Tuesday, January 13, 2009

I Bambini

A couple of weeks ago I had a serious craving for really good, homemade-tasting, italian food. And I'm not talking about the chains like Olive Garden or Carrabbas. They'll do in a pinch, but I was looking for a restaurant that looked and smelled like an Italian restaurant, and had delicious flavorful food. Unfortunately, I Bambini did not fill this need.

Upon entering, I was quickly seated to a booth along the wall. The inside had a generic restaurant feel -- it almost felt like a cafeteria. Though there were photos along the wall, all my eye could see were an endless sea of white walls. The booth was spacious, and our table had a white table cloth (perhaps accentuating the white in the room).

The menu was huge. I was almost overwhelmed with the choices. About 30 different types of sauces on the first page alone. After a long time of reading the menu, I settled on the veal parmesean -- one of my favorites.

The salad that arrived was decent, but not extraordinary. In fact, it seemed very ordinary. And the italian dressing, had another flavor that I wasn't expecting -- I think it was ginger. Needless to say, I didn't finish my salad.

The bread that was brought to the table was warm, but slightly over-cooked, which left the bread with a hard and crunchy under-side.

Finally, the veal arrived, and again I was underwhelmed. The veal was tough, and the tomato sauce lacked flavor. And it just wasn't my dinner that had problems, my wife ordered a Special chicken dish, which was also bland. The food felt as if it came from a cafeteria -- food that was mass produced to the point where it lacked any flavor or character. This was not the type of food that I was expecting from a locally owned restaurant. In fact, I wouldn't expect this from a chain either -- the food was just too poor quality for the chains to produce.

Score:
Atmosphere: 2/5
Food: 1/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 6/15

Conclusion:
I cannot recommend this restaurant. I can honestly get more flavorful food with a bottle of sauce and a box of noodles from the grocery store.

Restaurant Info:
I Bambini
2785 Charlotte Hwy.
Mooresville, NC 28117
704-799-9522‎

3 comments:

  1. For Italian food we like Caruso's off Brawley School Rd. (Mooresville). Veal dishes are superb. For salads I would recommend the Caprese. My husband and I frequent this restaurant and have never been dissappointed. I would also recommend the chef's specials.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can say that the Italian Hoagie is inexpensive and quite tastey! Other than that, I can't say much about the place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If anything, you did them a favor with your rating. U nailed it. Want some Italian food like it should be made? Try Portofino's of Eastway. Jury still out on their Mooresville location. I'll continue to take my chances at the Eastway location. Food never, ever disappoints. I know u r a veal parm kind of guy. Don't miss it here. Or the chicken or eggplant parm. I promise u will thank me.

    ReplyDelete