Nove Italiano

Elite '08

30

95

Matthew M.

Dallas, TX

Wait a second.  I didn't realize Pavarotti did restaurant design!  From the monstrous chandeliers to the well endowed hostesses wearing corsets this place is as flashy as any place in Vegas.  The decor here is pretty out of control.  They have two huge panel screen TVs displaying Italian art that switches every 2 minutes.  The wine cellar is a huge 20 foot tall wall that has these special lights to make it look like a fire.  The decor and the ambiance really helped this place because the food and service were not that good,  not bad either.

I was with a party of 6 ,suppose to be 7 people.  They gladly accommodated us when I told them we only had 6.  We were seated in what I thought was an awkward corner table.  I sort of felt cut off from some people in the group.  It took about 5-10 minutes for the waiter to eventually approach us just to ask what kind of water we wanted and another 5 minutes to order aps and wine and another 10 minutes for him to finally tell us the specials and take our order.  Pretty unacceptable at this point, but after that he was very attentive.  We ordered 2 nice bottles of wine, both Italian and delicious.  We split three aps for the table, calamari, crab cakes, and the bruschetta of the day.  The calamari was the bomb!  Not fried to heavy, big thick pieces, and they had these yummy pickled peppers in them that sent me over the top.  Really great combo of flavors.  The crab cakes were standard, but delicious if your down with the crab cakes.  The bruschetta of the day was artichoke and garlic. YUM!  Next, some of us had a salad course.  I got the Caprese.  I know, I know tomatoes aren't in season, but I am a sucker for aged balsamic and fresh mozz.  The tomatoes weren't half bad either.  The others got the Cesar salad.  Huge fresh pieces of romaine generously coated with a great dressing topped with fresh shaved Parmesan origiono and fresh anchovies.  I am not a fan of anchovies put these were really good!  Next, our entrees, which were def not as good as the previous courses.  I had one of the specials.  A whole grilled Branzini.  It was ok, a little to salty and fishy for my taste.   I tried a piece of the Kobe shoulder cut some one had and it was ok.  The best entree was prob the spaghetti and meatballs.  Simple and delicious.   Lastly the desserts.  We had three.  The Nutella*3, the crostata, and gelatos.  The only dessert that was worth mentioning is gelatos.  They were fresh and great.  The others I could have done with out.

If you are into being at a scene or being seen this is the place to be.  If you want Italian food I would not come here.  If you want a steak house with some Italian names for their food come here, but not for the Italian cuisine.

THIS IS MY 50TH REVIEW!!! YAY!!!

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22

70

Rickster C.

Dallas, TX

Before I commit to an evening in Victory Park, it's all-so-important that I be in the right mood.  With the explosion of glitz, glam, and Bright Lights, Big City at the doorstep of the American Airlines Center, a quiet night nuzzled in the corner of a quaint eatery is a sure bet oxymoron.

So, my visits are few and, as they say, far between, and reserved for those nights when my system is in overdrive.

Most of the VP haunts, for me, are heavy on show, and low on substance.    In other words, big on the wow factor.  But, low on the chow factor.

Thus, it's even a surprise to me, that one of my new favorite restaurants is Nove Italiano.

Nove certainly delivers on the wow factor.  Being in the hub of the VP development, patrons can enjoy the big screen light show that moves across the VP courtyard as they enter the restaurant (and, I do believe, they have outdoor seating for those that can't get enough of the energy of VP).   The greeters and hostesses of Nove are stunning; all dressed in bustiers (I'm not being sexest ... I'm just being a boy).

The interior of Nove is a show within itself.  Panels that display art which constantly changes; a wall that electronically depicts fire and flames; changing colors; and a hip bar.

As for the service? On my recent visit it was near perfect.  For starters, it was our fourth visit in around six months, and everyone from the hostess, to the seater, to our waiter, and the sommelier made a special point of welcoming us back ... and even remembering what we had ordered on our previous visit.  While I'd like to think that I'm dashingly memorable, common sense tells me that I'm not.  I was stunned. (I must admit I am a service whore ... I expect that when I shell out above average bucks, I want to feel a little special.)

Let's get down to the food.  

As for the big ticket assessment, I'm more than pleased.  

To start, most of the wines are Italian.  While I like to think of myself as Mr. Renaissance guy, the wines in Tuscany are not my specialty. So, I pointed out to the sommelier what I was looking for in terms of taste, body, etc.  and he hit it spot on.

On our last visit, we started with a little grilled octopus.  Now, for some,  this would be a major turn off.  But, I thought it was prepared perfectly.  Slightly crispy, but retaining it's chewy texture served slightly spicy in a bed of interesting greens.

I followed with a Caesars topped with an all-time fav...anchovies.  Again, near perfect.

My main course was grilled swordfish with gnocchi.  On this visit, the main course, while good, fell just a tad flat.  Both the swordfish and gnocchi was a little too dry for my liking.  Another condiment or slight sauce could have emboldened not only the taste, but the texture of the meal.

But, all-in-all, I still love it.  

As General Douglas McArthur once proclaimed, "I shall return."

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4

30

Hazel G.

Euless, TX

Nove Italiano sits in the bustling and growing Victory Park area.  It's nestled behind N9ne Steakhouse, but coming inside you are greeted to its very chic interior complete with dark stained floors, chandeliers, rotating "virtual" pictures of art that change in the dining room as well as a fairly large bar area off to the side of the restaurant.  I came here with a group of girls before heading out for a night at ghostbar not sure what to expect.  From my cousin's recommendation, I started off with the Berry Mojo cocktail....it was so good and I highly recommend it.  The portions are large so if you have a hefty appetite, order your own entree but sharing with other one person makes it more manageable.

I shared the whole meal with my cousin and we started off with the lobster salad with cucumber noodles.  Yes....cucumber noodles!!!  From what the waiter told us, the cucumbers are thinly sliced and vacuum packed and run through the pasta machine.  It actually was very good and very light alongside with the lobster made a great appetizer perfect for the warm TX nights.  We then chose the house specialty for our entree...the Seafood Spaghetti.  The seafood spaghetti comes with a large assortment of seafood (lobster, scallops, shrimp, calamari) as well as noodles made with squid ink.  Sounds weird but if you like seafood, this is a good bet.  

We couldn't leave without trying the dessert so we settled on the chocolate tiramisu.  To tell you the truth, I was not too impressed with the tiramisu.  It came in a glass and was layered with lady fingers, espresso and chocolate cream.  It was good, but I guess I expected more creativity or presentation with the dish.  The other girls in are group ordered something that was described as "Cones"  not knowing what to expect, 2 waffle cones came out with small scoops of gelato.  I thought that was creative and the girls really enjoyed their dessert.  

All in all, the food was good, dessert mediocre, but the atmosphere is truly chic and modern.

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