I love good Italian food and am usually very disappointed in most of it. Having eaten my way through Italy I now know better. Many years ago I found the love of my life...Nero's Italian. I went into mourning when they closed after 30 years. I discovered Porta di Roma after I moved downtown. The restaurant sits in a large corner retail space in the Wilson Building. The place is nice but a little to faux Italian in their decor. Walls have been sponge painted to resemble ancient Roman architecture and that kinda bothers me...a little tacky. But the lights are dimmed low with candles on the tables and the large windows open up to a nice view of Neiman Marcus. So there is a little romance there, even if a somewhat contrived. The service has always been great with the exception of last night. The usual waiter is super nice and a great waiter, however we did not have him last night. This woman served us and she was awful! We placed our orders and our food took 30 minutes. I wanted to leave after 20 minutes but Ron said shut up and wait. We ordered the Stromboli and when it arrived I asked why it took so long. She responded that these are made from scratch. Bull shit. We have ordered them many times before and they came within 10-15 minutes. I wanted to ask if they were made from scratch and shipped in from Italy but I thought best not to be a smart ass.
The Stromboli is really good, despite the wait. They are full of sausage, pepperoni, cheese, and mushrooms. I love mushrooms and I could tell these were from a can, not fresh but oh well. These are served with a side of marinara. Normally Porta di Roma has a really nice and thick marinara but this time it sucked. It has the consistency of a watered down tomato soup. Ron said his was slightly cold.
What I believe is their best dish is the Lasagna. Oh my goodness! Now their Lasagna is made from scratch as well but I have never had to wait a lifetime to get it. Anyway, their Lasagna is really the best I have ever had. It is not that heavy crap you get in other restaurants. The garlic bread is divine!! Although it comes with the meal last night must have been an exception because the waitress failed to bring it. We were afraid to ask about it since we figured that it would be next Tuesday before it was brought to the table.
Over all I was really pissed and disappointed in both the food and the service last night and that was reflected in our tip (which was less than 5%). I will go back but I will demand to be served by someone else. I think that last night was just not in the cards for us.
Food: 3.0
Service 3.5 (although last night would have been -3.5)
Atmosphere: 2.0
Health Score: 89 (Good)
Porti di Roma
1623 Main Street
Dallas, Tx 75201
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