Clara's Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Wilmington

Clara Cucina appears to have lost its way. It performed like a new restaurant with opening night jitters and missteps. After having dined here once before we were eager to return but everything about our experience was a miss. It started with waiting to be seated. No one came to the concierge station for a good 5 minutes while we stood there awkwardly while waitstaff passed us and smiled but didn’t assist. The manager? Owner? peaked out from the corner of the bar area and smiled and then after finally greeting us he told us he was wondering what we needed. Really? Then we asked if there was a coat check. He took my coat and brought it to an open coat rack. Again really? The restaurant is located in the White House Inn — An elegant, spacious building. And the best they could do is a coat rack not even in a back room? Then instead of this gentleman seating us as he indicated he would a waiter steps in instead. Ok. Then we get to the dining experience. The restaurant was crowded but there were several open tables. When I made the reservation I indicated it was a special occasion. There was no acknowledgement of this. They even tried to seat us at the worst table in the restaurant (in the doorway) and when we said we preferred another table they tried to seat us at the only table that wasn’t set despite three other set tables that weren’t occupied or reserved and were empty throughout the evening. Our martinis were delivered half full. Our food was mediocre — the mixed greens were way overdressed with vinaigrette that made them inedible ; the meatballs were lukewarm. Our entrees were subpar — it was clear one sat under the heat lamp waiting for the other entree to be ready — the sauce was dried out. The electric fireplace was shut off in the middle of our dinner (though the one in the bar area blazed). We felt as if they wanted us to leave. We didn’t linger. Our reservation was at 7:30 and we were done by 9. We will not be back. There are many nice restaurants in the Mt Snow area. We highly recommend the...

The experience was magnificent and the food was delicious. I would definitely go here again.

Service: The staff here is super nice & friendly. This place actually calls you back when you're on the wait list. That's telling how the staff here goes the extra mile to give you a good dining experience. (Make reservations in advance if you can). Even at bougie restaurants like in Boston, I haven't had the staff offer to take my coat. But this one did, with care.

Food: They care about their food; the ingredients are locally sourced and cook to perfection. Their pasta is homemade! And it's cooked al diente like it should. Try it out!

I recommend the fried risotto balls with red sauce. It was amazingly delicious and light tasting where you don't feel heavy after eating it

For the entrees we had: (1) the homemade tagliatelle pasta with a white sauce and mushroom. I was cooked to perfection: al diente, light and rich; (2) the scallops were fresh, sweet, with a crunch on the outside; (3) the chicken was so moist and the skin was crispy; (4) last but not least, the steak was flavorful and cooked correctly.

Kudos and thank you to the...

We’re staying at the White House Inn and didn’t realize there was a restaurant inside. We didn’t have high expectations but were pleasantly surprised.

Atmosphere: Restaurant was very nice! The colors and decor were very well done. It looked like a 5-star restaurant.

Staff: The host was extremely friendly and accommodating. The waitress was very nice and attentive.

Caesar salad: Great! Tasted fresh, good amount of flavor, not too little, not too much. The dressing wasn’t too heavy.

Chicken Parmesan: The pasta was good. The chicken was very thin and crispy. One of the best Chicken Parmesan’s I’ve had.

Scallop & Lobster Fra Diavlo: Came with 3 large perfectly seared scallops and a good amount of lobster. The spicy marinara had a nice hint of spice.

Overall, this hidden gem gets 5-stars across the board. Serving sizes...