Al Di La is undoubtedly a great restaurant, but I’m not a fan of the rigidity and pretentiousness discussed in the last paragraph.
The ambiance is beautiful, perfect for a small group or a date. It’s a very intimate setting, but the ceilings are tall and you don’t feel crowded. It is upscale, but it’s not stuffy. Portion sizes are not large in keeping with the vibe of the place.
The restaurant is busy pretty much every day of the week and reservations are hard to come by as they prefer to accommodate mostly walk-ins.
Spaghetti Nerri Alla Chitarra – homemade black spaghetti, octopus confit, and basil, coated in a slightly thick tomato sauce with hot chili peppers. This dish is delicious. We got it without the octopus, so I can’t speak to that, but the spaghetti and the sauce were delicious. It’s honestly not spicy at all, so don’t let that dissuade you if heat isn’t your preference. The squid ink flavoring the pasta is just slightly detectable, adding a little taste without being intrusive. It’s a must try. Though it’s a bigger portion than the ravioli described below, you’ll need a second pasta dish or an appetizer to accompany it.
Casunziei – red beet and ricotta ravioli, melted butter and poppy seeds. First, please take my advice on this one and either get: (1) extra extra light butter or (2) no butter at all. Otherwise, the delicate, unique flavors will be overwhelmed by butter. Casunziei is a very traditional Northern Italian dish, though rarely found in Italian restaurants, so I love the fact that Al Di La has it. The beets and poppy seeds give it such amazing flavor and texture, that it would be a shame to let other flavors mask the taste. The beet flavor is subtle, so don’t be deterred if you’re not generally a fan, but the dish is overall flavorful and well textured. The grated cheese on top adds a nice touch. The dish is served with only 4 pieces of ravioli, so it’s really an appetizer at best. I’d recommend they start offering a double portion. It’s delicious and hard to find elsewhere.
So the food is clearly a big hit. And the service is good. But they have a hard and fast rule about customization that I can’t stand behind. You are not allowed to request a substitution of any kind. So, for example, you cannot ask that the spaghetti be served with a butter sauce or the ravioli be served with a tomato sauce. Otherwise, they say, it would ruin the integrity of the carefully crafted dish. It’s too pretentious a policy for my taste. You also cannot request any addition, even for an up charge. And the only they will accommodate a vegetarian is if you order whatever dish you want “minus the clams, octopus, lobster, etc.” though they will not adjust the price. Which is silly because obviously the lobster adds an incredibly cost to the dish. It’s a shame that this otherwise great restaurant has such a restrictive policy. If you take your food seriously enough to live and die by the exact way it’s on your menu at the expense of the happiness of your customers, then you may need to get your priorities straight.
