VaBene Italian Cuisine and Wine Bar
Visited on 6/3/12.
The decor in this restaurant is quite different from the usual. There are heavy drapes all around the many windows and a lot of Picasso “paintings” on the walls. It is quiet and comfortable.
Bread and butter were brought to the table shortly after we sat down. The bread was hot and quite good.
J started with minestrone soup. It was full of chunky vegetables and he said that it was good. S had the scallops which were also pronounced good and were accompanied by an arugula salad.
My entree was the pollo pizzaiola. I was pleasantly surprised at the flavor. From the appearance I expected a mostly tomato flavor but it was a well-balanced blend of tomato, oregano, capers and olives. The chicken breast was moist and tender. J had the special stuffed pork chop, S a mediterranean salad, and C chose fettuccine with chicken and mushrooms. They all reported that their entrees were good.
I wanted to have the chocolate hazelnut tartufo for dessert. I was disappointed when I was told, after I ordered, that there was none. Why did the waiter not tell me when she gave me the dessert menu.
Tea is only from a soda machine so I did not touch it. There was a decent selection of beers for J.
The only shortcoming in the service was the lack of information given when the dessert menu was brought.
Would you say this is a good go-to place for Italian food?
Yes.