i.e. Italian Eatery

The last thing that I ate was pasta and halibut at Italian Eatery in the Nokomis neighborhood. Fairly certain the space is the former Carbone's Pizzeria- they've been open roughly 2 years. The restaurant is gorgeous- modern with an open kitchen. It just felt comfortable. The service was very good- attentive but not stifling. They are keeping the dish washer busy- I must have been brought 4 or 5 forks and spoons. Our drink order of a Peroni and the "Arbusto," cocktail was a nice start. The bourbon and citrus was expertly muddled and refreshing. Bribed with seasoned chickpeas, we were led to beginning our meal with the Chop Salad, the highlight of the evening. Nice acidity in the basil vinaigrette mixed with the pepperoncini and ricotta was well balanced. Again the awesome, crispy seasoned chickpeas, which offered a nicely spiced crunch to top the salad off. We had an order of the Halibut- the fish was cooked perfectly- crusted on the outside, soft, flaky and buttery on the inside. It was, unfortunately served in soup broth with peas and carrots- a very strange presentation. It did nothing to enhance the fish and in fact brought what could have been spectacular dish, down a notch. Even if this had been ordered with sides, it likely wouldn't have paired well with the baby potatoes or asparagus. Eat the fish, pass on the soup (brodo as described in the menu). I had the tagliatelle with clam. The pasta was fresh and cooked well, but otherwise it was a disappointment. If it hadn't been for the table salt, there would have been no flavor at all. Couldn't taste the clam or lemon. Even the parmesan and pepper couldn't save this one. Among our favorite dessert options, I thought the tiramisu could save our experience. Alas, it was as disappointing as the rest. The marscapone was not it's usually rich and thick self- more soupy. Perhaps the greatest sin were the lady fingers, which were not cakey, soft and enveloped in liquored expresso, but a crunchy flavorless cracker. We'll give anyone a second chance, but from this first impression, it will take a while to coax us back to try Italian Eatery. For the money- from this experience, I'd recommend saving your money for Broder's Pasta bar.