02/09/09

I'm not Italian, but sometimes I wish I was

by Palateers

Al dente is the type of Italian restaurant where the jovial, large Italian waitresses treat you like their own children. Our conversation with Donna, a passing hostess, about the Osso Busco soon led into an open and honest assessment of her oldest son moving out and her desire to let loose and return to downtown Boston. The familiarity was as comforting as the pork tenderloins were savory.

In the pantheon of food choice, we decided to take one familiar and one less traveled culinary path. One can weigh the quality of an Italian restaurant by the weight of its eggplant parmigiana and one can be surprised and satisfied by the simple additions. In this case, it was what lies beneath. For under the softly layered comfort food was a hidden trove of gnocchi. Those round gummy creations, which are often a meal to themselves, lay nestled, dare I say cradled in a puddle of sweet red sauce.

Taking a most radical route, our second entree was a distinctly colorful and segregated dish of pork tenderloin, spinach and mashed potatoes. Each flavor, while proudly distinct in its own right, was a willing companion to its neighbor. While the rival factions vied for dominance of our palate, it was the merger of tastes which ultimately won the dish. The sweet prune sauce tenderloins were in distinct contrast to the bitter garlic spinach, and the buttery potatoes played mediator between the two.

While not the highlight, the wine flowed easily and did not distract from the more memorable aspects of the meal. We chose a moderately priced Sauvignon Blanc from the limited but sufficient wine menu. The overeager wine pouring from our motherly server was slightly intrusive.

Al dente is pleasant for both the out of town guest, large gatherings and the casual diner. The warm atmosphere will be a welcome retreat from any cold New England evening--always enjoy with friends and olive oil dipped bread.

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09/02/08

Not worth waiting

by JWLW

Made a reservation, which they apparently had no intention of honoring. Kept telling us we'd be seated in aother 5, 10 or 15 minutes, while we waited, and waited, and waited. Polite efforts to get a realistic estimate about setaing were rebuffed with surprising rudeness.

There are too many good Italian restaurants in the North End to waste time on this one.

• Cons: Reservations are apparently worthless

03/01/08

Amazing!!

by Missy647790

I love Al Dente. Seriously. I recommend this place to everyone, including the hot-shot execs at my office (a bank). It's one of the gems of the North End, I've been going there since I was a freshman in college (have since graduated). I've tried many other places but I just keep coming back. The service is always great, the food is top-notch and generously portioned (I love the home-made raviolis--the best you will find anywhere, and believe me I have looked! Also try the pumpkin ravs if they have them on special, or the risotto, but anything you get will be fabulous. Love the alfredo!) I also love the atmosphere here--it's a small place, well decorated and with proper lighting. The only bummer is that the menu never changes...good thing it's all great food!!!

Good for: evening out with friends, romantic dinner date

Not good for: large parties (although 18 of my friends went together one time and it was fine, but we didn't all get to sit together because the place is just too small to accommodate that kind of size), small children