Hits and misses at Tavolo, the new Italian restaurant on North College

The Hits

The Location

Tavolo is located at the corner of 6th and College in North Side Station. It’s a jackpot spot surrounded by laid back nighttime venues like Lucky’s Arcade and Flight but is also within walking distance of several performance theaters like McGlohon Theater, Booth Playhouse and Belk Theater.

This makes it a convenient pre-event dinner spot whether your night is going to end in drunk karaoke or a Broadway musical.

The Approachability

This isn’t a white linen tablecloth, high-end Italian dining experience. A dominant central bar with large TVs counters the more intimate high-back red leather booths of the dining room. I saw several one-on-one (presumably romantic) dinners in action but there were also several groups of three to five men out on casual bro dates. Side note: I’ve really never seen so many groups of men out to dinner together. Hypothesis: Men love Italian food.

You could come in for a special occasion but wouldn’t feel out of place in jeans, which is what I wore.

The dipping bread

I’m always a fan of a free snack to start the meal. They delivered warm bread and seasoned olive oil for dipping. I’ll never say no to this offer.

The Misses

Underwhelming food execution

What sounded good on the menu was less impressive in real life. The mozzarella fritta (a basic order on our part, I realize) is served in two large medallions. I assume this is to make it look fancier, as if it were sliced from a ball of real mozzarella instead of just a battered and fried string cheese. I guess it’s a good idea in theory but the medallion shape throws off the ratio of cheese to crispy exterior and, in the end, it just tasted like a sad flattened mozzarella stick trying to be something it’s not.

I had high hopes for the pizza because the one delivered to the table next to mine came out with beautiful charred dough bubbles reminiscent of authentic wood-fired Neapolitan style. Mine had less character and, aside from the fresh basil on top, lacked any real jaw-dropping flavor.

My fiancé got the salmon and drew comparisons to a Carrabbas level of quality.

And it’s not the cheapest place either. We spent $100 (that includes tip) on an appetizer, two salads, an entree, a pizza and a glass of “the cheapest red wine you have” (which is precisely how it was ordered).

We hit most of the menu sections but I regret not getting a pasta because that might be the star of the show.

Tepid hospitality

I’m not looking for a T.G.I.Friday’s level of flair here or any time I dine. But on opening night I did expect a little more enthusiasm and warmth from the staff.

A quick introduction and welcome from the host, an eager, compelling explanation of the menu, some drool-triggering descriptions of signature dishes, or a meaningful table-side stop from a manager to talk up the concept and see how things were going would have all been welcome additions to our first interaction with a new restaurant.

Instead, there was an unexpected timidity in the way people interacted with us, which could likely be chalked up to opening night stress and a new staff learning curve.

I think Tavolo will definitely grow into a more dynamic personality that was lacking when we visited. After all, it was night one and flawless execution is generally pretty rare for restaurants that early on. Our dinner service was smooth, just not special in any way. That’s something they can fix.

As for the food though, the reason our meal ceased to amaze us wasn’t because the kitchen messed anything up. Nothing was undercooked, overcooked or downright inedible. I think our food was prepped, cooked and presented exactly as intended, which is the problem.