Avoli Osteria - Omaha

After the hype I have heard about Avoli, and being a fan of Dario's Brasserie, I was expecting BIG things. It was a mixed bag. First, we ordered a specific bottle of wine which I knew and loved only to be told it was out. "We have another of the same type, but it's twice the price if you want that." Disappointing, but we settled for a nice Gavi which was crisp and fruit-forward as it should be. My friend, on his birthday no less, ordered a bowl of the house soup - a cannelini bean and Italian pork soup. I ordered an appetizer of mortadella mousse bruschetta. My bruschetta was delicious - I called it "pork butter". My friends soup was fairly tasteless, despite what was supposed to include guanciali (cured pork jowl) and roast pork, it was mostly beans and broth. My friend ordered the seafood risotto, and I opted to stick with ordering two antipasti: the meatballs and burrata. My friend liked the risotto, although the shrimp were salad shrimp and the scallops were tiny bay scallops which looked very cheap. He was expecting quality seafood. My meatballs were so-so. The balls weren't at all traditional - ground proscuitto and (more) mortadella, which provided a strange flavor. The sauce, a "cook until dead" sugo (not even close to a pomodoro, which should be fresh and bright), wasn't very flavorful. The best part was the sunny side up egg on top and the grilled and crispy bread it was served on. The burrata plate was beautiful. However, the burrata was not great. Burratta is supposed to have an oozy cream in the center - here, the center was more watery whey than cream. The orange sauce (I can't honestly tell what it was supposed to be - a red pepper cream or an aioli) was beautiful but lacking in seasoning. The star of the plate was the brussel sprout and rainbow carrot salad with a tart vinaigrette. I can say that the service was impeccable and our waitress was very friendly. I may be back...

After the hype I have heard about Avoli, and being a fan of Dario's Brasserie, I was expecting BIG things. It was a mixed bag. First, we ordered a specific bottle of wine which I knew and loved only to be told it was out. "We have another of the same type, but it's twice the price if you want that." Disappointing, but we settled for a nice Gavi which was crisp and fruit-forward as it should be. My friend, on his birthday no less, ordered a bowl of the house soup - a cannelini bean and Italian pork soup. I ordered an appetizer of mortadella mousse bruschetta. My bruschetta was delicious - I called it "pork butter". My friends soup was fairly tasteless, despite what was supposed to include guanciali (cured pork jowl) and roast pork, it was mostly beans and broth. My friend ordered the seafood risotto, and I opted to stick with ordering two antipasti: the meatballs and burrata. My friend liked the risotto, although the shrimp were salad... read more

So, if there have been any complaints about this place, most of them have been about the portion size. One thing you should know this restaurant servers everything in a 3 course traditional Italian meal. That means a anti pasta first, a pasta dish, and some kind of main course like, chicken, steak, duck, or something like that. So if you get a pasta dish as your main dish it will not be a big portion because it's meant to be a second course. Just came here on a Tuesday night. It was the first time here. My wife love's carbonara. She had the spaghetti carbonara. It was the best carbonara she's ever had and me too. I had the lasagnette witch is a narrower version of lasagna. Very good. Atmosphere was great. Old school music playing like Sinatra. Great servers. Very patient. Will answer any questions you have about the menu especially because most of its in Italian. There is a english version on the back of Menu of what everything is. In all I could write and write about this place. Just saying that, it should tell you this place is great and you need to go. One of the top 3 best restaurant's in Omaha in my opinion.

So, if there have been any complaints about this place, most of them have been about the portion size. One thing you should know this restaurant servers everything in a 3 course traditional Italian meal. That means a anti pasta first, a pasta dish, and some kind of main course like, chicken, steak, duck, or something like that. So if you get a pasta dish as your main dish it will not be a big portion because it's meant to be a second course. Just came here on a Tuesday night. It was the first time here. My wife love's carbonara. She had the spaghetti carbonara. It was the best carbonara she's ever had and me too. I had the lasagnette witch is a narrower version of lasagna. Very good. Atmosphere was great. Old school music playing like Sinatra. Great servers. Very patient. Will answer any questions you have about the menu especially because most of its in Italian. There is a english version on the back of Menu of what everything is. In all I could write and write... read more

Some great Italian food tucked in a little strip in historic Dundee. Let me begin by saying I very much enjoyed the food. I ordered the gnocchi and as much as a foodie as I am, it was my first time trying gnocchi and I was deifinitely not disappointed. The red sauce they serve with it was incredibly flavorful and delicious. One of the best bolognese type sauces I've ever had. The roasted veggies were also fantastic. The veggies they use seem to change from night to night but we were lucky enough to be treated to roasted broccoli with zucchini topped with some pecorino Romano cheese. I honestly may come back just for the veg! The only gripe about the food I had was that the grilled shrimps were somewhat bland and all you could really taste was the char on them really. Cool semi fancy decor, and I like how you can watch a guy roll out sheets of fresh pasta. Random music selection I have to say, one second it's frank Sinatra, the next some hit song from the radio. All in all though I'd reccomend this place to anyone and it's definitely gotta be on your list if your looking for some very quality Italian fare.