08/12/09

Delicious Italian fare with exceptional service!

by DenaG

My date and I shared the cesar salad which was so fresh and a peferct appitizer to share to start our meal. I had the Lobster Spagetti (with shrimp) It was satisfying, perfectly cooked and seasoned without being too heavy. My date had the Lamp chop that was also delicious. Our wine really complemented both of our entrees and I found the staff well trained, friendly and knowledgeable.It was a treat that the chef came out to welcome us and ensure we felt well taken care of. The dining room was very pretty and the large flower center piece in middle of the dining room was beautiful and smelled almost as good as the food.

• Pros: Great menu, perfectly prepared food, well trained staff
• Cons: Can't think of any right now

02/06/09

Poor food, bathrooms smell

by bobo13

I was anxious to try the mothership of the Drago Restaurant empire and was shocked at the condition of this supposed "celebrity chef" restaurant. After hearing about Centro Drago I decided to try Drago Santa Monica.

Mediocre was not the word to describe my experience...

My Bread was stale... the breadsticks tasted like they were 4 days old...

I had the tortelloni... they literally tasted like someone stuffed them with canned pumpkin and poured whipping cream all over them. They were encased in a "spinach" pasta... however this pasta was highlighter green in color... like they used to much food coloring... not to mention all the tortelloni were broken and cracked.

My husband had the berramundi... which he said was bland and tasteless... (served with one carrot, one asparagus and a piece of bok choy).

Our waiter Geovanni was very nice and had a great sense of humor... very polite and really tried to make a bad experience pleasurable.

I think the worst part was the odor coming from the bathroom area. It literally smelled like a broken sewer mane.

As we left we noticed Mr. Drago sitting watching the Laker game oblivious to it all. Thank you Mr. Drago, you will not see us again at any of your places...

• Pros: Very nice server and hostess
• Cons: Food, restaurant smell

03/23/07

Our Favorite Restaurant

by dectal

WE love this restaurant. The chef is really nice and the food is shockingly good. Highly reccomend. We go there for all our special occasions. Also, we think this restaurant is better than his brothers in Beverly Hills.

• Pros: Chef, Food
• Cons: Bathroom door too close to kitchen door, you can get wacked.

12/03/06

Horrible Rule service

by proffoodjudge

Consider the class of this restaurant, the service is very very poor. We get a table at 7:30pm. It take at least 30 mins for our drink order to arrive at the table, and another 2 hours for the food to arrive. Granded the food is not bad, but it's not brilliant. And frankly, regarless how good is the food, no one should put up with poor service. The waitress (She seems to be the manager) respond to us very rulely as we politely inquired for our food order. She kind of yell at a friend of our, as we ask her question. When the food arrive, they didn't even bring the right order, and one of us need to wait for the food to be re-made after we have been waiting for 2 hours after we order the food. And they alter my order without even asking me whether I want it or not. DON'T GO HERE!! It's not worth it to be abused by poor services. Expensive, lousy service and ok food. Honestly, you can get much friendly service at your neighbourhood Starbucks or McDonald.

11/07/06

I don't get it either

by davdin

We ate here for a birthday party 8 people. Everyone was so excited because there is so much hype about this place... I was not impressed, actually disappointed. The only thing hyped up were the prices.

The place was very busy, which is fine for an Italian restaurant if you want atmosphere, but the servers seemed rushed and we had to flag down waiters. After several of them stopping by, I did not know who my main waiter was - average service - not what you expect for the upscale prices.

The food was very salty. Too much for my taste. Believe me I love flavor, but not only salt. Signature steak, oh so very average. The waiter put too much dressing on my salad (and I usually like a lot of dressing), a definite no no for a fine dining restaurant. If I'm going to pay that much for a salad I'd like to eat it, too. We were lucky because we had several people at our table and could taste the different dishes. The ONLY one I liked was the ravioli, but it too was a little on the salty side. Luckily, it was only an appetizer so I only had to eat a few. Wondering if I was in a bad food mood. I asked my wife if it was only me. With a frown she said we are not coming back... empty wallet, not so happy stomach.

• Pros: Lots of Hype - Crowded
• Cons: Food

10/03/06

Good food! Staff could be more personable.

by whyareallmyusernamestaken

I've been here twice with my boyfriend and have really enjoyed my dishes - the burratini app was just so interesting and good, and I like the pumpkin tortelloni a lot. I found the staff a little snooty though, not too friendly/personable, maybe because we look really young and had a couple questions about the food (??). And while the service is good, it's not remarkable, not at the 'escort you to the restroom' level like Citysearch says it is. But I would definitely recommend it for the food.

07/27/06

Italian Restaurant with a French Accent???

by ekschuller

Let me explain, the waiter comes out and starts telling us what is available, the guy has a french accent; so I ask, whats up with that?? The waiter was italian but from Switzerland so it almost makes sense.

On to the restaurant, I think that in a place like this, the waiter should know by heart what the specials are, and not read them from a crumbled piece of paper. The restaurant is very nice and very well attended. They charge 4 bucks for valet parking. It is a relatively small place but with sedate, nice decor. They did accomodate all the weirdities of our order; for example, one of the parties requested cesar salad but with vinagrette. The person wanted romain lettuce instead of anything else.

The food was ok, could have been out of this world. Though the steak I had was very tasty, it had lots of fat and it was not what I called a very good cut of meat. It was nicely presented but there was very little of it. Since I was invited, I am not quite sure the cost, or value of the meal, but in the menu, it listed the steak at 35 bucks (or so I remember). The salad was very good. We had a dessert that was equally great.

All in all, it was a nice experience though I did not like the valet charge and the cut of meat.

• Pros: Excellent taste, nice place, good service
• Cons: expensive

11/25/05

User review by ginnylovesfood

by ginnylovesfood

Great great food. The service was friendly and very attentive. I highly recommend the warm chocolate cake for dessert.

02/23/05

Professionally crafted and ingeniously simple Italian cooking.

by Contributor

The Scene
The setting is enhanced by skilled servers with Italian accents and friendly dispositions--expect to have your napkin folded and a personal escort to the restroom. The modern space features a glassed-in wine cellar and long booths along the walls. The building looks out onto Wilshire Boulevard, so diners seeking romance should request a table in the back.

The Food
Ingredients are of the highest grade and purest preparation: Spinach salad comes together deliciously with nothing more than extra-virgin olive oil and thick shreds of pecorino and pear, while light tomato puree perfectly balances meaty eggplant souffle. Popular pasta dishes model simple pairings such as pappardelle with morel mushrooms, and pillows of pumpkin-filled tortellini in mellow sage cream. Course Three features delicate portions of lamb with giant couscous, rabbit with black olive sauce, tender sliced veal and fresh fish. For dessert, warm chocolate cake breaks like a poached egg to reveal a molten white-chocolate and orange-truffle center.

09/24/03

Autenthic and charming

by chiwhi

If you like Ceasar salad, fettuccine Alfredo, go somewhere else. On the other hand, if you prefer authentic italian cuisine and good service, this is your place. Try risotto nero, and leave room for desert.