Megan915's Profile
new Italian Rest on cambridge st next to midwest
My roommate and I went last night and had a great meal and a great time for $99.75 (plus tip). We ordered a $44 bottle of wine, and unfortunately, I can't remember the name of it, but we both enjoyed it, and it came highly recommended by our waitress. We placed our order and bread was brought to our table, along with a small dipping bowl of oil with balsamic in it. We started off with the grilled vegetables ($11). This included eggplant, zucchini, tomato, roasted red pepper, and fennel. They were wonderful. The grill/char flavor was noticeable but not overbearing. For our entrees, we each ordered a half order of different pastas and split them. So we had gnocchi with pesto ($14) and a tortelloni dish with some sort of brown cream sauce (can't remember what it was called), balsamic, and walnuts. This dish was amazing. It was both salty and sweet, and the walnuts added a slight crunch. The gnocchi was also very good, and they use a very creamy pesto. I've never had pesto like that, but I definitely enjoyed both the taste and texture. Now, the half orders did not look like amazing portions, but we felt we had eaten plenty once we were done. (I also think the couple at the table next to us had full orders, and it didn't look like they had much more food, so I think the half orders are a better value.) We couldn't leave without dessert, and so we split the carmelized banana with chocolate mousse and a cardamom-flavored sauce ($12). This was also delicious and well worth it. (There was a pear with gorgonzola gelato on the menu; I hope to be brave enough to try it next time!)
Benatti is a small restaurant, but that makes the atmosphere very nice. It never seemed to get too loud in there, even when all of the tables were filled. They play soft music. The service was excellent even though I only saw one waitress, one busgirl, and one chef the whole night. I definitely recommend going even if it's just for a special ocassion when you feel like splurging a little (I took my roommate out for her birthday).
