gabriella's

a perfect evening. i don't give out 5 stars very generously but this place really earned it.

went in on a weds night around 6:30 and waited at the bar for mydinnercompanion. had a lemon martini, no rim, which was perfectly made, albeit a little slow to arrive. (one lone employee would explain that)

companion came and we perused the wine list while the bartender/waitress set the table up for us.

we started with a lovely bottle of italian red, which excuse me i cannot remember as i['m no pro at italian reds, besides chianti, ick. anyway, the wine was a great choice thanks to our lovely servers suggestion.

we started with meats and cheese, sopresseta, prosciutto and a white cheddar served with pickled walnuts (amazing!!) and fresh honeycomb. delicious and plenty for two to share.

fordinnerwe both opted for the duck breast served with a house polenta. this polenta i would kill for!! it was heaven on a plate, in fact the entiredinnerwas delicious. the duck was perfectly done, mine medium his medium rare, a lovely sauce served with it, just spectacular.

we opted for a second bottle of wine (hate when that happens!) which was actually even better then the first one, again thank you lovely server for your terrific recommendations.

a great night, great dinner, great companion, great atmosphere!
bravo!!


-----18 jun, 2010-----

nicely done. i really like this place the service is top notch, the wine list is a nice selection and the food is always fresh and seasonal. if you stay at the hotel the diiner room service comes from here so it's an extra treat!

corrective course. we were initially sat right by the entrance and asked to move to a less trafficked area of the restaurant. our server appeared put out when we asked for a moment to go over the wine list and then developed a lag in response time with each of our interactions. mydinnerguest and i enjoyed each other’s company despite the service, and the overcooked gnocchi with the bland tasting spare ribs and ragu... the reason for our visit was the semifreddo that when presented was chalky and frozen beyond acceptability... the crème brulee was representative of the sophomoric attempt by the table in the back of the sur la table cooking class that apparently drank too much wine. the aura of pretense was laughable and the reason for the quiet rating was the absence of repeat customers.

first and last visit.... i was in pursuit of one of my favorite italian desserts (semifreddo) and after reading the many great comments on several restaurant reviews forums about this venue, we decided to havedinnerat pelagia last week. unfortunately, an underwhelming experience from the lack of luster in service delivery and timeliness to the almost hit and mostly miss in the quality of food overall. we shared the beef carpaccio for an appetizer and were happy with that - the caponata and fennel were a graceful compliment to the tender meat. the gnocchi with wild boar ragu and homemade ricotta sounded like a delicious choice but the execution was far from what this dish should be: the gnocchi were way too soft (probably overcooked) and the ragu had no flavor. we ended up enjoying just one of the entrees: risotto and scallops which was one of the specials for the day. the dessert that i was so much looking forward to, the semifreddo, was disappointing: served as a duo of blueberry pomegranate and chocolate mint with a drunken berry salad. if there was one time to say no to dessert this should have been it, this was supposed to be a delicate piece of heaven yet i'd like to think that heaven doesn't taste like chalk. we also tried the limoncello creme brulee, helas the creme lacked the softness, lightness and creaminess that this dessert should feature. the wine list at the restaurant is much abbreviated as compared to the website, wine by the glass offerings are limited to just a few choices.

dinner was good. pelagia is located in the renaissance hotel at international plaza. the restaurant has a spacious feeling with its high ceiling and modern bright colors. we stopped in for dinner. the service was perfect. it was not very busy.

the meal began with an uninspired basket of bread and breadsticks, a basket make much better with its companion of a generous amount of olive spread. next up for me was a caesar salad. the leaves were torn too small and it could have used more garlic, but a good dressing with a distinctive lemon kick made it a very good salad. my entrée was the crispy pan-seared chicken breast. the goat cheese mashed potatoes stole the show on my plate. that is a side worth trying to duplicate. the chicken was crispy and moist. mydinnercompanions both got a red snapper daily special which they liked but did not love. all in all thedinnerwas good but a little expensive.