425 N. Frances Street
3 Adjectives: Luxurious, antique, romantic
Price:
entree (11-27)Authenticity:
Atmosphere:
Overall:
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A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me for the most romantic restaurant downtown to take a girl on a date for about $20 a dish. I hesitated for longer than I would have liked, muttering names like "The Icon" "Le Chardonnay" and "Tutto Pasta." The simple question had surprisingly stumped me. Although the aformentioned locations are by all means wonderful date restaurants, I felt that each of them lacked a certain amout of romantic privacy and intimacy. I have now definitively pinned down THE PLACE, THE RESTAURANT to book your reservation: Porta Bella.
Stepping into Porta Bella, a restaurant tucked slightly off of State Street, is like stepping into a different era. The restaurant has an outer courtyard that starts setting the mood even before you enter the building. Although when I went the weather was still very much wintry, I have heard that the courtyard is gorgeous in the summer time. The inside of the building reminds you of a victorian house: you are immediately greeted with a gigantic fireplace with comfy sofas inside the door. The tables are mostly arranged in booths and all of the furniture and decorations add to the theme of victorian luxury. If you arrive with a group of friends, see if you can snag one of the "hot air balloon tables." These round tables are encircled by a circular sofa-like chair and the area is partially shrouded by velvet curtains, giving you the illusion of sitting in a hot air balloon.
If you are looking for exceptional food, however, Porta Bella is probably not the place for you. The food is good but clearly overpriced: you are paying for the atmosphere. The owners of the restaurant also own Paisans, the restaurant previously occupying where Lucky is now, a cheaper restaurant on the other side of the capital. For an appetizer, we ordered the spinach dip, which was baked and added a nice touch to the sauce. I ordered the seafood tetrazzini and the dish tasted delicious but was lacking in size for the $18 price tag. My boyfriend ordered the shrimp and scallops with tomato cream sauce - which turned out to be less delicious than the vodka cream sauce at Pizza di Roma. We both agreed that the food was not worth the bill but the decor more than made up for it.
I would recommend Porta Bella for whenever you are in need of going to possibly the most romantic place in town to impress that spouse, significant other, or crush.
3 comments:
How do you have the money to eat out all the time? I'm jealous.
Haha I totally would not be able to without the generous donations from the boyfriend, the parents, etc...
- Jahboh
I have always wanted to try that place, but I looked at the menu they have posted outside and saw the prices and kept on walking. Maybe someday after college...
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