On our first night in Seattle to see The Go! Team, we decided to walk around and see the sights. Coming back to the hotel, Dave spotted a restaurant down the road, just a block away, but we decided to go back to the hotel and see what the restaurant guide recommended.
As one can imagine, there were were many places to choose from, and many of them featured seafood (which doesn't excite me much, and excites Dave even less). Some of the places we were interested in were too far away; others were too expensive. Eventually we settled on Il Fornaio, which looked to be quite close, and lo and behold - it was the place Dave had spied earlier!
Turns out Il Fornaio started in Italy as a bakery in 1972, and then made its way across the ocean to North America. Chef Franz Junga had maintained an Italian theme, complete with Italian being the language of choice of the kitchen staff (and some of the servers, judging by their accents).
We were seated immediately, and the decor was very pleasing. Although it had been very hot outside, the restaurant was air conditioned so we were very comfortable. Right away our waitress brought a side plate, onto which she poured olive oil and then drizzled some balsamic vinegar. We were given some freshly baked bread, which was absolutely perfect - we were expected to dip this into the oil/vinegar mixture.
Dave ordered a Caesar salad to start, and it came looking a little more like a Chef's salad than a Caesar, complete with hard boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, and anchovies draped over the top (when, oh when will Americans learn to incorporate the anchovies into the dressing). So, not your classic looking Caesar, but was very good none the less - the dressing was a little more tart than the creamier Caesar we're used to, but it was still very good.
Then came out main course. Dave had ordered the Calzone, which came looking absolutely exquisite - like a work of art, almost. The crust was beautifully done, made up like a fancy pastry, and inside the calzone was a taste sensation with a variety of cheeses, meats and vegetables, which melded together without being overwhelming.
I had ordered the Steak Gorgonzola, which came topped with mushrooms and had a Tuscan salad on the side. The steak was perfectly done, and actually had fat along the side, which just added to the flavour. The gorgonzola and mushroom combination was exquisite.
For dessert Dave had homemade ice cream, while I had the raspberry cheese cake. Both were wonderful.
Throughout the meal, the wait staff was very attentive (but not annoyingly so) and frequently re-filled our waters and fizzy Italian lemonade (now there's a drink I'm going to try again!).
Overall, a fantastic dinner experience, and all for less than $50. You can't go wrong with that!
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