Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Positano Osteria (Birkdale)

A few weeks ago an acquaintance of mine suggested that I hit the lunch buffet at Positano in Birkdale. Though Positano has a reputation for being a little on the pricey side, I was assured that the buffet was a relative bargain, and I should give it a try.

So, yesterday a friend and I hit Positano to see what the buzz was about.

We walked in, and were asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside. Since it was sweltering, we opted for the inside option. We passed the buffet and were seated. The host asked for our drink orders, and wanted to know if we wanted menus. We declined, and said we were here for the buffet.

The interior of Positano is nice, and I found it to be relaxing. It's done in a restaurant faux-Tuscan style. Tile floor, dark woods, light colored walls, etc. It looks like a nice Italian restaurant should. Then I turned my attention towards more important things -- like the buffet!

So, we headed over and I noticed that the buffet is sorta a small about (two long tables). But here's what it offered.... Soup, Salad (spinach) with two types of dressing, two types of pizza, one pasta entree, one chicken entree, sliced oranges, and cheesecake. OK, now that I wrote it, it sounds like more than it looked like. (But, it's small when compared to the Indian restaurant in Cornelius, there were probably a couple dozen things to choose from.)

I grabbed some spinach and put the dressing on (the other option was oil and vinegar). As it turns out, the dressing was pinkish (I later learned that it was a Chianti vinaigrette), and I grabbed a slice of ham and sausage pizza (the other option was cheese pizza). I returned to the table.

The salad dressing was really amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was tangy from the vinegar, but the Chianti put a nice finish on it. It worked very well with the strong flavors of the spinach. Honestly, if I ever find this in a store, I'm buying it.

Next came the pizza. The ingredients were good, as was the sauce. I enjoyed the sausage and ham pizza slices. My only complaint is that the pizza was very soggy towards the middle. So much so that I had to use a fork an knife. Aside from the middle of the pizza, the crust was good, and I actually ate all the pizza crust (which is unusual for me).

After I cleared my small plate, I headed back to try the pasta. OK, I grabbed a second slice of pizza, THEN I grabbed some pasta. The pasta was sorta a standard penne entree with a tomato and basil marinara sauce. It was good. It didn't knock my socks off, but I didn't hate it either. Again I cleared my plate.

Now I was ready for dessert. I passed the orange slices, and helped myself to a piece of cheesecake. The pieces were small, but I didn't help myself to two slices (though I wanted to!). I took a bite, and I was surprised. It wasn't good. It wasn't great. It was pretty bad. I don't know how this happened, but this cheesecake was chalky. It had a dry granular texture to it. And it wasn't just my taste-buds... my friend thought the same thing!

To give you an idea of how bad it was -- I didn't finish it. It takes a LOT for me to leave a slice of cheesecake behind. Sadly, this was one of those slices.

The service was very good, and they were very attentive -- especially considering that it was a buffet situation.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15

Price: $$ (With soda and tip, the meal came to about $14)
Kid Friendly: Yes, they offer kids menus and high chairs.

Conclusion: The food was only OK. For the price, I felt that I was either over-charged, or the food should have been a little better. I'll head back to try dinner there one of these days, to see if the buffet was representative of their standard meals.

Restaurant Info:
Positano Osteria
8625-A Lindholm Drive
Huntersville, NC 28078
p) 704-896-2979
http://www.positano-osteria.net/

3 comments:

  1. haven't been impressed last couple of times i've been there with colleague's or my wife.

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  2. I highly disagree, and you need to give them another try during dinner! Positano has wonderful pasta dishes, great pizza, and awesome service. For something simple but delicious, try the gnocchi entree topped with fresh mozzarella. Mmmm...my mouth is watering just thinking of eating there!

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  3. had dinner there for the first time tonight - short ribs with gnocchi were fantastic and so was the breaded pork chop - service was great from the glass of champagne from the owner/manager? and the attentive waiter who was funny, charming, but not intrusive - prices were great for a Birkdale restaurant, had an appetizer, two entrees, dessert and a bottle of wine and made out for less than $100

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