Tanino Restaurant

Doesn't Recommend

grendelina

Joined 6 years ago

schifo (disgusting). This restaurant has nice ambiance and a great menu but seems to have poor management with no care for the quality (or lack) of the food. We had a party of 8; service was attentive despite a strutting manager who was dismissive to us and barked at his staff. Half of the food we ordered was edible. Tuna Carpaccio appetizer with beets was very nicely prepared. My neighbor's cooked tuna appetizer was full of 'gristle' and inedible (as was the cooked tuna entree); salads were lackluster. Some had the branzino with spinach--this dish was edible but unseasoned, served with a tasteless blob of cooked spinach. I ordered spaghetti with sea urchin, a real Sicilian delicacy but this place cooks the urchin which should have been a red flag. It was truly schifo, tasting like burned garlic and bad fish. Everyone who tried it declared ?disgusting,? and it?s no surprise my stomach was not feeling very good the next few hours. Quite a few from our party did not eat our food and full plates went back to the kitchen, but the strutting manager did not notice or care; in our two hours there, in a nearly empty restaurant, not once did he ask ?how is the food??. We ordered what ended up as the worst desserts I have had in an Italian restaurant. A pistachio ice cream drowning in a cheap corn syrup 'chocolate' sauce. A profiterole that had the quality and texture of a sticky glazed donut. In a party of 8 we couldn't bring ourselves to finish these 3 desserts even though quite a few of us were still hungry. This was a work event, so no one felt comfortable raising the food quality issue with the mgr and he didn?t care to ask. I give this restaurant 2 stars, one for the menu which has interesting dishes but obviously they order very cheap supplies (tuna and steak full of gristle, old sea urchin, imitation chocolate) and don?t train their chefs in execution, and one star of sympathy for the nice floor staff who are being bossed around by a guy who doesn't know his job.

Recommends

stastheboss

Joined 6 years ago

good, even for westwood. during college I struggled to find a nice place to eat in westwood, other than the "famed" Napa Valley Grill. No one thinks this small place on Westwood Blvd. would be any good... but it is! It's a great, nearby place to have a classy meal. The food is delicious and the setting is romantic and quiet. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a classy place to eat in addition to Napa...

Recommends

baychick

Joined 6 years ago

Quality Westwood Dining. This is one of my favorite Westwood restaurants. The interior is beautiful and cozy, with decorative molding, panelled mirrors, low candles, and flower arrangements. Service is great and the food is wonderful - I love the pumpkin tortelloni, spinach-and-ricotta ravioli, and pesto gnocchi. For the ambience and quality food, this place is very reasonably priced - pasta dishes are around $16. If you're looking for a romantic Italian evening and delicious food that won't break the bank, head to Tanino.

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Northern Italian cuisine in an architecturally inspiring space.. In Short
Even though it's located in the heart of collegiate Westwood, the clientele leans more toward affluent art-history professors than frat boys. An elegant room, with black-and-white marble floors, blazing fireplace and high copper ceilings, make it a romantic destination. The menu focuses on northern Italian fare, like tortellini soup with a pheasant truffle broth, pumpkin-sage lasagna, and rabbit with olive sauce.

Recommends

neetsirk

Joined 8 years ago

Great place if you're in Westwood. I'll definitely be back. Great location, beautiful interior, nice non-pretentious staff. The pumpkin tortelinni with sage white sauce was phenomenal.

Recommends

attractivenuisance

Joined 8 years ago

Surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting much from this place, maybe because most of the restaurants in Westwood (e.g. Gardens on Glendon and Eurochow) are downright awful. But my dinner, penne with pancetta and vodka sauce, was delicious. My friend was also really pleased with her pasta dish. The prices are reasonable, the space is cute and the servers were very solicitious and friendly. Not a real destination restaurant, but great if you're looking for somewhere to go in Westwood.