- My Forums
- Tiger Rant
- LSU Recruiting
- SEC Rant
- Saints Talk
- Pelicans Talk
- More Sports Board
- Fantasy Sports
- Golf Board
- Soccer Board
- O-T Lounge
- Tech Board
- Home/Garden Board
- Outdoor Board
- Health/Fitness Board
- Movie/TV Board
- Book Board
- Music Board
- Political Talk
- Money Talk
- Fark Board
- Gaming Board
- Travel Board
- Food/Drink Board
- Ticket Exchange
- TD Help Board
Customize My Forums- View All Forums
- Show Left Links
- Topic Sort Options
- Trending Topics
- Recent Topics
- Active Topics
Started By
Message
Cafe Giovanni / Review + Pics
Posted on 9/3/13 at 10:35 am
Posted on 9/3/13 at 10:35 am
Friday night .. dinner for 2 @ 730p
The original intention was to take advantage of their Coolinary menu, but upon inspection we decided it was a better option to just order off the regular menu .. considering the price was the same and you had more options.
ATMOSPHERE
Large dining room, almost cavernous. typical "old school Italian restaurant" style and decor. Didn't really think much about it either way. There were 3 opera singers who sang every few minutes. They were on the threshold of being overbearing, but ultimately didn't get on my nerves.
SERVICE
A little overattentive .. as if they wanted to turn the table over quickly, which was strange because the restaurant was only half full. She was a nice kid though and did her job adequately and with a smile.
FOOD
App (split)
Spicy Caprese Seafood Plate - Louisiana Crab, Shrimp, & Crawfish in a Spicy Creamy Sauce Over a Sliced Tomato & Mozzarella $12.95
This was an odd little dish. Crab meat was lump and very fresh, the crawfish tails (while I'm sure previously frozen) were a nice size and had a good flavor, but the shrimp were very small count and lacked any flavor really. The tomato/mozz/olive oil & vinegar aspect was a weird pairing with the rich cream sauce the seafood was tossed in, and it worked to a degree. Still there was just something a tad off about this app.
Entree (hers)
Pesce Venetian - Fire Roasted Fresh Fish of the Day with Louisiana Crabmeat, Artichokes, Mushrooms & a Sage Brown Butter Sauce, Served with Citrus Risotto $28.95
Fish OTD was sheepshead. Fish was seasoned and cooked very nicely, but for a $30 price tag, this dish wasn't anywhere close to being worth the billing. Again, the crabmeat was delicious, but the canned artichokes and boring mushrooms + the overpowering amount of butter they used really brought this thing down. Citrus risotto was decent enough .. a good idea .. but ultimately a boring addition to a mediocre at best plate of food.
Entree (his)
Giovanni’s Cannelloni - Stuffed with Beef, Pork, Veal, Cheese, Eggplant & Pine Nuts $14.95
This was the best dish of the night, which isn't saying too much. Too much cheese given the lack of meat & eggplant underneath .. just a bad ratio. Flavors decent enough, but not rich like you'd expect. I really liked the addition of the pine nuts inside the cannelloni which gave a good textural contrast. In the end though Vincent's cannelloni is much better.
OVERALL
Glad I checked this off of my list of Nola restaurants to patronize, but that's about the only thing accomplished. Won't be back and won't recommend to any friends.
It falls somewhere between Macaroni Grill and Vincent's. Not a terrible place .. but not worth the money or effort.
The original intention was to take advantage of their Coolinary menu, but upon inspection we decided it was a better option to just order off the regular menu .. considering the price was the same and you had more options.
ATMOSPHERE
Large dining room, almost cavernous. typical "old school Italian restaurant" style and decor. Didn't really think much about it either way. There were 3 opera singers who sang every few minutes. They were on the threshold of being overbearing, but ultimately didn't get on my nerves.
SERVICE
A little overattentive .. as if they wanted to turn the table over quickly, which was strange because the restaurant was only half full. She was a nice kid though and did her job adequately and with a smile.
FOOD
App (split)
Spicy Caprese Seafood Plate - Louisiana Crab, Shrimp, & Crawfish in a Spicy Creamy Sauce Over a Sliced Tomato & Mozzarella $12.95
This was an odd little dish. Crab meat was lump and very fresh, the crawfish tails (while I'm sure previously frozen) were a nice size and had a good flavor, but the shrimp were very small count and lacked any flavor really. The tomato/mozz/olive oil & vinegar aspect was a weird pairing with the rich cream sauce the seafood was tossed in, and it worked to a degree. Still there was just something a tad off about this app.
Entree (hers)
Pesce Venetian - Fire Roasted Fresh Fish of the Day with Louisiana Crabmeat, Artichokes, Mushrooms & a Sage Brown Butter Sauce, Served with Citrus Risotto $28.95
Fish OTD was sheepshead. Fish was seasoned and cooked very nicely, but for a $30 price tag, this dish wasn't anywhere close to being worth the billing. Again, the crabmeat was delicious, but the canned artichokes and boring mushrooms + the overpowering amount of butter they used really brought this thing down. Citrus risotto was decent enough .. a good idea .. but ultimately a boring addition to a mediocre at best plate of food.
Entree (his)
Giovanni’s Cannelloni - Stuffed with Beef, Pork, Veal, Cheese, Eggplant & Pine Nuts $14.95
This was the best dish of the night, which isn't saying too much. Too much cheese given the lack of meat & eggplant underneath .. just a bad ratio. Flavors decent enough, but not rich like you'd expect. I really liked the addition of the pine nuts inside the cannelloni which gave a good textural contrast. In the end though Vincent's cannelloni is much better.
OVERALL
Glad I checked this off of my list of Nola restaurants to patronize, but that's about the only thing accomplished. Won't be back and won't recommend to any friends.
It falls somewhere between Macaroni Grill and Vincent's. Not a terrible place .. but not worth the money or effort.
9
Posted on 9/3/13 at 10:38 am to Rohan2Reed
That was a pricey little sheepshead filet.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 10:43 am to Rohan2Reed
I don't find any of those dishes to look overly appealing. Looks pretty flavorful though.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 10:47 am to Rohan2Reed
Sadly, that is about what I expected.
At least, now you know.
That canelloni is absolutely smothered in cheese. Guess that helps mask the flavor of the stuffing!
At least, now you know.
That canelloni is absolutely smothered in cheese. Guess that helps mask the flavor of the stuffing!
Posted on 9/3/13 at 10:52 am to Rohan2Reed
$30 for sheepshead ?
Posted on 9/3/13 at 11:27 am to Rohan2Reed
I wasn't impressed by this place. Good I guess, but not worth the money considering similar price options.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 11:30 am to TigerWise
quote:
Sadly, that is about what I expected.
At least, now you know.
That canelloni is absolutely smothered in cheese. Guess that helps mask the flavor of the stuffing!
Yeah I thought cannelloni would be something they could put out that would at least be rich and decadent and full of flavor, but they couldn't even accomplish that.
quote:
$30 for sheepshead ?
Yeah Wise that's a joke huh? My gf is unfortunately still of the mindset that ordering a piece of fish at a restaurant is a good idea. I'm slowly trying to break her of this habit and I think she's coming around. Honestly the menu didn't feature a whole lot of standout dishes and it sounded good at least in the description. But I mean look at the butter collected at the bottom of that dish. It was very overt.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 12:05 pm to Rohan2Reed
quote:
Fish OTD was sheepshead.
trash fish
Posted on 9/3/13 at 12:10 pm to Rohan2Reed
quote:I don't understand your mindset.
My gf is unfortunately still of the mindset that ordering a piece of fish at a restaurant is a good idea.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 12:15 pm to Winkface
There are just very few places where I've actually had a great dish that consisted of a pan-seared piece of fish w/ a sauce and some kind of accoutrement. Almost always it doesn't live up to expectations (Rue 127) and often times it's blatant highway robbery (black drum for $26? gtfo).
Posted on 9/3/13 at 12:47 pm to Rohan2Reed
quote:
There are just very few places where I've actually had a great dish that consisted of a pan-seared piece of fish w/ a sauce and some kind of accoutrement. Almost always it doesn't live up to expectations (Rue 127) and often times it's blatant highway robbery (black drum for $26? gtfo).
I had a piece of halibut in Charlie Palmer's restaurant in Healdsburg that was one of the best entrees I have ever eaten. It was a very simple pan saute with a very light sauce that didn't overpower the fish.
Regarding Giovanni's, I have seen so many rave reviews about this place that I thought I might be the only person who didn't like it. I had an extremely mediocre meal there last summer and would never go back.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 12:53 pm to Rohan2Reed
That looks dated and very bleh to me. Nothing screams fresh and the amount of cheese is pretty gross.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 12:58 pm to ruzil
quote:
I had a piece of halibut in Charlie Palmer's restaurant in Healdsburg that was one of the best entrees I have ever eaten. It was a very simple pan saute with a very light sauce that didn't overpower the fish.
I'm not a huge fan of fish in the first place and it has to be really something special for me to fall in love with the dish. And yes as you say, give me an impeccable piece of fresh, quality fish .. season well .. cook correctly .. and make a great sauce that ties the whole thing together, that's something I'd pay for. Unfortunately that's not how most restaurants approach their fish entrees.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 1:44 pm to Rohan2Reed
Sounds about like my experience, except I loved the seafood caprese. Everything else was just o.k.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 2:11 pm to nikinik
yeah it's a shame that we lose places like A Mano but this kind of restaurant endures.
also forgot to mention the wines by the glass weren't good at all. had 4 different ones and disliked them all. also, the waitress didn't know what I meant when I ordered a rye old fashioned.
also forgot to mention the wines by the glass weren't good at all. had 4 different ones and disliked them all. also, the waitress didn't know what I meant when I ordered a rye old fashioned.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 2:15 pm to Rohan2Reed
quote:
also forgot to mention the wines by the glass weren't good at all. had 4 different ones and disliked them all.
So they gave you a pull off of 4 wines. Did you not like them or was it obvious that they were stored improperly?
It is the rare place that I trust to order by the glass wines, but only after I taste them first.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 2:21 pm to ruzil
quote:
So they gave you a pull off of 4 wines. Did you not like them or was it obvious that they were stored improperly?
I just didn't care for them. Plus they were all served @ room temp and certainly they weren't opening a bottle each time we ordered a glass.
quote:
It is the rare place that I trust to order by the glass wines, but only after I taste them first.
I wasn't in a wine mood really that night .. just kind of going through the motions. A mistake on my part. Should have just ordered another cocktail because my OF was pretty decent.
Posted on 9/3/13 at 2:38 pm to yellowfin
quote:
trash fish
They're certainly not $30/plate fish, but they have their place. They fry up pretty well. I always had a good time fishing for them on the jetties between Perdido key and Orange Beach.
Posted on 9/4/13 at 11:20 am to BottomlandBrew
yeah I don't think sheepshead is on par with gar or anything, but it's not worth $30 bucks.
you should see the Yelp reviews of this place. people either give it 5 stars and say it was one of their favorite meals in Nola, or they give it 1 star and talk about how shitty everything was. I tend to lean towards the latter.
you should see the Yelp reviews of this place. people either give it 5 stars and say it was one of their favorite meals in Nola, or they give it 1 star and talk about how shitty everything was. I tend to lean towards the latter.
Posted on 9/4/13 at 11:31 am to Rohan2Reed
What's your main beef with the place? The price? Did you look at the menu and prices before you decided to go? Your review doesn't imply that everything was "shitty" or that it deserves 1 star on Yelp so Im guessing the price turned you off.
It was your first time there and you got a cannelloni. Perhaps there is more to the place.
It was your first time there and you got a cannelloni. Perhaps there is more to the place.
Page 1 of 2
Back to top
Follow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News