To kick off Local Restaurant Week, I decided to visit Lombardo’s on Hertel. The place was packed with happy guests. I was welcomed by the warm smile of Mr. Lombardo himself. He personally checked in our coats and showed us to our seats.
The special this week is a 2 course meal for $20.10. I decide to add the shrimp and crab cocktail on top of it. The featured wine is the locally made Arrowhead Red. It’s a delicious mix of a couple of different reds with a perfume-like aroma. I was ecstatic because ever since Eric Genau over at City Wine Merchant recommended Arrowhead to me last month it’s been a must-have on my wine rack at home.
We started our meal with the shrimp and crab cocktail, served with a home-made cocktail sauce. It marked a great start to our meal. That, coupled with the bread, really got my appetite going. Everyone in the room was just having a blast. There’s something about a vivacious Italian restaurant that just makes you crave the food. For my next course, I chose the Gnocchi Bolognese.
Scott, our server, informed us that the gnocchi is made in-house. The texture of the gnocchi was perfect! It had a nice bite to it without the dense center you would find in frozen gnocchi. The bolognese sauce was very light with a high meat, low oil ratio.
For my entree, I had the Petite Filet Mignon. It was served with asparagus and lobster mashed potatoes. The filet was cooked to perfection– a nice sear on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. Now, I don’t normally go on about the supporting actors of my entrees, but this lobster mashed potatoes definitely can stand on its own. There was an amazing amount of flavor packed in the the mashed potatoes. Ok, I’ll say it. It was awesome.
Lombardo’s was all sorts of wonderful, and it was a great way to kick-start Local Restaurant Week. Our server, Scott, was knowledgeable and entertaining. He really sold the food with a lot of passion. The 3 course meal was the perfect amount of food, and each course was memorable and delicious. Come check it out.