!

With our dinner we had a variety of Italian breads. They offered the traditional serving of olive oil and balsamic dressing, and would have normally dipped the bread, However, we did not want this to take away from the unique flavors of the bread! Each one was so delicious and fresh! I paired my meal with a Charles Krug Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (94 Points), and my wife the Pineapple upside down cake. Did I mention, all wines Dulivia offers are rated 90 points or more?? A bonus with their wine selection.

We finished with Tiramisu and Vanilla Pana Cotta. I must say this was the BEST Tiramisu I've ever tasted and the Vanilla Pana Cotta motivated me to try and duplicate the recipe! The smooth mascarpone with the lemon flavor was a HIT!

As mentioned, Charles was our server - and an excellent one at that! He knew the menu, had great recommendations. What I highly admired, Charles displayed a passion for the food, flavors and the chef. What impressed me was the passion and having tasted all menu items and to making recommendation based on possible guest desire, which I feel is a MUST for a server in any restaurant.

The restaurant is beautiful and tables spaced for privacy. We sat near the large portrait windows giving us a view of the red rock in the evening and just before sunset. It was not noisy and we could have conversation. This was a perfect dinner for 2.

My compliments to Charles and to the Chef! Excellente!

We...

Let me tell you...Everything was great tonight. Our Waitress Kerry was gracious and professional, it was nice talking to her, and although somewhat pricey, the quality of food was up to par. Lemon sherbet was to die for, served in a wonderful cold plate, Pork Belly was delicious even if the greens were wilted arugula and not broccoli rabe like it said on the menu, the Calamari and Shrimp was ok, but the aioli was delicious. Toscano red wine at 12 dollar a glass and a 12 ounce beer for 8 dollars was also acceptable considering the wonderful décor and the romantic setting. So all was great. You probably wonder why my 2 stars out of 5 review... As we were sitting enjoying the last little lick out of our lemon sherbet, and our lovely Kerry was busy finishing up her shift after cashing us out , a woman enters the back room where us and other 3 tables were sitting, telling out very loudly : "ok ladies and gentlemen, we are glad you came here and enjoyed your dinner but we are closed now and we have to finish up, so please pay up your bill, and help us out..." or some stuff very close to this. It was 9 08pm. It is 9:42 pm now and I am back in my hotel room stewing about it. After paying that much money I Do Not Want Anyone Yelling at a Whole Room that We Have To Leave on a Saturday night at 9:08 pm. So I asked around and they told me that the woman with short hair that came around and loudly announced that we all needed to leave was Janette. I understand the whole world is short staffed and ingredients are expensive, but I don't accept that I have to slam down my last 2 ounces of wine and rush out the door because someone either was told to clear up the house or had somewhere else to be. Thank you for ruining my evening Janette. I have been generous I should have given you a 1 dot review...