Ristorante Machiavelli
(between Melrose Ave & Minor Ave)
Seattle, WA 98101 (206) 621-7941
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
74 Reviews for Ristorante Machiavelli
Ok. I'm going to have to stick my foot in my mouth. Seattle does have great Italian for a reasonable price. The Gnocchi was tender and fluffy, the fettuccine tasted almost hand made, and the daily special was a bite of heaven. After eating tons of great Italian in North Beach, I realized Seattle just didn't compare. Now, I will happily eat my words and follow them up with some more great food. Oh, and If that isn't good enough, the portions are just the right amount of food.
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Wow, everything here is SO good I could die! The BEST fettucine carbonara I've ever had in my entire life. The sauce was incredibly flavorful, rich, and creamy, even though they don't add cream, per se, to the dish. No bits of scrambled egg either! Woot. The bacon was perfectly carmelized and the pasta al dente. What else can you ask for??
Other stellar dishes include (but are not limited to) the fresh manilla clams with linguine, lasagna, minestrone soup, Caesar salad, and tuna carpaccio. You really can't go wrong with anything you order here. Seriously.
A great "rustic" Italian option when you're not in the mood to fork over $100 for a fancy, shmancy dinner for two at La Spiga.
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I can't explain how much this is my favorite place of all time, I hope they never change, and the food is worth more than the price... shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.......
ALWAYS GREAT, AND SERVICE IS GREAT.. AND THE FOOD IS GREAT.. ALL IN ALL GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
love you machiavelli
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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03/25/2008
I haven't been here for awhile and I am not quite sure why not? It is truly amazing! Tucked away on… Read more »
My designated date spot, Machiavellis has amazing Italian cuisine, plentiful fresh olive bread, and the best cheesecake in Seattle for dessert. Their specials are often seasonal and delicious, and the bar is a perfect place for a drink and a snack while you wait for your table. Build at least an hour into your timeframe for waiting if you are there on the weekends, they do not take reservations.
Love the ambiance. The tables are the right amount of distance apart and the lighting is just right. And it's a nice mix of people. It's a good sampling of the different kinds of people you find in the different parts of Seattle-of course, the Capitol Hill hipsters, college-aged couples, older folks, and a some people you would expect in an organic supermarket.
The portion is just right (so rare these days) and the bread is good, but overall the food was traditional but uninspired. Pleasant but nothing really popped. Would go back if I was with in a friend and just happened to be in the area.
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Good trattoria-style Italian restaurant. My tortellini w/ meat sauce was excellent, as was my partner's lemon chicken piccata. Great bread, good house wine; overall a very happy meal.
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Before I was introduced to Machiavelli I never used to seek out Italian places. Now I seek them out to see how they compare to this great restaurant. As a guy I would say this place is one of my favorite places to take a date. I've never taken anyone there who didn't say there food wasn't fantastic. Personally I always get the same thing, the Veal Milanese, and it is unbelievable. Also, they always bring out this great olive bread while you wait, dipped in a little olive oil and its heavenly. It is kind of a small place and there can be a bit of a wait, just get a drink at the bar, but other than that this place is a must. I'm moving back to San Diego in a little more than a week and I wish I could take this place with me...
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I came here recently for a birthday dinner. It had been awhile since the last time I had dined here. The food was still as great as I had remembered. I ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese and my husband had the Chicken Picatta. My entree was so delicious and the portion size was just the right amount of food. My husband enjoyed his dish as well. I had a bite and will definitely order the Chicken Picatta next time. For dessert, our group ordered the Tiramisu and Cheesecake. I loved the Cheesecake. It was light and not dense like other cheesecakes. The Tiramisu was just as good. I don't know why I don't come here more often. This will definitely be a regular spot for me from now on.
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We came on a weeknight at 7:30 and waited about 15 minutes for a table. I called first but was told they did not take reservations. The bar is small and well worn, and the scene is friendly. There were two waitresses working the dining room, and though they were both working hard, they were fun and friendly. The dining room has a nice ambiance perhaps because it has so many windows and looks out on a busy corner of the neighborhood.
The food was very good. We had the tuna carpaccio, the veal saltimboca, and the chicken piccata, as well as roasted vegetable and pasta sides. The meat sauce on the pasta was quite tasty. The vanilla bean cheesecake was spectacular, according to my dining companion, who is a cheesecake aficionado. We had read about Machiavelli at Yelp before going there, but I was still surprised by how good the food was.
I disagree with those who describe Machiavelli as "cheap." Though the house wine is a bargain, the entrees are $15 - not what I would call cheap. Definitely worth it, though.
Great place for a casual Italian dinner - especially if you live on the hill.
I've never eaten here without waiting for at least 30 min, but that can be a blessing in disguise, considering the relaxed bar/waiting area and the cheap carafes of house wine.
Relaxed atmosphere. Childhood pics of all the staff on the walls. Just-dim-enough lighting. Great place for a relatively inexpensive and casual date.
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I had two food orgasms on my first visit to Mach. The first was the salad. I'm not a huge salad eater, as most salad purchased at restaurants seems to be in a constant state of turning back into the soil it was once born from. This salad however, was crisp and flavorful and the dressing did not overpower it. Why am I so happy about something as basic as house salad? Because theres not too many places around here that can get something so supposedly simple right.
The second food orgasm came via freight train courtesy of a Mr. Fettucini Alfredo. The pasta cooked just so. The sauce is the cream from the teat of the gods. Again, a simple dish, but a favorite of mine and something I could compare to visits to countries known for their fettucini hotness.
I'm none too concerned about wait times, put your name in, it takes an hour to get a seat, go take a walk in the park, grab a bottle of wine, its Seattle for gods sakes, surely you can amuse yourself for 45 minutes. I happened to stumble onto a anime convention, good times were had by all.
There were two things that soured an otherwise awesome dinning experience, the meat I sampled seemed to be over seasoned, and the bread, while good, was missing the tough crust I expected with a restaurant that otherwise had the basics down pat.
Will defiantly be trying again in the near future.
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Lemon drop good. Bread good. Gnocchi good. Chianti good. Prawns good. Marinara good. Spinach good. Service good. Conversation good. Atmosphere good. Price good.
Maybe I should change all that to gooooooooooooooooooooooooooood.
We ate it. And it was good.
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The food here is, for the most part.. well, average. Piccata is way too lemony, pasta is sometimes over-cooked, and most other dishes are very basic, but definitely not bad and reasonably priced.
I give it 4 stars because the place itself is awesome. We love the corner seat by the windows, the service is outstanding, the bar is cozy, and really, if you show up around opening time, you are seated immediately, or you can chill in the bar while waiting. We love going here.
I've never had anything I didn't LOVE while here!
Appetizers, drinks, entree's, dessert, mmm-mmm good!
People watching from the inside and out also makes for a fun time.
Great place to be with friends or on a date. Try it, you'll love it!
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Holy smoked salmon this place was good. Two nights ago, had the special: Fettucine with smoked salmon and snap peas... words can't describe. I saw the portion, thought i needed to stop by Dick's afterwards to buy me some cheeseburgers mang, but I was wrong. This place had ambiance, bread and balsamic vinaigrette, and the most amazing pasta dishes. Sure enough, it was more than filling than I had imagined. Ok, so I don't know the first thing about Italian food, but I know good food, and this place had it. Seriously though, who gives discounts when paying with cash? No one! Good food, good deals, good ambiance, good times. I can't wait to come back.
as i'm sure you've read in previous reviews, the portions here are in some sort of fucking space-time continuum warp.
the dishes look tiny, but then you barely finish and you look like you've just had sex with a facehugger from aliens. OH MY GOD THAT PASTA IS TRYING TO BURST OUT OF YOUR FUCKING STOMACH.
this place is usually crowded as shit whenever you're thinking of taking your date/significant other to a nice italian restaurant, but damnit, is it worth it. and you can always booze up at the bar while waiting for your table [extra points there, machiavelli. extra points for booze].
the carbonara is splendid and [since it's been a while since i was last there] i also had a chicken dish that i can't quite remember the name of. both were fan-fucking-tastic. the service is quick and the servers are usually attentive, even during high traffic periods.
and this place serves you comp bread with olives in it. with fucking balsamic vinegar/olive oil. ain't that fucking boss? i LOVE fucking olive oil.
no, really, i fucking LOVE it.
so five fucking stars for you, machiavelli, you heartless bastard. only the strong shall survive, eh? good thing i couldn't find any glaring weaknesses.
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Outstanding... I found it while on a business trip only because it was across the street from Bauhaus Books & Coffee. Had a special (fettuccine and asparagus in olive oil and garlic, with fresh parmesan baked on top), which was very reasonably priced and fantastic. The bread served before the meal was also very good, a rustic white with olives. The service was outstanding -- fast, attentive (but not overly), and friendly.
It's a small space, with a real neighborhood feel, lots of lively conversation. I got there fairly early for dinner and got right in, but there was a large crowd waiting on my way out.
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I LOVE this place. Great food great atmosphere and well worth the wait. They are very smart to give up a little of the small dining space they have to create a front bar to wait in.
You're going to put in about 45 minutes waiting but it goes by fast.
Pay with cash and you'll save a percentage of your total bill. (Not to mention you make the awesome power lesbian who is serving you's life easier by not having to split the bill)
Even the free bread and basalmic to start off the meal are great!
Average food. Street parking is a nightmare. I've never been here without having to wait an hour to be seated, and there's even a wait to find a place to sit while you wait.
My last meal there was one of those bad dining experiences where you watch the people beside you who were seated after you finish their dinner before yours arrives. It wasn't like this other times I've eaten there, so I'm willing to assume the awful service was a fluke, but after waiting an hour to be seated and another hour for dinner, the ordinary food is just not worth it.
My husband is one of those people who is crazy for this place. I however, and one of those people who just don't get what the fuss is about.
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For my birthday, my sister gave me the book How to Boil Water. That should say something about my cooking skills. I can't. I don't. So when it comes to a home cooked meal, I typically lean toward pasta. Just boil the water and throw some noodles in. Easy. After reading all of the glowing reviews on yelp, I guess I thought Machiavelli would put my cooking skills to shame, but no. Everything just seemed...fine.
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I would say this is definitely great for how much ti costs. Its just not the top Italian restaurant you can dine at. But very on point if you are craving Italian for cheap. The biggest downfall is when I went we waited almost 2 hrs. So the dinner rush on the weekend would not be the best time to go.
-Verdict = Go if you are craving some good (not the best), cheap Italian on a weekday.
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If you come here, dont try the Lasagna. It is way too salty and overpowers the taste of the cheese/pasta. I dont recall there being much meat as well.
The rest of my party had some pasta/specials. They didn't seem to be Happy Campers. Maybe the prior benchmark of the Tour of Italy at Olive Garden or Pot Porri at Old Spaghetti has caused this dissonance.
At the least, the dishes are pretty affordable ($10). Not a bad date spot and friendly service. They also provide olive oil and vineagar with your bread.
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Very straight-forward Italian. Almost too straight-forward for my tastes - I suppose you could call me too trendy when it comes to dining. The menu is full of classics, not much there to raise the eyebrows or challenge the palate... the decor is cute and cozy as well, but also nothing really standout or funky. I appreciate simplicity, so I can appreciate Machiavelli, it's just not my first choice as far as Italian in Seattle.
I don't want to sound bitchy, I mean, I am not calling this place Old Spaghetti Factory or anything! While maybe not the most inventive or adventurous, everything here is tasty and well-made. They have great sauces. And their gnocchi has the perfect texture, something many restaurants seem to have difficulty pulling off. Sincere quality at very reasonable prices, I think most entrees are around $10.
One of my favorite Italian restaurants is Bizzarro, so maybe you can understand where I'm coming from? I guess I just need bicycles hanging from the ceiling and crazy waiters and preciously-named dishes to excite me if I'm going to be dealing with pasta... ah, the youth of this country today, so ADD and irreverent towards tradition.
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Living across the street from here, I walked by every day thinking it would be too expensive to check out, even though the smell of garlic made me drool every time I walked by.
I finally looked at the menu, and its really reasonably priced. There is a fairly extensive pasta selection including penne with red tomato pesto cream sauce, and simple gnocchi in marinara. Ask for a side of garlic (its free and they bring a cup of raw chopped garlic in olive oil)
Even if there is a wait, which there typically is, you can wait in the bar. It a nice bar with happy hour. they also have cheap wine carafes.
good, simple. cheap Italian.
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Yummy is what I say the first bite (and other bites followed).
Mmmmmm is what I say when I'm leaving! Because I'm so full! I can't say anything but mmmm with a big smile and a gentle rub on my tummy :)
I eat it all, man.
Even the tiny bit of the lettuce stacked on the plate of the Antipasto Salad, I eat it all. I get the salad to share,,,but I think I eat 90% of it.. "Hahaha you are too slow it's MY salad!" ,,,I get little offensive about my salad at Machiavelli.
I eat the bread, too. I like one better than the other (they give you two kinds) but I eat it all. Then regret it later cuz i'm too full to try their dessert. How could I have done that all three visits I made,,,I'm not sure.
Oh their pasta is gooood.
The last time I had the special, Fettuccine with prawns & lemon sauce. It was just tiny bit too lemony for me but the Prawns were BIG and the texture was just what I was looking for to taste. "Shiawase"(=Happiness) When I'm serious I talk in Japanese.
The location is good. I've been lucky to be seated right away and by the window always. We've been avoiding the rush hours of the weekends. The Bauhaus side is cool but the Pine Ave. side, you can see the Space Needle!
Lovely, indeed.
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This is the kind of place we love as Seattlites... It's not the absolute best Italian, it's just great food at a great price with a great vibe. That's why I give Machiavelli's five stars.
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this place is awesome. You must go here!! I wont repeat what everyone has said already, but it is great great great.
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The price is right and the food it great! Just a quaint down to earth Italian place. It's conveniently located to where you can walk from downtown if you need a shopping break.
I'd definitely show up early because you might have a wait, but its worth it and the little bar area is cute if you end up being there a while. It has pretty good happy hour specials too!
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I took my boyfriend here for his birthday, and it was just what the doctor ordered.
Italian is something that I know I love, but almost never seem in the mood for, so it's pretty much almost only on occasions like these, where somebody else's favs are the order of the day, where I end up having any.
Sure, we've all had just unacceptably bad Italian, but often, mediocre Italian is still pretty good over mediocre something else.
Machiavelli is more than good, it's pretty fantastic. You will also get a lot versus how much you pay (unless you order filet mignon, which I almost did, in which case, they simply go by market price, which is probably worth it if it is of the same quality as the rest of their dishes, but is otherwise easily the most expensive thing on the menu).
We arrived late, so it was pretty empty. I understand that it can get pretty crowded, though. The dining area is kind of small.
The wait staff were very friendly and attentive.
The linguini and meat sauce I ordered was perfect. The sauce was meatty and flavorful. The ground beef actually worked with the seasonings instead of being just a chewy texture amidst a barrage of pepper, salt and tomato paste.
The BF's Chicken Parmesean was outstanding and had a savory toastiness to it.
When we were done, we were pretty full, but left a small opening for the option for dessert. They only had one thing left, which we were willing to pass on, but when we were told that it was a Tiramisou with a layer chocolate mousse, we went for it, and it was even better than it sounds.
Thumbs up.
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We heard and read many good reviews of Machiavelli, but honestly when we went there the food was very average. Definetly not worth a repeat in our book. Serving sizes were small and there just wasn't anything we had that really stood out. I found Volterra in freemont a bit better. And Spazzo's (before they moved to redmond town center) was pretty decent also. (we haven't been to the redmond towncenter location but the menu did not look the same and they no longer had the osso buco or lobster raviolli on it...
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this place is FABULOUS!!!
My bf and I recently went here for our 2 year anniversary dinner. I've been to Italy 3 times, and he recently studied abroad there in Rome for a semester, so we're pretty picky about what is authentic good Italian food.
Well this place just about hit the nail on the head! GREAT service - I love that the place is small enough that all the waiters wait on every table - makes it VERY EASY if you need something - just flag any waiter down! Also, there's no pushiness for you to hurry your meal and leave, just like in Italy... they respect you if all you want to do is sit there and finish all a whole carafe of wine (which is EXACTLY what we did!). You also get ample bread and dipping sauce - some of our bread even had olives baked in!
We got the red house wine, an appertizer of olives, prosciutto, mozzarella, etc, and I ordered the lasagna bolognese. Perfecto! I got drunk off the yummy red wine and stumbled home drunk and with a tummy full of delicious food! Would DEFINITELY recommend this place to anyone and everyone, but would recommend getting there for an early dinner, since they don't take reservations and it is a smaller more intimate restaurant. :)
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Yeah! I finally got to eat at Machiavelli after years and years of walking past and a few feeble attempts to get a seat. I went there after work with a friend (before 6pm) and to my utter amazement, we got a prime window seat facing Pine. Time to celebrate. I ordered the chicken Parmesan and my friend had tortellini and both were pretty good, hearty and flavorful comfort food, and the portions good, not huge, not tiny. We split the taramitsu with the mousse filling and real whipped cream and it was super yum. The wait staff is really nice and the restaurant itself just nice and snug which is what I like. As we left we waded through the familiar crowd waiting at the door for a seat so clearly we just missed the rush. Machiavelli is an institution and just getting in for dinner a triumph, the food was good and hearty enough to keep us warm on a cold night.
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I absolutely love this place! I miss it as I have not been there since the little one was born 18 months ago. F'ing shame. This was our default go-to place when ever we couldn't think of a place to go out to eat. Staff is great and very friendly... even if they didn't know your name they sure treated you like you were their best bud. They just make you feel good there. It's a very small and cozy place which gives it it's charm.
Very affordable and great Italian food!! Simple menu and consistently good. Because of Machiavelli I am forever a Chicken Piccata fan. The Lasagna is great too. Oh and the bread! Ooohhhh!
Remember to get there early because they do NOT take reservations and it gets packed on the weekend. And they won't seat you until your whole party is there.
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I totally miss this place...we still talk about it, even after moving away from Seattle nearly 3 years ago! They have the best steak I've ever had. I mean it! Definitely the best in Seattle. Very reasonably priced, too - I think $28 for the steak and sides? The pasta is amazing here, the marinara sauce is devine. We always had great service! You would have to wait about 1 hour on weekends, but it was well worth the wait, everytime. I lived 4 blocks from this place on Summit Ave, so I frequented it often. For just basic pasta dishes, it's like $10 a plate. So inexpensive for such unreal food. I am going here immediately the next time I touch ground at Sea-Tac!
San Francisco has North Beach, Boston has the North End, New York has Little Italay and Seattle has....uhmm Machiavelli. Unlike those other cities where there are dozens of neighborhood Italian joints, Machiavelli is really the only join that comes to mind. By "Italian Joint" I mean a smallish place that serves good pasta, several specialities and has a small bar where you can happily wait.
It's not a surprise that the wait her on weekends can swell to an hour or more. The bar is a comfortable, if crowded, place to wait, There's Sinatra and Vic Damone playing in the background and the food is worth waiting for.
The Caesar is one of the best in town and uses marinated anchovies which are far less salty than the canned variety. The Lasagna with Chicken Livers takes about twenty minutes but is really hard to get anywhere else in town and is delicious. For me, veal is the test of a good Italian place and the Picatta is cooked perfectly, in a lemony sauce. The side dish pastas and meat sauce are great tool.
5 years ago I actually walked out of here one night because we'd waited 20 minutes for someone to take our order only to be told by our waitress that we needed to wait a few more minutes because she wasn't ready yet. The service here has gotten much better in the last few years. There was always a serer within reach and we didn't have to wait any lengthy of time for anything.
The wait aside, this is my goto Italian place, especially when my east coast friends want to see how we do Italian on the west coast.
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first off, i love the policy that the whole group needs to be present to be seated.
the atmosphere is cozy and inviting. the staff is not pretentious. the food is delicious and the portions are sized appropriately. i hate italian places that try to just overfill your plate hoping you won't notice the inferior quality. here you get the perfect amount of delicious food.
the gnocchi were tender and fresh...scrumptious.
this is my go-to italian place in the neighborhood
My favorite Italian in Seattle. There may be better elsewhere, but not at this price in such a cozy little place.
Your best bet is to get their early so that you can enjoy having a window seat and the place (almost) to yourself.
It's so good that I proposed to my fiance there!
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This is good cooking. I guess there is a debate about how traditional the food is to Italian cooking, but I really don't see the issue. Italian cooking is all about using whatever is delicious to make a meal that is delicious, and that is exactly what they do at Machiavelli.
A little crowded at times, but the service and food make up for it. Plan on a bit of a wait for a table, but once you are seated you forget about the 45 minutes you may have spent standing.
Pizzas are great. Gnocchi is my favorite. Great date place.
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I've always been a huge fan. It's just a great place to enjoy some really good Italian food and wine with friends. It's totally unpretentious, nothing to the place other than what you see. Prices are very reasonable, the bar is a comfortable place to hang out if there is a wait and the service has always been great.
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I too have been dieing to dine at Machiavelli for a very long time and finally got the chance to. Machiavelli offers you a grandioso(great)meal in a very cozy/semi-romantic joint. I would suggest like everyone else that you get your name on the list and either chill at their bar or walk on over to the Chapel bar. Our wait was only 45 minutes which was cool with because it meant a quick drink at the Chapel..cheers!!
The Spinach Ravioli was to die for as I could tell by the "mmmhh" "aahhhh" noises my lovely companion was making as she ate her meal. The Eggplant Parmesan I ordered was "extremely" cheesy but still pretty damn good. Oh and you got to top it all off with some Tiramisu because it's to die for!!!! Can't wait for another reason to visit Machiavelli sometime very soon...salute!!!!
Troppi cuochi guastano la cucina.
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