cafe verona

nice dining close to home. this was our second visit and we did arrive an hour before close on a tues night so maybe that had something to do with it but the four cheese pasta stuffed shells with chicken was really good last time but chewy and dry chicken this time. my ribeye was a little tough and mostly gristle. we were hoping the bread was served warm. the waiter was friendly but so friendly his other table distracted him with such great conversation he forgot about us and i had to interrupt their social hour to ask for our ticket. $54 dollars later and feeling like maybe we shouldve went to olive garden instead tonight. i will say themenuis unique and they take alot of care in homemade dressings and sauces. the crab rice balls we got as an appetizer wouldve been really good with a spicy cajun style sauce just as a recommendation. i would definitley recommend for a nice quiet dinner place that's close to home if you live in independence cause we don't have many unique non-franchise places to choose from.

the atmosphere is lovely and the service was decent, however there was something off about each dish we ordered. themenuembellishes descriptions a bit (buffalo mozzarella appetizer arrived with plain old mozzarella, forest mushrooms turn out to be white buttons) so when dishes arrive they are not quite what was expected. quality of steaks is very low-think sizzler. this restaurant could be so awesome, the decor is truly lovely, but the food is just not very good. low quality ingredients=low quality dishes.

passing through town and pleasantly surprised. much more interesting and classicmenuthan your pasta heavy style italian. many ingediants were probably not fresh, but the kitchen does a fantastic job with what they have. very well done decor.

reminded me of rome. we only ate here once but the neighborhood feel, courtyard, sound of rushing water from the fountain, and the food evoked an authentic feel. my husband had eggplant parm which he liked, but i didn't. the were thick breadwd slices however his fettucini with marinate sauce was perfect. i had the fra diavolo with seafood which was wonderful. it wasn't a whole lot of food but still enough that i took some home to eat the next day. i appreciated the fact that the sauce in both dishes clung to the pasta, not the plate, and that the cheese was freshly ground from a big block at our table. we had a bindi tartufo imported from italy for dessert. themenulists it as simply gelato, but that is misleading for anyone who has ever had the tartufo. all in all a terrace find for those who appreciate authentic italian food.

after a rough patch of stagnation, this little hideaway has finally come out shining. themenuis getting updates and they even offer somewhat overpriced wine tastings! it's so nice having this type of place so close to home in eastern jackson county.