(360) 805-5453
Monroe
14919 North Kelsey St
Monroe, WA 98272
www.tuscanositalian.com
Living in Monroe - good restaurants are in short supply - so anytime a new place opens, we are not only thrilled but we PRAY that its atleast decent.
This time around, my prayers were not answered. In general, it is my rule to not go to Italian restaurants that either I don't know the name or that I havent heard atlest one family members advice from. On the other hand, I feel the need to direct people to GOOD and Authentic Italian food and would hate for anyone to waste their time and money on something that isnt worth either.
If you follow my blog - you know that I rarely (if ever) write bad reviews, but that I do tell the truth. This review is to inform and to also hopefully educate the restaurants owners and possibly have them make changes toward bettering their establishment.
The decor, menu variety, the staff, all of the topical elements of the restaurant were top notch. I was impressed and hoping it followed through. Even the bread and dipping sauce we were served when seated was above average. Good start!
It went down hill horribly from there.
Our daughter ordered a small pepperoni pizza. Over done, a layer of grease and way overly seasoned crust. We ordered a Margherita pizza and the Tuscanos trio, which was a small selection of Lasagna, sausage filled Canneloni and "jumbo" ravioli.
When the Margherita pizza came, I thought they had the wrong table. I even said "You must have the wrong table." What we got was not a Margherita in ANY country. It was a plan cooked pizza dough, with melted mozz cheese and cold tomatoes sliced on top. No basil. No sauce. No fresh Mozz melted in chunks. It was the most pitiful attempt at a pizza I have seen.
The Tuscano's trio was three times bad. The worse part was, ALL THREE had amazing potential. As an Italian AND a cook - I could break down the ingredients and could tell time was put into each dish and even the sauces. The biggest issue is when they were made and how long they were sitting under or in heat. Mushy pasta of any kind is hard to stomach unless you enjoy babyfood.
It seems as if large trays of Lasagna, Canaloni and Raviolis (I'm sorry they were NOT Jumbo, but rather normal size. Check out Costco's jumbo ravioli if you want to see jumbo) - it seems as if these are all made, cooked perfectly at the beginning of the day or the night before, then continuously warmed up during the day and or put under heat all day.
There are so many simple things that can be done to make pastas and meals such as these "aldente" and it dosent take much research to figure out what a Margherita pizza consists of.
Rating: * - 1 star, not real Italian food
Thanks for commenting on my blog post. Came to check out your blog and saw your review of Tuscanos. I've only been there once. I wasn't that impressed either. I miss Nana Carmela's. They had probably the best Italian food I've ever had.
ReplyDelete