AMAZING! Never been to this restaurant and had my first visit ever this past Saturday. Upon walking in, I first noticed the dim lighting which set a very memorable ambiance. Delicate and soothing music played over the room and we were seated quickly. Our waitress came over promptly and asked for our beverage order and did so in a bubbly and polite manner. Me and my partner both ordered Ceasar's and they were delivered very fast. Not only fast but quite possibly the best Ceasar I've had. Shortly after the drinks, she brought bread and sauce over to our table which was nothing short of a taste of heaven. It gives East Side Mario's starter bread a run for it's money. When we were ready to place our order, we both ordered the 10oz Rib Eye glazed with Cabarnet Sauvignon. At first, my partner couldn't decide between the Lasagna or the steak. Our waitress said that their pasta is memorable but their steak is of very high caliber. So he took her advice and ended up ordering the steak. I followed suit. As our sides, we decided to have penne pasta (the best of both worlds) and the steamed vegetables. WE WERE NOT DISAPPOINTED. Even at the Keg, I've never had steak so succulent and flavourful. This was incredible. Not only was the steak to die for, but they piled on - and I mean PILED on - a load of mushrooms on top and they are by far the best mushrooms I've ever eaten. The vegetables were delicious! Not too long into our meal, our waitress came over to ask how our meal was and I found it hard to tell her as I didn't want to take a breath to speak. Lol. It was then that we ordered a litre of Zinfandel to go with our meal and it, too, was impeccable. This is a beautiful little spot that is hands down the best place I've eaten in Brantford.
We decided to visit Al Dente as they had a special going on; a three-course meal for $15, how could we turn that down? We walked in there and we were seated in the corner. It is a fairly big restaurant, but it is a tight squeeze when you first walk in. We were given menus right away and we chose our items. As a complimentary item, we received a loaf of bread with dipping sauce. I am Italian, so eating this sauce was a shame as it tasted like something from the store. The bread wasn't all that fresh either, tasted maybe a day or two old. Then our ceasar salads came. The salads were on a small plate and there wasn't enough dressing on them, not to mention no bacon bits, and there were probably five croutons. I didn't enjoy it too much. Then the main course came, the chicken parmesan. The chicken was actually okay, it was tender, but it was slightly burned on the edges. The pasta that it came with was cold but the sauce was actually not that bad. It came with warm vegetables which were actually cook, cooked to perfection. Then the dessert. The dessert was probably the best part of the meal. It was served in a nice fancy glass, with whip cream and chocolate sauce. The presentation was fabolous and it tasted good. Overall, I wouldn't return, only because I have had better elsewhere, but it isn't that bad, so I do recommend that you give it a try as you may enjoy it.
We're from out of town and this was the best meal that we've had in Brantford. The atmosphere was very relaxing. We especially enjoyed the grapevine covered patio. The meal was wonderful, the house wine excellent and we finished it off with what my wife called a yummy triple chocalate cheese cake(homemade and not too sweet).
Service was fine.I ordered
Caesar salad and Thai chicken .I found the salad lacking in flavour.The thai chicken was VERY sweet.Tasted like a mixture of honey and peanut butter
I had the dinner for two, which included a 3x meal thing, a loaf, salad and dessert, me and my friend had a hard time finish everything, there was so much food.
i really enjoyed having the option for gluten free pasta options. My friend can only eat gluten free pastas so that was very nice being able to go out somewhere where he can eat something that tastes great and is not limited to one or two items on the menu. He was also able to have dessert, they have a wide variety of gluten free desserts as well.
I am not a fan of alot of sauces but they had a very large variety of different kinds of sauces and i fully enjoyed having so many options. I will for sure come back : )
They should think about opening up for breakfast
The food was amazing to say the least! Started out with the bruchetta bread which was (even though we ordered the small) huge, despite the price. It was excellent as well. I couldn't decide what I wanted off the menu so I got a 3x thing, it's 3 portions from 3 dishes. Each was pretty big for it's size and if I wasn't hungry there is no way I would have finished it. My date was unable to finish her meal.
The server, although friendly, made things kind of awkward, I think he was the owner. He wasn't the most attentive but he sure knew his dishes well, and made a good recommendation.
I would without a doubt return to eat here again.
We have only come to Al Dente for big family events and have been very very pleased both times. The last time was for New Years' Eve, a very early seating, and I meant to post something right away because I wanted to commend the owners and staff for a very good and memorable meal. Lovely hospitality and we will certainly be back soon.
Upon our arrival were seated quickly, which was unusual compared to our previous experiences here. It has been some time since we had dined here because we always had a very long wait in the past - to be seated as well as for our meals. We ordered our drinks & got them promptly .The waiter came back to take our order & my husband asked for the stuffed sole without the scallops & was told this was not possible as they were pre made. He was disappointed as we were under the impression that everything was made fresh,so either its not made fresh or they are store bought. We decided on the Tandori Chicken skewers & Crab Dip as our apps & Chicken Pizza & Lobster - Crab Raviolli. The chicken was undercooked & we put the plate on the side of the table. As we did this, the waiter came "on the fly" past our table & took the plate away, as my husband was calling after him to tell him it was not cooked. When he brought the bill, he assured us that we had not been charged for the Chicken skewers, but never offered any apology. Our main courses were just ok, not wow! My husband ordered a beer ,which was spilt as it was put on the table, no apology, no clean up, just a puddle of beer left on the table !! The service & food left my husband disappointed & we will be reluctant to return.
I was there with my Family, The food was great!
Their lasagna is my favorite, The service was quite good and the atmosphere has improved since I was last there. Not to mention the free refills!
This isn't exactly a review. I stopped here for...
This isn't exactly a review. I stopped here for lunch on a whim while working on the road-and although I don't dress "fine" for work I still enjoy fine food and have the money to buy it. On top of that I'm a good tipper as I used to work in the industry.
I stood at the door for quite some time waiting to be seated. Two men in suits entered behind me. A staff member magically appeared and breezed by me to greet and seat them, although it was obvious I had come in first.
The two men said nothing and went to be seated, I turned and walked out. Maybe the food is good...who knows...I just don't appreciate being ignored.
My wife suggested Al Dente's to celebrate my birthday. Neither of us had ever been to this restaurant however heard good reports from friends. We were not disappointed. Our server was very prompt, courteous and helpful. The food was excellent in all respects from presentation onward. The size and atmosphere of the restaurant is quaint and charming. Superb!
I find the food to be regular tasty Italian. Not terrific, but not below average or anything. The prices are too high for what you are getting though, and the service was fair. Had to wait to be seated (servers & hostess didn't even look up when we entered). Might visit again.
Spaggetti & meatballs sauce on thing I can say, yes it did have a tomatoe zest but noodles did not seem fresh and meatballs were dry and the texture and ingredients was not well blended.It was like having left overs. Alfredo he stated he has had better from frozen. The medit... Dish was actually exceptional. Not sure about the foccia Cost was approx 40 Dollar for three most expensive let down was the left over spaggetti at 13.00.
Excellent.
This place is the best. The pasta is cooked to perfection and the sauce as well. The Owner makes the awsome homemade cheesecakes (excellent as well).
Okay, first things first: the decor is horrendous. I think they decorated it in the early 90s and haven't epdated since. Teal, teal, everywhere...
Now to the food! Wow! It's always delcious! I love the strawberry daiquiris (non-slushy kind)! The pasta is always tasty, if not a bit too saucy. The big bread with the dip is a nice treat and makes the time pass more quickly. The warm raspberry cheesecake is to die for!
Love this place!
The ambience is very nice; we went on a rather slow evening, and the dim lighting suits the restaurant well. The waiter was very helpful, very knowledgeable about the menu and appropriate wine pairings. The only real criticism I have is that it took about 10 minutes to receive the bill, but we were enjoying ourselves and relaxing a bit, so we hardly noticed. The food was astoundingly good; I've never had a pasta dish so well put-together before. Very pleased with the overall experience, will return again for certain!
I had tried this restaurant a few years ago and...
I had tried this restaurant a few years ago and didn't like it then, but decided to give it another chance. Bad move! The Margarita's tasted like they were made with a powdered mix (they were bright green) and were basically tasteless. The bruschetta was made on a round flat bread with watery tomatoes and was also tasteless. The Caesar salad was tasteless except for the bitterness of the lettuce, they used boxed croûtons and no bacon bits. If they had put bacon bits in it I'm sure they would have been imitation ones. The steak was okay, at least it was done the way I had ordered it (rare), but the seafood topping was way over cooked so the shrimp was dry and tough. We were invited to browse the wine cellar (a glassed in room beside the bar) and were informed that all wines were the same price. My friend chose the Wolfblass (my fave) but the owner interrupted and tried to get us to take an Ontario wine (of course he would, he makes more money on them!) The service was okay, but the room was very cold due to the outside door leading directly into the dining room. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone, and I won't be giving it a third chance.
Wow! I met a friend of mine halfway which landed...
Wow! I met a friend of mine halfway which landed us in Brantford and I just picked this restaurant on line. I was a bit surprised to see the restaurant in a strip plaza but do not let this sway you!!! I almost thought about leaving until the waitress was nice enough to bring me to te back bar and served me wonderful wine. The ceasar salad dressing was homemade as was the alfredo sauce. The tomato sauce leaves u wanting more - tangy! Sourdough bread was a nice touch served with marinara sauce. This pasta was the best I have had in years and I am glad we stayed. GREAT service! Will return when I go back to Brantford!
