1. Name of restaurant:Montecatini
2. Location:Walnut Creek
3. Type of Food:Italian
4. Price Range for a meal: $13-$23
5. Rating based on 4 stars max. for
a. food-- ***
b. service-- **+1/2
c. ambience--1/2*
6. Comments:
Our party of five was shown to our reserved seats. The inside of the restaurant was a big disappointment. There was a huge wooden wine rack or hutch against half the back wall, with 2 Italian type banners hanging down on either side. There was a mirror against one wall, and all the other walls and ceiling were a bright white. An air conditioning or heating pipe about a foot in diameter and painted white went across the back of the room in front of the wine hutch. All tables had chairs with pink cushions and pink napkins were on the tables. There were a couple of Montecatini Terme posters- apparently Mondecatini is a hot springs/spa kind of place in Italy. A few faux-Picasso paintings were also on the walls. Too much white, too much pink, not enough spent on an interior decorator.
The waiter was a nice young fellow who mispronounced the menu items, which were printed in Italian. But he aimed to please and he wasn't arrogant or haughty. The said the gnocchi were "to die for."
For first courses we had minestrone ($3.50), which I didn't have but was told was good but not hot enough. The escargot (in an Italian restaurant?!)($5.50) was said to be very good. The Caesar salad($4.50)was good but could have used a bit more anchovies. I had calamai vinagrette, and it was good but enough for the entire table. I got filled up eating it. ($5.95)
The bread, always a important element IMHO, was pretty good. It was french bread and a seeded baguette from Magiore bakery in Richmond. Butter and olive oil were both available to put on the bread.
Entrees: I had veal pargigiano, which was served with a tomato cream sauce and was quite good. It was served with penne pasta with the same sauce and bright green (not overcooked) broccoli and carrots. The portions were generous.
Others had brick chicken, which was quite good; fettucine alfredo with pancetta, which was reportedly good; pasta with calimari- good but a little peppery; and pepper steak, which was eaten in full by a most picky eater. All the servings were large.
By the time we left, the place was full. Walking back to our car, we noticed that the other restaurants in the area were mostly empty.
We passed on dessert. In summary, a good place and a good value considering the quality of food and the portion size. If they would just work a bit on the decor... |
