The Italian Connection: A Restaurant Review

Zeb and I had heard really great things about this "exclusive" Italian restaurant, The Italian Connection. There was all this intriguing talk: "You have to have reservations or you can't get a seat." "You have to park behind the building," like it's a secret place or something. So, we decided to try it for our anniversary...our very special once-in-a-lifetime 5th anniversary.

We should have known better when we arrived and "park behind the building" was code for "they don't have a parking lot, so you park on the street." We were on a residential street and we parked in front of some one's home. When we pulled up, I immediately noticed that there was laundry hanging on the line at one of the houses. It was 30 degrees! Who does that?!

So, we walk up the very rough road to get to the restaurant and we walk in the front door. Wait...was it the front door? I don't know because we stepped right into the area where people were sitting. We were a little embarrassed, almost ready to turn around and walk out when the hostess comes up and says, "Do you have reservations?" We weren't in the back. This was the front. Oh my.

So, we get seated about 2 steps from the door. There are wine bottles all around, as decor, and everything was crammed in so tight, I was afraid that I was going to knock something over. The tables were so close that we could easily hear all the conversations around us. But it's all worth it if the food is good, right?

So, we anxiously await our bread with the special garlic butter. Cold bread. Cold butter. Very garlicky butter. Not great. Waiting for our drinks. We are served the house salad. Lettuce with a little cole slaw dressing. Not great. We are still waiting for our drinks. Then we order fried meatballs. A few months ago, I cooked some meatballs on the stove top and burned them a little bit. Yep, that's what these were like, only theirs were bigger and they cost more!

Our drinks arrived after the burnt meatballs. I ordered chicken Parmesan for my meal and Zeb ordered fettuccine antonio and sausage links. My chicken was chicken strips on a bed of lemon juice. Within a few minutes, the lemon juice was absorbed into the chicken breading and I couldn't eat it without getting that sour look on my face...you know the one...the face you get when you're eating a sourpatch kid. Yeah, that one. The pasta and sauce were no better than a Chef Boyardee meal without the meat.

Zeb's meal looked tasty but it wasn't.The sausage honestly wasn't that bad, and I don't really like sausage, so that's saying a lot.

We never did get a drink refill and I didn't bring my leftovers home. I think that's the first time EVER I didn't bring leftovers with me!

So, we were really disappointed. We had very high expectations for our restaurant adventure. Unfortunately, not every new restaurant experience can end up as delightful as the Bourbon Street Hideaway (love, love, LOVE that place).