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Aldente Pasta
Category: Restaurants Italian Italian [Edit]
491 N Palm Canyon DrPalm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 325-1160
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Romantic, Classy
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Scott C. said: "Came here for a business lunch and was pleasantly surprised by warm service and good food." read more »
55 reviews for Aldente Pasta
Review Highlights
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"Excellent lobster ravioli." In 9 reviews -
"Food was great as we remembered." In 3 reviews -
"She had the Alle Vongole, or Clams in white wine sauce." In 2 reviews
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55 reviews in English
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Review from Michelle Y.
Palm Springs, CA
Andrew, our server, was great.
The food was good. Not amazing but solid. definitely worth a return trip for the service alone. -
Review from Steven C.
Sherman Oaks, CA
The restaurant sounded good and was busy so I expected so much more.
Our server was virtually non-existent...we had to wave to him several times to get his attention. The pasta was okay but not something to write home about. The caesar salad had very little dressing and the bread...well i have had better bread from the grocery.
I could go into a lengthy description of just how bad the service was but it is not worth my time. I just suggest you look elsewhere for pasta. -
Review from Morris R.
San Francisco, CA
For a restaurant named aldente pasta, the pasta was ironically overcooked!
Oh and here's a taste of the service: the guy who sprinkles cheese on your pasta was literally so rushed that he ran from one end of the table to the other throwing grated cheese only some portion of which landed in the plate.
I would have been both more satisfied and relaxed eating a Lean Cuisine Mac and Cheese. -
Review from Whois J.
Long Beach, CA
Pollo Pizzaiola tomatoe sauce too acidic for my personal tastes. Tomatoe garlic olive oil tapanade served with the bread had overly large pieces of uncooked sliced garlic which was much too pungent to eat. Garlic should have been baked or something. Overall, just ehh. By the time we were out of here we were at about $30 per with just salad and entree. I think the price rating is off on this one.
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Review from Champ M.
a very disappointing roll of dice on my part last coachella weekend. i picked this place because i liked the way it looked on the street corner. i settled for the mushroom pasta and couldn't even eat it after 2 bites. it was really bad. my friends even didn't finish their dishes too. come on palm springs, step it up
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Review from Greg J.
San Francisco, CA
We dined here Monday, September 5, 2011 at 7 PM.
Let me start by saying that we've eaten here a number of times over the years. The place was always middle-of-the-road good with a great wine list (they used to have an amazing collection of Italian wine - probably too good).
Anyway, this time was pretty terrible.
The service was OK, quick, quiet and generally efficient - except for ordering us a shrimp appetizer instead of the shrimp risotto for a starter.
The food was relentlessy mediocre to bad. My partner had a seafood pasta that was pasta standing in what had to be chicken broth with clams and mussles tossed on top. A big mess.
I had the veal scallopinni. The veal was tender enough, but the sauce was awful and the potatoes dry and hard, only edibel with the terrible sauce. Steamed veggies as a side did little for taste.
The best item I had was the negroni.
I can't imagine that I will ever be hungry enough to go back again. -
Review from L. P. M.
Orange County, CA
Sara sent us. That's the code phrase, I guess. Actually, Sara at our hotel said this place offers good food at reasonable prices -- and she was right.
I had the Al Salmone over penne. The wife had Bolognese over angel hair. My dish maintained a nice creamy sauce throughout, and had a nice smoked salmon flavor that wasn't overpowering. The sauce in the wife's dish disappeared quickly and she was left with lots of meat and pasta. She did not enjoy her dish.
The wine selection is good, but I have an issue with the server who raised the price point on a bottle without telling me. I asked between two bottles which had more structure and the waiter quickly said the Chianti Riserva, so I ordered a bottle. The bill arrived and what was a $32.00 bottle was now a $45.00 bottle. The waiter changed the bottle to a pricier Riserva. The wine was great; not being told beforehand was not.
That cost them a star and any possible return visit. Sorry, Sara, we won't be eating here again. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Burbank, CA
Our first visit to Aldente was pure chance. We were hungry, the BF wanted wine, so we gave it a try and fell in love.
This time around, we knew exactly where we wanted to eat. We should have made reservations though because the place was packed, but we didn't mind. After waiting for a little while, we decided to eat at the bar. Only bad thing about dining @ the bar was the fact that we couldn't have Andrew as our server again. He actually recognized us as were waiting for a table! He remembered exactly where we were sitting and what we ordered! *impressed*
We ended up going with the exact same dish as before. I had the clam linguine in white wine sauce and MJ had the seafood fettucine with the angry sauce. Food was great as we remembered.
We had so much junk food during the day that we decided to split a Caesar Salad for appetizer. Perfect amount of dressing. Fresh greens. Crunchy croutons.
Aldente has $5/glass house wine, but we skipped it this time because we had too much to drink during the day.
I think it's safe to say that Aldente is officially our dinner spot anytime we're in Palm Springs. -
Review from Sarah C.
Tonight, we decided to get dressed up and go on a date! What a treat! We picked Al Dente because we drive by it often, but had never stopped in.
We were seated outside along the sidewalk- really nice! Our server Barbara was top notch! She gave great suggestions and was very pleasant. Boyfriend had a beer, I tried the pomegranate green tea. It came in a glass bottle with a glass of ice and sugar on the side. It was Republic of Tea brand and extremely good!
The bread and checca(tomatoes and olive oil with garlic) they bring out is excellent! When we ran out of bread, we ate the tomatoes with a fork! Yum! They noticed and brought us more bread! I ordered the caprese pasta with penne and he ended up choosing their chicken special, which was cooked in a balsamic reduction and served with spinach and roasted potatoes. He said it was delicious! My pasta was great too- very filling without feeling "heavy".
Excellent experience, would definitely go back! It seemed like a "fancy" place to go for dinner without being pretentious or super pricy!
Hint: there is a small parking lot directly behind the restaurant- really convenient! -
Review from Michael J.
Fountain Valley, CA
Starving and frantic to find a place to eat, the GF and I drove past Aldente and for some reason it called out to us. Maybe the hunger caused some sort of delirium or something, but for some reason I felt like we needed to try it out.
Boy, am I glad we did.
Normally, I don't really like going to Italian restaurants. Not because I don't like Italian food, I love it. I just think I can easily make it better at home.
Arrogant much? Yes, I believe so.
On to the food.
We started with the Gamberone Griglia, or shrimp on grill. It was cooked rather well, seasoned with salt and pepper and flavored with assorted herbs, garlic and olive oil. Nice and light.
Our main dishes were two similar yet very different linguine dishes.
She had the Alle Vongole, or Clams in white wine sauce. It was a clean, light dish that had tons of clams. A squirt of lemon to brighten things up and you have yourself a great lunch or a light dinner dish.
I had a bit of a hybrid dish, the Frutti di Mare with Arrabbiata, alla "Angry Style". Basically a tomato based sauce with assorted seafood. The great thing about this dish is that they did not skimp on the seafood and it packs quite a punch.
Over all the food was great. We were starving when we got there, and left full and satiated. The biggest draw for me, however, was not the food so much as the service.
Our server, Andrew was great. He took his time to explain the dishes, recommended a great meal and also handed me a Tide stick when I splattered the tomato sauce all over my shirt. I don't know of many restaurants, if any at all, that actually have someone who'd help you fight stains while giving you a great meal.
Food was great, service was better, and a glass of cabernet sav. only costs $5 dollars.
Really, you can't beat that with a bat. -
Review from Natasha C.
Loma Linda, CA
Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Cognac Sauce. ORDER IT.
Some things to note: parking available behind restaurant, outdoor seating option, probably not the best place for kids, and romantic atmosphere. -
Review from Aileen A.
North Hollywood, CA
Had the best experience!!!Good service,good vibe...and Yes Good Food!!!
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Review from Susana B.
Glendale, CA
We had diner at Aldente tonight, really good food and excellent service,
I had the Lemon Chicken, and D has the home made vegetarian raviolis. The homemade dessert were excellent, I went for the night's special, Ice Cream and cookies covered with dark chocolate. The price was more than fair with a 20% reduction for the whole meal. Who could ask for anything more. -
Review from jackie v.
San Francisco, CA
It was our first time here...we were walking downtown thinking we'd chose a dinner place on a whim.
We got seated immediately and our server was attentive. However, the food just wasn't that good. I've had better for much cheaper. My girlfriend had one of the specials which was Lobster Ravioli and I had linguine with clams, mussels, shrimp, and calamari. I've never tried this particular dish before but I have had enough seafood to know that the shrimp should have been shelled and it shouldn't have been rubbery. For around $20 (for my dish alone), I got a bowl of pasta with 2 clams, 2 shrimp, 1 calamari piece, and a bunch of small mussels. It definitely wasn't gross... It was edible but I just didn't like it and felt like I got ripped off the whole time. The lobster ravioli was much better and the wine pairing the server suggested was right on. Not enough to make me want to go back though. -
Review from Jason K.
My wife and I visited Palm Springs this weekend for a California Mathematics Council conference that my wife was speaking at. I decided to tag along and make a mini-vacation out of the weekend. On Friday before her presentation, we went to Al Dente for lunch. We arrived just as they were opening and were seated immediately inside (though there was patio seating as well).
The inside was simple and elegant. It seemed like a pretty classy, but not pretentious, establishment. The service was excellent throughout the meal. We were brought bread and an olive tepenade to start while we perused the menu. My wife doesn't like olives other than the canned black variety, but she seemed to enjoy this tepenade.
We soon ordered, and not too long after our food was delivered. I ordered the Alagosta (Lobster Ravioli) in an orangey tomato sauce. The raviolis were thick, warm, and had a nice firm texture on the outside with soft lobster and cheese inside. It was a pretty filling dish, and the bread was awesome when dipped in the sauce. My wife ordered the Quattro Formaggio with penne, and we both agreed that the dish lacked flavor. The sauce was thin and just didn't deliver a lot to taste, though the penne was well cooked and had a nice al dente texture.
My wife invited two of her colleagues that were also attending the conference to join us for lunch. They arrived as we were finishing up and placed orders themselves. Their food was soon delivered, and while I didn't get to try what they ordered I can say that the food looked and smelled quite good. One colleague had gotten spaghetti with pesto, while the other got chicken parmesan with a side of roasted potatoes and steamed spinach. I particularly liked the smell of the pesto.
The prices were pretty reasonable, but a little on the high side for our food. But the quality seemed very high and we later found out that they have an herb garden next to the restaurant that they get their mint, rosemary, etc. from each day.
The next night during our stay, my wife and I revisited the restaurant but just to sit at the bar and have some wine. They have a pretty large selection of Italian and California bottles, but only a small set of wines by the glass. The prices for the wines were a bit on the high side (~$8-9 per glass).
Summary: High quality. Excellent lobster ravioli. Avoid quattro formaggio. Decent prices, though slightly high. Excellent service. Drink prices are better elsewhere on the strip. Parking is along the street. Would come back again when visiting if in the mood for Italian. -
Review from Fara A.
We had the ravioli di aragosta (lobster ravioli) and bolognese. Both entreees were under $20 and we got a good portion. I thought my ravioli was good but not as tasty as Fritto Misto's in Santa Monica. My husband loved his bolognese. He cleared his plate.
Minus 1 star for dry, tasteless bread. I was a bit worried about this because the bread at an Italian restaurant IMHO really gives a good idea of how the food will taste.Listed in: Palm Springs Finds
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Review from Robert M.
West Covina, CA
Riccio's or Al Dente . . . Riccio's or Al Dente . . . we hemmed and hawed, beset by merry revelers out to watch a surprise (for us) Christmas parade on a chilly desert evening.
We landed in Al Dente, a warm and inviting restaurant moderately populated with diners inside and even a few outside braving the chills for a dinner with a street view.
Suz felt like having a steak, so she ordered their New York cut medium rare. It was a thin cut (22 bucks) so it came out closer to medium/medium well. It did, however, taste good. But being able to get a thick prime cut for 10 dollars more at a good steak house would have been more than twice as good.
The spaghetti with bolognese was hearty and satisfying, a heaping portion. The service was good and the bar made a solid pear martini for her.
If you're stuck in a parade and can't easily navigate the streets, ducking in here shouldn't do you wrong. -
Review from Elizabeth N.
Irvine, CA
My boyfriend and I came here out of the recommendations from the guest book at the POSH Bed & Breakfast. We parked behind the restaurant and went through the back. This place has a nice romantic setting. We both ordered a salad starter, pasta, and had tiramisu for dessert. We of course had complimentary bread, which came with a really tasty tomato, basil, and garlic spread.
Lets start with the salads, I had the cesar while my bf had the shrimp. My salad tasted like it was one of those prepackaged bags. My boyfriends was a little bit better, but the salads came out so quickly, I had to question if the shrimp was made right when he ordered it. His plate was poorly plated in my opinion. I was hoping for something more presentable, his plate was basically a layer of raw spinach with just cooked shrimp laid out in a circle.
Soon after we finished with our salads, our pastas came out. I don't know how to say it from the menu, but I had the assorted seafood linguine while my bf got the lobster ravioli. The pasta was good, better than the salad. My linguine was al dente and the sauce had good flavor. My bfs ravioli was delicious. The pink sauce was really yummy.
The tiramisu was alright, nothing amazing.
Overall, my experience here was alright. The service was fast here though. Makes me question if everything was made when an order was made..... -
Review from Molly B.
San Rafael, CA
Palm Springs is kind of a sad place these days, but Aldente was pretty busy on a Wednesday night. The first thing you see when you come in is a sign on the window which screams WAIT TO BE SEATED!!! That turned me off, I didn't like to be scolded like a rowdy frat boy in what is supposed to be a fairly nice restaurant. I then used the restroom and found a label on the toilet seat which informed me that it was, indeed, not a trash can. Again, I'm not sure why a restaurant would insist on trashing itself up in this manner. There was no soap in the bathroom, which I quietly informed the hostess of, to which she sort of snorted in response, "ok...?" as if to say "you expect us to provide SOAP? C'mon!"
Anyway, moving on to the food, which was pretty good. Pretty good salad, though at $10, I didn't think a $2 charge to split it was really fair. That and they didn't even bring it on two plates. The pasta was fairly flavorful, well cooked and fairly well composed. My companion had the lobster ravioli, which in order to even order he had to be fairly intoxicated, having never eaten such a creature, so I'm not sure I can really give it a fair review. It certainly looked okay.
Good wine list, good tiramisu and friendly service. If your expectations are realistic you'll probably have a good meal at Aldente. -
Review from Elaine L.
Pacifica, CA
The only reason we ate here was because I was starving while walking on the main street and they had a seat outside with the sun out. I am between a 2 to 3 stars on this place as the service was extremely slow and although the waiter seemed friendly enough when he took our order, the other staff members seemed like they could not be bothered. Ask for a straw or any special request and just don't expect it to be carried out.
To be fair, my linguine with clams had fresh clams and the white sauce was perfect. My husband's penne with pesto was very good. The cook is talented with their sauces but they need to better train the front of the house staff. Maybe they do not care since they are on the main street and tourist will come in to eat anyways. -
Review from Michael O.
Aliso Viejo, CA
Go this restaurant! The food is incredible -- wonderful selection of unique menu items well prepared and top notch service. I find it harder and harder to find good service these days, but this place nails it -- I would call it excellent service! And, the food is great. It is so worth going to and trying it -- you'll be impressed and pleased.
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Review from Jeff K.
Woodland Hills, CA
I simply ordered primavera w/ tomato basil sauce add chicken. Waiter brought it in cream sauce. I said "I'm sorry but doesn't this come with tomato basil sauce" his answer "but you added chicken" I know but I wanted tomato basil sauce he answered so then you don't want chicken? Really am I having this conversation? Pasta came but it was bland and overly salty. Must have been payback.
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Review from Elinor F.
Los Angeles, CA
The first time I had real Italian food, I got an allergic reaction to something and my lips swelled up as if I got botox! So I was a little hesitant on coming here, but I was outnumbered. I tried tomato and caprese for the first time. Definitely not a fan of basil, but I do like the vinaigrette, tomato, and mozzarella. I had fettuccine alfredo (typical, I know) with mushrooms and it was deeeeeelicious :)
The host seated us promptly and the staff was very attentive to our needs. Two of my girls had Pinot Noir red wine and they boasted that it was deliciously yummy. None of my girlfriends complained about their food, in fact, we saved some to eat it back at the hotel. -
Review from Bryan F.
Los Angeles, CA
Great Italian food, too bad my dining companions thinks its middling. I'm not a fan of alfresco dining in Palm Springs (you can read in some detail from some of my earlier reviews), but it was Motorcycle Weekend in Palm Springs so it was a good change of pace to see hundreds of LOUD motorcycles speed down 10 feet from where you are eating.
I got the simplest item on the menu: Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil to see if they can do at least pasta well. And they did a great job in creating a light and delicious plate (with no meat to boot!). The rest of the group got some sandwiches and they didn't like it. They might call them paninis, but I seriously doubt Italians made sandwiches so I give them a pass on that one. According to my book of Everything Anglocentric, sandwiches were invented by a proper Englishman named Earl of Sandwich. The book also claimed that the British invented civilization. -
Review from Jon S.
West Hollywood, CA
Very good Spaghetti bolognese! Nice little wine selection, nice ambiance inside or people watching on the patio. All in all, great choice for Italian in Downtown Palm Springs.
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Review from Jamie C.
Desert Hot Springs, CA
Decided to try this place for lunch the other day because I was craving Italian food. The parking was a little tricky at first as is any spot on the PS strip but we found that they had a parking lot in the back. We chose to sit outside since it was a beautiful day out. I wasn't to trilled that the tables were so close together I felt as though we were sitting with two other couples that we didn't know but luckily both were very friendly.
We were given some soft bread and olive tapenade to start off which was pretty good. I originally ordered the lobster ravioli because other reviewers had said it was the best but I was informed they were out :( So I went with the panini caprese and was so happy. It was so yummy and came with a amazing salad. It was so much food I couldn't finish it and it only cost $7.95. I couldn't believe our entire bill was only $23 and some change before tipping. We spend that much sometimes at fast food. I really enjoyed this place and look forward to going back and trying more food there. -
Review from Rebecca M.
Denver, CO
This was my husband and I's anniversary spot when we lived in the desert.
We would never stray from the fabulous Lobster Ravioli in Saffron Cream Sauce. It is perfect, amazing and delicious. The sauce is lightly sweet and so smooth. The ravioli is stuffed with real lobster and not too much useless filler.
Honestly, I can't remember much about the service, other than it was never bad or mediocre. I just remember the ravioli with fondness. -
Review from Grant P.
Burbank, CA
We are in Palm Springs for a few days and decided that the first restaurant on the hotel's list sounded OK, so we headed off to Al Dente. Very nice little place. It shares a back entrance and parking lot (and maybe a kitchen) with the restaurant next door. I had scallopine and Ms S had ravioli. Both were delicious, although the veal could have come off the heat a minute or two earlier. The bruscetta was gorgeous. Both ur glasses of the house wine were fine. We finished with cannoli. Again very good.
All in all, a very reasonable Italian restaurant, decent menu and friendly staff. -
Review from Lisa M.
Los Angeles, CA
Came here for lunch and had a great rose, the chicken/mushroom dish and shared the caprese salad. It's walking distance to Koffi and has a nice outside patio.
Me and my friends pretty much stayed in a two block radius that weekend. Unless you count Toucans, which is a bit further. Oh well. -
Review from Stelio C.
West Hollywood, CA
Soup was good, pasta was cooked well, ravioli dish was the best, pesto dish tasted good but pretty heavy. Large portions, service was attentive, salad and bread was just ok, tomato spread was nice. Overall a soild meal, just not a memorable one. All the surrounding restaurants were empty while Aldente was filling up. This might be the safest bet for dinner on this block.
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Review from Sarah P.
South Pasadena, CA
I came here with my entire math department of 24 people on a Friday night. We didn't have to wait around for our tables. The servers are really nice, and the food came out really quickly. I had a chicken and vegetable dish with a cream sauce. It was pretty bland, and I had to add pepper to it. My other coworker had to ask for chili flakes also b/c her fish was pretty bland as well.
I liked the concept though b/c you can pick a pasta type (ex: linguine, fettuccine, penne) with what you choose as your entree. The prices are reasonable, but the portions aren't too big. -
Review from Hausenfeffer H.
Long Beach, CA
This place is top notch. The service is great and the food is delumptious.
The price is reasonable, it has a good atmosphere inside and the waiters don't rush you along. They give you plenty of time to sit back and enjoy without butting in too often.
We go here frequently and are always satisfied. -
Review from Anju J.
San Diego, CA
Food was good. ambience was romantic. server took good care.reasonably priced.
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Review from Erica D.
San Diego, CA
My boyfriend and I went her on a Sunday night when we were visiting Palm Springs for the long President's Day weekend. There were no tables open when we first walked it, so grabbed drinks at the bar. Within maybe 15 minutes a table opened up and we sat right down. We were promptly greeted and ordered drinks and asked the knowledgeable server a few questions regarding the menu.
I ended up ordering one of their tortellini pasta dishes that was the special for the evening and my boyfriend order the lamb chops, which also a special for the evening.
While waiting for our main dishes, we were served bread and were regularly checked on seeing if we needed more water or refills on our drinks.
The entrees arrived and they were nothing less than fantastic! Exactly what both of us wanted and the plates tasted fabulous! -
Review from Natasha T.
Simi Valley, CA
Overall my experience here was good. The atmosphere and ambiance is pleasant an cozy. Before we went we called to see what the appropriate attire would be and they said casual. My friend and I arrived in casual jeans and tops but with heels and we felt perfectly fine being a little dressy. The staff was friendly and welcoming. We started with wine; the Riesling which was amazing! We loved it! I ordered the Primavera con Pollo which was very tasty and my friend ordered pesto penne which she also loved. We ordered two homemade cannoli's to go which were just okay. We've had better. Service was slow for a moment between looking over the menu and ordering but we were the last in the restaurant. I would recommend this place to friends and will definitely return if I am back in Palm Springs.
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Review from Robert K.
Palm Springs, CA
The risotto verde is the bomb! Love it.
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Review from Ingrid M.
Pasadena, CA
Tragic in every way. The facility looks tired and scruffy. The wait staff is either busy or has given up the will to live. The meals (there were 2 of us)
were #1 and #2 on the list of worst Italian meals ever. Too much oil, mushy gnocchi, etc. Time for an overhaul of concept and content. -
Review from Jeneka R.
West Covina, CA
awesome food and especially service
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Review from Celine L.
Monterey Park, CA
wanted to go to jake's but it was a 45 minute wait, this place looked alright, and prices weren't too bad.
the bread was warm, it wasn't bad.
the soup of the day was a cauliflower soup, it had a pretty strong celery taste. not bad
i got the primavera with angel hair but they gave me spaghetti =/ but it was alright, a good amount of vegetables. the taste was alright, pretty simple.
my boyfriend got the mushroom one, chorizo or something? with spaghetti. very strong mushroom taste. my boyfriend liked his quite a lot.
the setting was pretty nice.
tip: i heard the lobster ravioli is the best here, but i didn't get that.
favourites: no line, but a good amount of people dining in there
do not want: they messed up my order.
last words: decent food, not too pricey. -
Review from Jenny G.
Beverly Hills, CA
The last time I went to al Dente two cockroaches jumped out of the sugar container! Eeek! We left immediately and have not been back since.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/20/2007
One of my favorite restaurants in Palm Springs. The food is consistently good and the service is… Read more »
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10/20/2007
