Cucina Lab Torino — Restaurant in Troy

Reply to the owner’s reply: thank you for your feedback. The person I came to the restaurant with is not my husband so please consider my review as separate to the one you are thinking of. ^.^

I understand the Cucina Lab is a cozy, beautiful place to go for dinner. I loved how they decorated/furnished the place and made it homely and chic. The part I was disappointed with was the food. I was born and raised in Italy and I am very familiar with italian food. The first thing I would start with is bread. The one used in the bruschetta was the store bought type that is very airy on the inside and chewy on the outside. It was slightly toasted but not enough to give it a crunch so it seemed stale bread that had been warmed up. The tomatoes on top of the bruschetta as well lacked taste. They were pale Roma tomatoes coated with an abundant layer of oil and very little salt. While waiting for our second entry to come we were offered some bread. I thought it would be the typical italian-style bread but instead it was something completely different. It tasted like ammonia and reminded me of corn bread in its texture. I am not sure if this is done to offer something familiar to the american corn bread or if it is done because the preparation of original italian bread is longer and more tedious but that was a big point of disappointment for me. The portions were incredibly small and the entries were spaced out by 20 mins each which seemed like an unbelievably long time given the size of the portions. Italian restaurants use the same spaced out schedule but with portions that are meant to gradually fill out the stomach. After about 45mins that we were there we were so hungry that we started to nibble on the corn bread ruining the appetite for the main meal which came after about 1 and half hour from the start. Another thing that I noticed is that one of the appetizers was made of raw cauliflower with a cacio and pepe sauce on top and pickled onions. The pickled onions were few but amazing but the raw cauliflower is something completely non italian. I would have expected to see grilled eggplants, zucchini and peppers with some garlic, chopped parsley and maybe balsamic vinegar on top, maybe on the side artichokes in oil and sundried tomatoes with olives, or a caprese rather than a raw cauliflower or carrots sticks dipped in olive oil. I know that this last one (carrots, celery and fennel dipped in oil is a typical finger food but I would have put that on the side as a finger food rather than integrating that in the appetizer). I appreciated the chef trying to give a sophisticated look to the entries and trying to present the customer with something maybe unusual but I feel in the attempt to do so the originality of taste was lost. For the bruschetta I would have used cocktail tomatoes that are juicier and sweeter than the roma tomatoes. I know that we normally use the Roma type in Italy but given how different the y taste over here I would be totally happy to see a different type of tomato in favor to a richer taste. Plus the extra juice of the tomato would have helped give taste to the bread. Some chopped herbs would have been good as well. The presentation of the entrees was amazing but the taste was just no there. When we finally made it to the pasta it had an amazing tomato sauce that I could tell was made from scratch but there were 2mm of oil floating on top. After a few bites I was a little nauseated which is a feeling I normally get when I eat something very very greasy/oily. If I could make a non requested recommendation I would suggest to slow down with oil and let the taste of the amazing sauce lead the show. It had all the potential to satisfy without the extra amount of oil put in it. Overall I think they have a great potential and if they adjust the bread, get the portions a little more abundant, stick more to the italian style and slow down with oil they can do great. Also, I loved how the chef was very personable and accommodating. I hope I can go back one day and find that taste of Italy that I miss...

We had an absolutely incredible dinner at Cucina Lab Torino along with another couple on Friday night. Prior to our reservation we were called to ask about any dietary restrictions to accommodate and special occasions. We were seated promptly and space is beautiful. It is an intimate space and has a harmonious collection of different seating and was airy, bright and inviting. You could see into the (incredibly clean) kitchen area where the food was being prepared.

After our water and drink order we were brought the most delicious homemade focaccia to start with. We couldn’t stop eating it and had several re-fills throughout the night.

Our first course was a delicious bruschetta with house made cream cheese topped with homemade sausage (which my husband raved about). All of our food was plated in an extremely thoughtful, beautiful and intentional manner. Our waitress (who turned out to be the chef/owner’s daughter) explained all of the elements of the dishes to us throughout the meal. Her service was fantastic!

The second was a quartet plate of one or two bites including octopus, a small onion tart, roasted red bell peppers and a delightful bite involving gorgonzola. Each one was unique and delicious.

Our third course was amazing home-made spaghetti with black garlic and pecorino romano cheese. It was one of those dishes you want to eat an entire mountain of.

The main course was a pork tenderloin, smashed potato and salad with a pear dressing. I do not eat pork and I received a filet with balsamic in its place- it was incredibly tender, perfectly cooked and delicious. My husband was jealous! We also noticed another table that I presume to be vegetarian to get beet steak and roasted onion in place of the pork tenderloin that looked equally delicious. It’s clear they are happy to accommodate any restrictions and provide an amazing meal.

Our final course was dessert and just when I thought our meal couldn’t get any better- it did! We were celebrating a birthday so in addition to the normal dessert plate we also received a beautiful small cake with custard and berries to celebrate with. The dessert plate included a cannoli, a fried bite that was orange flavored, puff pastry with cream, and a bite with hazelnuts (my personal favorite). Our friends enjoyed coffee/espresso but I indulged in the house made chocolatchello and it was so good we purchased a bottle to bring home.

We will absolutely be back to Cucina Lab Torino. The service and food are both deserving...

My wife and I dined here for the first time with another couple on a Saturday in November. There is a $20 fee per person to make a reservation. They have two seatings for dinner on Saturday, one at 6pm and one at 8pm, we selected the 8pm slot. There is no menu and they serve a five course meal, which sounded really interesting to all of us and was one of the reasons we selected this place. Someone from the restaurant called us on the Friday before our reservation and mentioned they are fully booked for the 6pm seating and there is a place they own next door named Vino Lab where we could go and have some drinks and they will come get us when ready to be seated. We arrived 30 minutes early and hung out in the Vino lab which was nice, it’s sort of an Italian market kind of place with a modern wine bar. All the wine they serve are Italian, we really liked it and the staff are friendly and helpful when selecting wine.

As stated, they came and got us when it was time to be seated for dinner. The restaurant staff are all super friendly and welcoming. They asked us if anyone had any allergies or couldn’t eat certain food. The bartender came over and asked what we wanted to drink. Since there is no menu, they explained what each course was when they placed it in front of us. Every course we had was delicious and we enjoyed all of them. We must have interacted with about 6 people while dining here and every one of them had pleasant personalities and seemed to really like working there. The chef came to our table when we were about to leave and asked how everything was.

I highly recommend this place for a special occasion or just a great evening with friends. None of us had any complaints about this place and we will definitely...