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My office goes here weekly for lunch. I highly recommend the Petto di Pollo ala Senape as well as the bolognese and all of the fish dishes. I wouldn't order the panini for take out, just because it doesn't travel well, but if you eat there, go for it. Delicious. I also went there for dinner recently, you won't believe how good the lamb is. Really, you won't.
Best of all, it's super affordable. Extra points because they are actually Italian, Napolitan, in fact. Anchio.
Yelp kinda failed us when it came to this place. How you ask?
Because it didn't show up on the map. WHA?!?!?!
Yeah, another place we tried first was way too busy and we'd miss our show so we strolled on over to the Golden Gopher. On our way over we passed this place and...hm....what have we here?
Hands down the best fresh mozarella I've ever had. It was creamy and buttery and just melted on my tongue. In addition the carbonara was just amazing. So flavorful that it blew me away. I'm sitting here daydreaming about going here and my weekend is currently just way too busy...but maybe...just maybe...
Dear Colori Kitchen,
You have so much potential. I really want to love you but you're just not quite there yet. To keep things short, the bf has been dying to eat at Colori and I finally gave in, despite my attempt at dieting.
Pros:
- Low-key, casual environment
- Bring your own wine/beer with no corking fee! Love this even though we weren't aware of this.
- Burrata is DELICIOUS. So fresh! I absolutely adore fresh cheese.
- Fresh pasta... SO good, at least in my bfs case. He ordered the Bolognese.
- Tiramisu is lovely. "Tastes like chocolate tres leches" according to the bf.
Cons:
- Ridiculously understaffed. One waiter and busboy for the entire place and only two cooks? Staff is overworked so service is poor.
- My dish: sausage & kalamata pasta was horrendous. Fennel seed was overpowering and the dish was too meaty and buttery for my liking. Again, this is in my opinion since I only eat red sauce pasta.
I will definitely come back again though. Please don't give me a dirty plate, cheap bread (other tables got French bread and I had to ask for it), or be cheap with staff so that I can give you your well-deserved four stars.
Until next time. Thanks.
A few of my buddies treated me to dinner here recently for my 18th (yea right) birthday...and it was absolutely delish.
The cheese appetizer (I have no idea what it is called) has the consistency of warm melted butter and the amazingly wonderful ciopinno is just like how uncle Guido used to make it.
My only gripe was the lack of ventilation, especially since we were going through a mini heat wave that particular week. But with no corkage fee, who gives a crap about a little stuffiness and discomfort.
Amazing. a real gem. food is beyond good. cant wait to be in los angeles so i can eat at colori kitchen.
Lousy food and bad service. The chicken dish was so tough I could barely cut it with a steak knife.
We just moved downtown and we're excited to try something new but what a disappointment that place was. Service was pretty bad too.
I had the spinach ricotta ravioli which is amazing, it literally melts in your mouth. The rack of lamb was good too, cooked just right. The bread served with the dipping sauce is great, whatever it is. It is a perfect place to go on a date. Bring your beer or wine because there is no corking fee!
Only reason I give it 4 stars is when it is real busy the service is not great, but still worth it for the food!
Just another great meal. My wife and I ate here AGAIN and every time we have a great experience. Everything is fabulous. The pasta specials were awesome; angel hair pasta with leeks and proscuitto and the beef stroganoff. As always, the no corkage is the best deal in LA. One suggestion, make reservations if you are planning on eating between 7-8:45 pm, but here is a secret - have a late dinner and walk in at 9 pm and have your choice of seating. This is the best italian food for the money in LA, bar none.
I have eaten at Colori on NUMEROUS occasions. (Yeah I read other reviews about Colori about too… Read more »
You've never had gnocchi like they very occasionally serve here. If you see it on the specials, GET IT. It will blow your mind. I had it the first night we went there and it ruined me forever. I've never seen it on the menu since.
The regular menu and daily specials are truly authentic northern Italian fare. Not Italian-American mind you - just Italian. Simply delicious. Different from 90% of Italian restaurant food out there.
No wine, but no corkage fee either! Great place to go before catching a show or doing some other fun stuff downtown.
This was the second time I'd been to Colori Kitchen. The first time, I forgot to review. I remember I liked it enough that I thought I'd come back. This time, I'm sure I'll keep coming back unless something drastic changes.
Colori Kitchen is such a nice, homey little spot in downtown. Bright colors, bright artwork, contrasting dark tables, a kitchen which proclaims "Kitchen" in big steel letters matter of factly on the counter that faces you when you walk in.
The food is simple and well-executed. No fuss. No frills. All delicious. Tonight, a friend and I started with one of their specials, a burrata served with tomatoes and chopped greens. We moved onto an endive and arugula salad with slightly candied walnuts, topped with sheaths of parmesan and a light lemon vinaigrette. For the entree, we had a pumpkin ravioli in a walnut cream sauce. The pumpkin filling in the pillowy triangles of ravioli was just slightly sweet, but not cloying, and the sauce was such a nice, nutty complement. Everything was good, but I thought this was the best of our meal.
Or so I thought, until our server suggested we try the cannoli for dessert, which he said was his favorite. We trusted him, and we were not led astray. Three very handmade looking cannolis stuffed with a slightly sweet mascarpone, dipped in pistachios on both ends, on a plate dusted with powdered sugar and small dollops of mascarpone.
"Eat it with your hands," the server said. "That's how the Italians do it." Maybe he was serious. Maybe he ran out of utensils. Whatever was the truth, that's what we did. The only problem was that it was so good, I almost ate my hands.
Been here three times. Myself and others have never been disappointed.
Bread and hummus? was cool. My pesto spaghetti was rich and great in texture and flavor. Parking… Read more »
My only problem with you Colori is you aren't there when I need you. Why can't you be open on those nights I am in need of some pumpkin stuffed ravioli?
Seriously, this place is GOOD. I guess you need to call ahead and make sure they are open before you get your heart set on some seriously good pumpkin ravioli. Oh, and its BYOB and there is no corkage fee! Added bonus: when you are done basking in your Colori goodness you can stumble next door to the Golden Gopher- double win!
Enjoyed this place, and will definitely be back. I've been looking for decent, reasonable Italian food downtown and this fits the bill for me, for now. Prices are about what I would expect, and the food is pretty good. I'm knocking a star off because they don't have wine/alcohol but if you want to bring your own - I guess it's an advantage with no corkage fee. I'll be remembering to bring wine- but it's still not as good as having an endless supply in house. I am still looking for an Italian restaurant that comes anywhere close to Ristorante Machiavelli's in Seattle - this isn't it, but it's an okay substitute for now.
The staff here was excellent, and very friendly, complete with a free desert because the food took some time (15 minutes) to come out - we hadn't complained they just apologized and gave us the desert. Frankly- we were in and out in an hour - quite speedy really, and I had no complaints, so - great staff and very attentive. Chairs aren't very comfortable (I couldn't wait to get out of mine), and the decor is spartan, but that's the vibe.
I wish they were open slightly later - but 10 on Fri/Sat is good enough. You can always stop in at the Golden Gopher next door after for cocktails. Make it a night.
Very disappointed. I will stop eating at the Colori Kitchen because, quite simply this is a poorly run restaurant. The food is average and the atmosphere is crumby. It's ironic that the waiters are so arrogant. I was truly surprised to be treated so poorly, I walked out fed up. The last time I did that it was at a 4 star restaurant 13 years ago, the waiters were asses there too. I consider myself pretty easy going, but did find myself irritated by the blatant obnoxiousness of the people who work at and run this dump. I will not return.
As usual, when traveling, I let Yelp do my selection, and Colori was yet another winner. Located a few blocks from our hotel, the outside belies the good food inside; overcome the trepidation and head in.
Decor: art museum meets cafe meets family restaurant. Utterly unpretentious and unapologetic use of great festive color, including the plates.
Service: in under 5 minutes, you would think we had been coming there for years. Even the amusing "let me check with the chef" routine when asking for an adjustment to allow sauce and pasta to be prepared together was played off like a family drama that you got to play in. So friendly, so relaxed, completely welcoming.
Food: ooooh, yummy. Nicely prepared, a good mix of delicate and comforting flavors. Quite filling, without making you feel so stuffed!
Costs were moderate, well worth what you got. The neighborhood is a little sketchy, but, being a NorCal snob, I say that about most of LA. :-)
Colori Kitchen was a fun discovery for a spur of the moment dinner, and it didn't disappoint.
Italian food never really sparked much interest in me. Everything tasted the same and everywhere i went the food was always very mediocre. I mean, don't get me wrong, Italian food is good, but because of the places that I've been, I never thought that it could be great.
Yesterday my girlfriend's friends took her out for a belated birthday dinner and they choose Colori Kitchen. It was highly recommended by two of them that lived within walking distance of this place. They talked about how great the food was and service, and how everything they had they loved, and then they hyped it up some more. My girlfriend and I, who are not big fans of Italian food to begin with, had high expectations for this place. How any dish here could be THAT amazing, I had no idea. I pretty much expected the place to be very mediocre, nothing special, and black list those two friends from any place they deemed "Amazing".
Like any good Yelper, when going to place you've never gone before, you Yelp it to see what people thought. Surprising enough this place had 4 stars with nearly 100 reviews. Looked at the pictures, all i could say was meh... nothing special. Everything looks very plain and bland from the pictures. Portions didn't look that big, the pasta didn't look like it had a lot of sauce or meat. How can this place possibly be any good? Or is it that Italian food in general just doesn't really have anything special to it. Just tons of carbs and tomato sauce.
So, why did I give this place 5 stars? Well, if you ever watched the movie Ratatouille, there was a scene where the food critic took a bite of this dish of ratatouille and the world went from black and white to color. He was just taken back by all the amazing flavors from something that looked so simple. THAT was me. Colori Kitchen lived up to the hype.
SERVICE:
The service was amazing here at Colori Kitchen. The waiter was semi attentive, but probably the nicest most fun waiter I've encountered to date. His personality and demeanor was what made me want to tip him big right from the get go. They have a great staff, plus i think its all within the family.
FOOD:
I'm going to skip the bread and spread they gave you, since im sure people already talk about it on Yelp. I'll just talk about the dish I got and the dish my girlfriend got. I'll put the name and the description they gave at the restaurant. For myself, some of the yelp reviews didn't help that much since I was barely interested in Italian food as it is, so I didn't know what a lot of the food was. Hope these help.
Costolette D'agnello Alla Senape:
New Zealand rack of lamb grilled and served with our homemade Dijon sauce with truffle essence
This is what I ordered. Not knowing how they prepare the lamb, when the waiter asked me how I wanted it cooked, I told him to leave that up to the chef, make it the way it would taste best. The lamb came medium rare, 5 pieces with bone, it was perfect. It came with potatoes and garlic broccoli. The lamb was amazing. I've never had lamb this good before. Very flavorful, very tender, I couldn't get enough. I kept cutting the pieces smaller and smaller so it would last just a little bit longer. The Dijon sauce with truffle essence was absolutely amazing, I pretty much licked the plate clean of that stuff. The potatoes were good, used it scrape up whatever was left of the sauce. I'm not a huge broccoli fan, well to be honest, i hate broccoli, but this could have changed my mind. My girlfriend really liked the broccoli. Next time I go back, I am definitely getting this again, It's to die for.
Spaghetti Carbonara:
Spaghetti with Colori signature home made carbonara sauce with bacon bits.
When this plate arrived at our table, it looked very plain. Plate of pasta with barely any sauce and some bacon bits. I looked at that and thought to myself, "Self, this looks very bland, it looks like its going to be flavorless.". My girlfriend looked like she was enjoying it. So I took a little fork full of pasta and a piece of bacon, the flavor literally exploded in my mouth. It was so flavorful, and the little bits of bacon were the cherry on top. I probably could just eat the spaghetti with the carbonara sauce all by itself. I never thought this dish could taste this good.
DESSERT:
From what I understand their desserts change everyday, it's pretty much what they want to make is what you'll get for that day. I know they have desserts that they serve regularly but they have a lot of desserts that just come and go depending on how they feel.
We had a cheesecake that was very good. It was light and not what you would expect from a cheesecake, but it was perfect to finish off the meal.
We also had a cheesecake with the consistency of almond jello. It was very good, I wish i could remember the name.
SUMMARY:
This place is amazing. The food was great and the service was great. I can't wait to go back. Highly recommended.
I went there last week -friday night- with my girlfriend and, even though the food was very good, there was just one waiter for the whole restaurant. The restaurant is pretty small and he looked he had everything under control (he was over every table and he was making very funny jokes). The only thing that surprised me was the hostess. She was not involved at all, and it seemed that these people working here where in different pages. The server was not only taking orders, he was also doing drinks, coffees, and picking up some plates. This is the reason why I'm giving this restaurant 2 stars. It could have been way better if everyone working there would have looked like they did want to be there. Unlike the hostess.
I have no idea how this place is getting good reviews, I can only think it is getting good reviews because you can bring your own wine which makes it cheap. Or maybe because we didn't have the pasta and had meat instead WHICH THEY FAILED miserably at...
First off, the service was absolutely terrible. There were only two waiters for the floor and we repeatedly had to get up from our table to ask the hostess to help us for water, removing plates, more bread... Second the bussing was terrible as well, we actually had to buss our own dishes, I put my appetizer dishes on the hostess stand to make room for my real meal. The busser dropped it off didn't even remove the dishes on our tiny table. Third, they gave us a thin butter knife to cut our chicken with. Which is ridiculous even if the chicken is tender... but even worse, the chicken was TOUGH AS A SHOE!!! We couldn't cut it and once again I had to go up to the hostess (because our waiter was no where to be found) to get a real knife. Of course they only had steak knives to cut hard chicken with but at least they gave us that. FOURTH the food (veggies and salad) was completely and 100 percent mediocre and the meat was terrible.
We will not go there again. I don't recommend this place at all!
I'm giving this place 3 stars because I keep on going back there. It's probably because its close to work, and there are very few other comparable options.
Without over thinking the place, the food is good enough. I have to go through the menu a little bit more to get a better idea what I like the most.
The service, for some reason, is a little sketchy. You might go there, and it's fine; or you might not be served the complimentary basket of bread or something.
Overall, it's worth visiting. Yay, I'm a fan.
Came for my bday celebration and was very happy with the experience.
Beef Carpaccio- melted in my mouth
Roasted eggplant- yummy
Truffle risotto with tiger prawns was unbelievably good. Rich and creamy.
Chicken parmesan plate is enormous.
Panna cotta was a hit
I wasn't a huge fan of the creme brulee, but others in my party loved it.
The staff was really helpful with bringing us extra plates and silverware for our store bought bday cakes. Some places are kind of mean about that.
No corkage rocks. No AC doesn't rock. It was quite warm in there.
Better for smaller parties. The place is cozy. All the items are reasonably priced. Good size portions. Great food for great prices!
This place is great! Very straight forward, good Italian food in a down to earth ambiance.
The prices are very reasonable, and the portions are just right. You can BYO(W) with no corkage fee. Prepare ahead of time because they do not have a wine list. Stop by Ralph's on 9th and Hope Street beforehand.
I can't believe I used to like Olive Garden!!!
YUM, I'm a total fan of Colori Kitchen!! Try the Ravioli and the minestrone soup. Parmesan chicken is really good too!
I love experiencing new places wherever I go and Yelp never disappoints! My friend, a fellow Yelper also reviewed this place and so I had to see if he was off his meds or was it really that good? He was exactly right though...it is that good!
However, a tip. If you love wine or beer with your food, bring your own. They don't sell it. However, they don't charge a corkage fee which is pretty cool. As long as you know this in advance I don't mind at all. Frankly I'd rather pay the lesser amount for my favorite bottle at a liquor store anyway. Now onto the atmosphere and staff. Very cool place and vibe, new modern art hanging on the walls, staff bustling about and always attentive with great Italian accents. You can actually watch the chefs cook. Usually always have a page full of specials. This particular night our table ordered the Lamb Shank, Beef Stroganoff, Fig Prosciutto Risotto. All were tasty. They must make their own pasta....it just has that certain something. Portions are perfect. Not too small, not too big. Caesar was just ok. Honestly it had a different flavor. But, the Bruschetta was some of the best. Amazing flavor! For dessert we had some kind of fresh caramel topped flan? Trying to remember....all I know is it reminds me of gooey fresh made caramels. Fun! Just remember to pack your own booze!! Wine glasses too! They provide glasses....they just don't resemble wine glasses. :-)
Staff at Neihule recommended it. Usually, being Italian, I would not go to an Italian restaurant as I have it at home. However, it was so well recommended that I had to check it out.
Very simple fare but it is the REAL DEAL. Good solid Italian food, nice spinach ravioli and clean simple pasta dishes are refreshing. None of the over complex shi-shi stuff. Just solid homey Italian.
If you're downtown, check it out.
I had been to the Golden Gopher a few times and never noticed this restaurant. It's really a great space, sure it could use a bit of work...but I felt that was the charm of it. It's a cozy, no frills kind of place with artwork on the walls from a local artist for sale - It almost felt like being in some poor artist's loft who created a makeshift restaurant in their home to make a couple bucks. They seated us at a small table up alongside the wall. I was glad they didn't squish us in right next to some other diners so I was comfortable there.
We decided we wanted some wine and the waiter kindly informed us that while they don't serve wine, they do allow BYOB with NO corkage! So the bf walked a block to 7-11 and picked up a fine bottle.
Now on to the food, generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of eating Italian food out - I feel that with high quality ingredients and some care, you can make some pretty kick-ass Italian at home. So when I do go out for Italian...I can be pretty picky about ordering items that I wouldn't be able to duplicate at home. The menu, like its decor was no frills and pretty sparse. I had a hard time picking out dishes from their lackluster descriptions and being that it's summer, I didn't want to order anything too cheesy, creamy and carb-rich (so why'd I go to an Italian place, right?). Anyway, here's what we had:
Bread w/ some sort of pesto/potato/hummus-y type spread that was to die for! The bread was warm and soft with just the right crispness to the crust. With the last bite of bread, I scraped the remainder of the spread from sides of the dish - so satisfying! =)
Burrata ($10) - creamy, rich, gooey mozzarella served atop slices of heirloom tomatoes and some mixed greens, drizzled with some olive oil. Very simple and delicate but I felt it needed salt and maybe some citrus...the bf liked it the way it was though. Probably wouldn't order it again - nothing too special.
Beef Carpaccio ($11) - home cured beef served on top of a bed of arugula and mushroom slices. Outstanding! The beef alone was a bit salty but perfectly paired with the arugula - we couldn't get enough, it was mouth watering good!
Tagliatelle Bolognese ($15) - homemade pasta with homemade Bolognese. Superb! The pasta was cooked perfectly and had the perfect amount of chewiness to it and the sauce...oh so good! It was creamy without being too rich and flavored really well. When we were finished, I wished I had saved an extra piece of bread to scoop up the leftover sauce!
We thought about getting dessert but were too stuffed at that point. Next time though!
Overall we had a great time, the service was okay, and the food was scrumptious - what more can you ask for?
Close to work so its a designation spot often for weekday lunches. The pastas are slightly whatever and normal, so I generally order off the specials menu. The go-to-dish is the brie and eggplant panini, which is fantastic and since I can only eat half, the second half is usually lunch the next day and is goood cold as well.
Service can be hit or miss here as well, but is generally good. I've never come at night before but I heat the hours are kind of strange. And its BYOW, which is pretty cool as well.
I was very disappointed with my experience. I went during lunch and it took about 15 minutes before the waitress/owner took my order. Once seated I ordered the alfredo pasta with chicken. When I got my order my chicken was under cooked. The waitress/owner came over to me and saw my barely touched plate and asked how my lunch was. I told her my chicken was undercooked and to my disbelief she said I hope you come back soon and left me the check. I guess I was talking to a ROBOT! This place is understaffed and the food is terrible. I can't believe I still got charged for the undercooked chicken.
I brought some friends from Rome and as always, great, authentic and delicious Italian food like what I used to eat in Italy. They raved about it as it reminded them of the food back home. Not the sometimes crazy over indulgent sized portions, but sensibley sized dishes at reasonable prices for it's fresh ingredients. The owners are friendly and always a pleasure to see as well as all the dowtown local people. This little place, through word of mouth, has become one of the restaurants others are measured against.
A local Italian Favorite!!!
We come here often, once or twice a month. The owners are great, and I…
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Sooo good! Suggested by a stranger at the Library Bar and we were totally impressed! Amazing food and great servers with fantastic personalities! Bring your own booze though, I had to run to 7-11 down the street and grab a bottle of wine.
My new favorite in downtown. A small Italian kitchen, a block away from Botega Louie, so when you're hungry and no need to impress your new beau after the first date, you should go to Colori. A local gem.
Food is fantastic -- better than half of Little Italy in NYC. Fresh, well seasoned food from pasta to meat. I had a steak at $28, it came with perfectly cooked broccoli and potatoes. It was mouth melting with the right amount of sweet fragrance of balsamic vinaigrette sauce. Hmm.
And pasta, I went with the standard meat sauce which was again perfectly cooked and seasoned. Portion seemed small at first, but it was filling. Pasta prices were $9-15.
We forgot to bring a bottle, so we went to the bar next door and bought one. No corkage fee. Brilliant.
We stayed until the kitchen staff began eating their after work dinner -- but they didn't say anything to hurry us out. A very knowledgeable and definitive waiters, who will tell you what you should eat.
One of my best recommend in downtown, purely for food. If this place was on the westside, the price would double, and I would easily gain 20 pounds.
Downtown delicious!! A great LA italian BYOW with quirky hours.
Pros: The food is KILLER. the melenzane parmigiana is UNREAL, the "special" pasta with leeks and cream (that's always on the menu) is a dieters nightmare, the cioppino overflows with seafood!!! Also the Golden Gopher next door that has a bottle of Coppola Red for 20 bucks is too convenient for words. We also love the family-oriented casualness that allows for birthday cakes and brought liquor that incur no fees. Also, street parking is always available. In LA!
Cons: The room; the "office" bleeds into the dining area and the lighting spotlights onto your table, killing any form of romanticism. Seriously, fax machines and telephone cords aren't Italian-sexy. The art is superfluous. The first time we went in they had cool. edgy, art-rock on the walls and the second time they had weird, lacquered, mashy landscapes. We're all for a revolving art scene, but what does this have to do with the vibe of the place?
Middle of the Road: Your pony-tailed waiters may forget you, but they are so nice and Italian you can't help but love them.
In summary: The food is so f***ing delicious, give us $500, some paint and some candles and we'll redesign your place to match the beauty of your food.
First off- the dessert. Our waiter encouraged us to try the amazing cheesecake b/c "it's not the way the xxxx Americans make it". We were SOLD just by the description alone.... and learned he was more than right!
Maybe it's their warm Italian accents or the simple food cooked to honest perfection, but each bite is simply Italy in LA.
Great things I highly recommend besides the cheesecake: burrata, black cod, cioppino, spaghetti and meatballs (simple but so oh very well done), pumpkin ravioli.
The only thing that can be improved is the espresso which was more on the bitter side.
And one tip- The Golden Gopher wine to go booth did not open until 8pm on Saturday so if you're going to dine before then, BYOB!
The quest for cool joints in downtown continues, and thanks to Yelpers and the tireless research of my friend we came across this gem recently. Actually, we discovered it months ago, but my friend and I were thwarted several times in unsuccessful attempts to eat here. But a big gap between Wednesday classes and the need to run to the garment district finally gave us a chance to have lunch. Finding cheap parking was a struggle at this hour but we found a broken meter a few blocks away. And so our lunch began.
The decor is pretty cool. It's cute, there's art on the walls, and the tables are spaced far enough to give you some privacy. There's an open kitchen in the back so you can see a little of the magic that goes on. The downside is that the kitchen generates some noise, but I found the sounds of the line cook chopping mushrooms to be a little soothing. I'm a food geek, what can I say?
Anyway, the food was well done across the board. My friend and I started with the very fresh bruschetta. It had a nice garlic kick and splash of olive oil. We were also given a basket of bread with a (basil?) compound butter. The freshly baked bread was piping hot and absolutely delicious.
Next we split a daily special salad which consisted of: mesclun mix, roasted beets, goat cheese, grape tomatoes, and steamed asparagus tossed with a citrus vinaigrette. Now that was a great salad. the flavors went well with each other and it was well balanced all around. I would definitely order this again.
For the main entree we tried another special, the risotto with leeks and asparagus. This dish was decent, but it had some problems. It was a little loose for risotto - maybe a little soupier than what I prefer. And some of the rice was overcooked. It wasn't a deal killer, however. What really hurt it was the curious decision to add a ton of blue cheese on top. I don't mean a gentle sprinkle, mind you. I mean a fistful of overpowering cheese. It completely dominated every other flavor. We tried picking out the cheese and digging around it, but alas, our efforts only went so far. I'm still baffled why they used such a strong cheese against the subtle flavors of the leeks and asparagus. A gentle shaving of reggiano would've been *much* better. Oh well.
Finally, service was pretty good at lunch. Our server made some helpful suggestions, and she checked in periodically on us. When she got busy another kind gentleman took care of us with a smile. So Colori Kitchen has a winning combo of cute location, good service, and great food. I can't wait to visit again and try the dinner menu.
I can't recall the last time I wrote a 5 star review.
This is a small, no frills dining room with high-class food for low-class prices. Located next to the Hotel Lindy, Club El Guacho and some other random eateries is this FANTASTIC spot. Okay, I'm getting overly excited here.
Point being this is a great spot to grab good food on the cheap.
think $9-15 for a meal.
My risotto with scallops leeks and parmesan was amazing, winey, cheesy, creamety delish. The maltagliachi with a lamb shank sauce was lamb heaven, a tomato and lamb meltedy amazingness.
The owner/captain who took my order gave me the "are you kidding me" look when I asked if I should go with the meatballs or the risotto. I like that look. it says we know what's what.
Didn't check the wine list, but the iced tea was good. Incongruous for an italian meal but good.
Ok i was a wondering when i was told to bring a bottle of wine to dinner but i went along with it. Boy was it worth it. I ordered the Risotto (my favorite italian meal for years), my beautiful date ordered the pumpkin pasta and her dad ordered something else.
All i knew was when the food arrived all of us stopped talking. When people stop talking you know the food is good!
My risotto was excellent, the pumpkin pasta was great.
Now this place is EASY to pass by. it looks like nothing at all but dont worry the food is worth it.
I came back here for a second time, and the food was still great, but the service loses 2 stars from me.
First of all, the waiter:
Nice guy, very knowledgable on the menu, but he tries waaaay too hard to get you to try one of the specials of the day. I ordered the salmon which was on the regular menu, and he was like, why don't you try the orange roughy special? Uhh no thanks. How about the lasagna special? Nope. Ok, then the osso bucco? Uhhh I really just want salmon!
Seriously.... is it a CRIME to order something from the regular menu?
Next, the busboy:
After we finished eating our dinner and paid for our food, we were just chatting at our table for a little bit when the busboy comes over to me and tries to take my glass of water. Not everyone else's water at the table but JUST mine. I politely told him that I was still drinking it. Maybe 2 minutes later, he tries to grab my water again! Again, I told him I wasn't finished. I stepped out of the table to use the ladies' room and when I came back, my water was gone!
Lastly, the owner:
True, we had already paid for our dinner and we were still at our table talking. True, the restaurant was busy. But it's questionable as to whether it's right or wrong for the owner to kick us out because "there are others waiting." That's exactly what happened to us.
This place has great food and ambience, but the service definitely needs some work.
After passing by this place every week and seeing the great reviews, we finally decided to give this… Read more »
maybe i shouldn't have ordered the spaghetti with meatballs but since they didn't have bolognese, that's what i was left with. tomato sauce was nothing special and the meatballs were dense and i didn't like the sausage/fennel taste it had. guessing it was added to the meatball mix but i didn't like it.
the tiramisu was ok but the mascapone cheese on top was on the hard side. it was nice and moist, though.
all in all, nothing special but quaint ambiance and decent for a quick lunch.
amazing atmosphere, cheap healthy great eats.
too bad people found out, now you have to got around 2:30 to get a table.
but the owners are always there, and they are wonderful, and the service is great. i love this place
I had planned a last-minute dinner prior to a bachelorette party there only to find that the owner (or manager of some sort), Elisa, was more than accomodating. I believe that a pair of Italians (a couple) runs this place....though the busers are Hispanic, not Italian. The atmosphere is very classic and very comfortable...although they lacked good ventilation since it was sort of a small place. The food was DELICIOUS!! I LOVED the mushroom risotto and took a bite of my friends' marsala chicken only to find it beyond delectable. It was so juicy and tender and flavored just right. I will come here again. For sure I will.
I really also liked the fact that there is nor corkage fee...but their glasses for wines are really just glasses that are only a wee bit bigger than shot glasses...not your normal wine glass. but...we didn't pay for it so I really shouldn't complain. I was kind of bummed that I didn't get to try the lunch menu though (since we went for dinner)...maybe next time.
Overall, Colori Kitchen is a tiny little place (near J Lounge...where we partied) that is a wee bit hard to find and looks shabby from the outside...but once you go there...you will get hooked. =) The price for the food is just about worth it. No complaints here.
This family who runs this place is awesome.
It was my dads b day, and they were great! We had the bruscetta, a spinach ravioli, nocci (i think) and a great tiramsu. Of course, as everyone said, its BYOB - and they could care less how much you bring in.
I asked the waiter "where does the tiramisu come from?"
He responds "oh, ralphs"
I sat there perplexed, and a bit buzzed.
Then the waiter exclaims; Of course, we make it!!!
Finally made it to Colori Kitchen.
Food: Outstanding.
Service: friendly and also annoying.
Smell: gross.
I had the pasta (that squared off spaghetti, can't remember the name) with pancetta in a cream sauce. It was so incredibly good. We saw the cioppino come out to the next table and that looked so good too. Next time.
The menu is pretty basic, and actually not too many dishes appealed to me, but only because their descriptions didn't sound very exciting, but I'm wondering if the execution is really good so that each dish is actually wonderful. Their prices are very reasonable, so I'll make more opportunities to try out other dishes, especially that cioppino.
We shared the house made canoli for dessert. I'm no canoli expert, but I have had my share of mediocre ones. These were very good. The shell may have been a tad overcooked. Anyway there were three of them.
When they brought it over, they felt they had to adamantly give us directions in how to eat them: use your hands. No, really? Gee, maybe I've never eaten a canoli before in life? WTH. For the third canoli, I decided to cut it in half so we could share. As soon as I put knife to canoli, they ran over and were shocked shocked, and completely disappointed that we didn't follow their strict instruction. WTF. Are the new downtowners food stupid? Has the restaurant come across so many food newbies that they feel a need to tell us how to eat? Most of the service was like that, friendly but with an air of, you've never had this kind of food before, it's called Italian.
Smell: we were the first ones in when they opened. We were hit with the scent of cleaning fluid mixed with urine. Once the kitchen got going it was ok, and ok through dinner. But at the end of dinner, I could smell that smell again.
Four stars because the food was so good.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Brazilian
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Italian
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