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33 West Trattoria
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
7 reviews for 33 West Trattoria
7 reviews in English
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Review from Jessica D.
Aurora, IL
1/23/2011 ROTD 6/1/2011
Cozy yet unassuming boutique restaurant in the heart of Aurora.
The menu changes monthly, offering similar main entrees but tweaking the meats. Prices are on the high end but worth it--everything is made fresh to order.
The beer list is extensive, and the wine list offers something for everyone. The beverages list comes on a clip board. The menus come in a double-faced sheet of paper.
Went with my niece and significant-other unit last night. Ordered the salmon (crispy outside, rare inside) with spinach and black bean puree, the risotto with grilled shrimp (the largest portion at our table), and the vegetarian ravioli. I got a glass of the Gewurtzaminer (had to point it out to the waitress, glass came 1/2 filled) from the dessert list, the significant other got a Flywheel lager, and our niece got a cranberry juice.
The waitress seemed flustered but was EXTREMELY attentive and curteous. Our food came out in a good amount of time--not too long and not too quickly. The host who sat us seemed inexperienced and flustered but extremely courteous.
The serving sizes are very petite, the flavor is huge. The significant other unit felt the restaurant was extremely pricey for the size of the dishes.
For dessert we ordered the homemade chocolate peanut butter fudge with coconut and chili ice cream and graham, the goat cheese cake, and the molten chocolate cake. Everything was petite but again, flavor-packed.
The owner came to say hi and chat with us several times. His wife and nephew were sitting next to us having dinner. The restaurant was well populated by a number of guouests when we first arrived and when we left--but was by no means full.
There is a bar section in the second room, which is where one comes in to the host's lectern when you first arrive. There is an outdoor balcony that we saw from where we were seated with seating capacity.
When the heating system kicked in it reverberated quite loudly within the space. There are great modern art paintings hanging on the tuckpointed brick walls--these may be for sale. Great neutral but modern color scheme. Crisp and clean bistro feel. Lighting and drapes provide great ambiance.
Lovely restaurant for a very special night out, but I can't recommend it for a favorite place to come often, as portions are so small and prices so high. -
Review from Larry F.
Aurora, IL
6/10/2011
There are two five star restaurants near our home. One is in North Aurora and the other is on New York St. in Aurora. When its time to dine at the best, we're faced with a tough choice. Last time we picked Chef Amaury's 33 West. This place is a gem, hidden right in plain sight. There's a rib place a couple of doors down and a raucous Irish pub across the street. Pass on those if you crave intimate atmosphere, great service, and food prepared to perfection. There is nothing standard about 33 West. When the weather is fine, we'll dine out on the deck.
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Review from Shelly K.
Wheaton, IL
1/15/2012
So sad, we were so excited to try it. Our babysitter came late so I called to see if they could still accommodate us and the owner/chef who answered the phone said it was no problem and see you when we get there. When we arrived, we heard a 10 minute long explanation on why they couldn't accommodate us. We had an hour and 15 minutes before the show started at the Paramount but they wouldn't even attempt to seat us. Terrible service. No attempt to accommodate. We are a couple with 3 young children who got a babysitter to go out(which is rare) for my husband's birthday. At that point, we were stuck. When we asked where else we could go, we heard a long explanation of how no place would work. The waitress came by and actually suggested we could get back in our car and drive to go get tacos or walk across the street and get pizza but they don't have seating so we would have to stand up to eat it. Seriously.
We asked about Ballydoyles across the street and we were told they had horrible service and wouldn't be able to get us there either. Well, guess what? We went to Ballydoyles and they couldn't have been more great! We told them about our time frame, they worked with us and gave us a quick serve menu and got us in and out with no problem. Food was good too.
Next time, if someone is standing in front of you, waiting to pay money, you should attempt to make it work. They were so snobby that we will never even try to go back. -
Review from Vanessa S.
North Aurora, IL
5/12/2010
We have 5 star potential here people.
Anytime a new spot opens up, I rush to try it because, let's face it, Aurora is a seriously restaurant deprived city. My husband and I arrived at Trattoria 33 on a Tuesday night to a frantic waiter telling us ' all the tables are dirty and I'm the only waiter so sit where ever' OK not the best first impression.The bartender, Paula took care of us, and did a great job despite being busy. The space is open, tons of natural light, beautiful cherry floors, and is very well decorated to feel cool and modern.
The wine selection by the glass is quite limited, but the selections they do have are fantastic.We started with the Cannellini soup, and an arugula, pine nut, tomato and mozzarella salad (except they were out of arugula, so they used spinach, and the portion of cheese was crazy skimpy).
Next up, entrees. My husband had the pork chops with polenta and mixed veggies, I had the grilled salmon with a spicy tomato sauce. Both dishes were excellent, well cooked, perfectly seasoned, and large portion. I was underwhelmed with the seasonal vegetable accompaniment as it was 80% sautéed onions, I'm not making a fajita here.
We moved on to dessert which consisted of: vanilla cappuccinos - yum!, tiramisu, and a chocolate mousse with raspberries. Completely delicious!!
Overall I think this restaurant has potential to be a 5 star in Aurora, there were just too many bumps last night to award the cherry bomb.
Honestly the thing that irked me the most was several 'Real Housewives of Naperville wannabee' patrons, and even the owner kept commenting that this restaurant actually attracted Napervillians to come to, gasp, Aurora.I don't dispute that downtown A-town doesn't hold a candle to downtown Naperville, I don't think living in Aurora is slumming it by any means - just saying : ) -
Review from Melissa S.
Denver, CO
5/12/2011
The Laetitia winemaker dinner was so good last night!
We had Oysters, the best pea soup I've ever had, and delicious trout. Oh my god, the trout! I hope the trout is a regular dinner item. I can't believe how great the trout paired with the lentils and cherries (I didn't eat the bacon as I'm vegetarian). It was to die for! I think I dreamed about that trout last night! :-)
Oh! And the goat cheese custard was awesome! yum yum!
And oh yeah, there was wine and champagne there too. They were all perfectly paired with the food and also very delicious. The coolest part? We got to meet the actual winemaker and learn about the process and the winery.
I recommend this winemaker dinner to anyone! -
Review from Nathaniel H.
Naperville, IL
7/12/2010
Parking - This can be challenging since it is primarily street parking. If you're really hard pressed for parking, you should be able to park in the casino parking structure for a small fee.
Appetizers - My wife and I both had the corn bisque, and it was amazing. It was made from corn literally picked that morning off the stalk by the sous chef. It was tangy, unique, and became a personal instant favorite. It was an off-menu special, and worth inquiring about during your visit.
Entrees - My wife and I shared the Wild Mushroom Risotto and the Pan Fried Parmesan-Crusted Cod. The Risotto was very flavorful, the rice was cooked to perfection, and the shrimp was delicious. The Cod was amazing as well. The crust was crispy and the fish was perfect. The bed of polenta is slightly on the salty side, but when paired with the fish, it's just right. (Just don't eat all the fish first and then move onto the polenta.)
Dessert - We had the Tiramisu which was on the drier side compared with others. I don't mean this in a bad way, it was still delicious, but drier than I'm used to.
Service - I thought the service was excellent. The waitress was attentive and accommodating. If I was being picky, my glass was constantly filled to the brim with ice. Maybe it was a subtle hint to order beverages? -
Review from Susan G.
Aurora, IL
7/25/2011
Had dinner at Chef Amaury's 33 West for the first time on a Sunday night. The place was pretty empty, but service and food were great. If you want a nice and peaceful meal, what a great time to go!
As far as parking, yes there is street parking, but there is also a free parking lot a half a block west, just across River Street. The lot is there specifically for patrons of the restaurants along what Aurora is terming "Restaurant Row."
The restaurant itself has a really nice feel - exposed brick walls, simple and tasteful décor. The bar has some leather seating that some older couples were enjoying when we left. Work from a professional photographer hung on the walls, but it sounds as if the art changes periodically as other artists are allowed to display their work.
Our waiter greeted us and allowed us to choose our seats when we arrived since we were the only customers at the time. A few others did arrive during the time we were there. We were able to choose a nice table by a window. He was very knowledgeable about the wine and beer they had to offer, since he also served as bartender. While the selection of wines by the glass is somewhat limited, it does cover enough types that you will find something to please you and they all seem to be good representations of their type. I ordered a Malbec, which was probably the best Malbec I have had to date. The beer list is also extensive with a great selection of craft brews, many of which had been on my husband's list of things to try. While they were out of his first choice, the waiter did a great job suggesting another that my husband loved. He also brought both of us a glass of water immediately without us asking, which was great. It seems like most places now you have to ask for that.
The menu focuses on seasonal ingredients and seems to change accordingly. Items on the menu can be ordered a la carte or you can choose to order the chef's five course tasting menu which consists of salad, soup, a fish course, meat course and dessert. The waiter suggested that one of us order the tasting menu (which my husband did) and the other order a la carte from other items on the menu. It was a great way to experience more of what the restaurant had to offer. I started with a chilled cantaloupe soup with a touch of olive oil and crispy proscuitto. It was very tasty and great for what had been a hot day. My husband's salad had a great selection of greens with some corn, thin slivers of zucchini and a very light dressing. It came with asparagus flan, which was more like custard that could be spread on the toastpoint or eaten with the salad. I tried the flan and it was very tasty. The tasting menu initially said it serve a carrot ginger soup for the second course, but unfortunately, they were out of that so had to sub in the melon soup instead. The fish course was originally supposed to be a Mahi Mahi, but again they were out and subbed in some salmon instead. This may be the one issue with going on a Sunday night. Some items may be out. Neither of us are particularly fish lovers, so we don't normally order it. But I have to say, I am far more inclined to order salmon after trying my husband's. It was good. For his meat course, he had the Confit of Duck leg. I had a mushroom risotto with shrimp for mine entrée. The duck literally fell off the bone to eat. He said it was delicious and well prepared. My risotto was very tasty and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. I loved the wild mushrooms that were in it also. For dessert, my husband had the roasted banana crème brulee, while I had the goat cheese custard with Cognac macerated cherries. Both were absolutely delicious. The goat cheese is definitely unique and intriguing, not your typical dessert, while the crème brulee had a few little chocolate surprises hiding underneath the crust!
The food was excellent overall, and the price was indicative of the quality of the ingredients, but is definitely higher than most restaurants in Aurora. This is probably a place most people would consider a "special occasion" or "occasional" meal as opposed to a regular dining spot.
We will go back in the future, and would even go again on a Sunday night, even though they were out of certain items at that point. The benefit of enjoying a peaceful, unrushed meal was worth it.
