Impress Your Friends, Take Them To Garibaldi's!
Written: Oct 08 '00 (Updated Feb 04 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: the budino!
Cons: the noise level and wait, but it's worth it
The Bottom Line: You must get the budino.
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| megugrrrl's Full Review: Garibaldi's on College |
My friends took me to Garibaldi's on College for my birthday and while I enjoyed the entire meal, one thing has been calling me back ever since... THE CHOCOLATE BUDINO. MMMMMMMM. I'll go into detail about my relationship with the budino in a bit; first let me set the scene.
Like most restaurants in the Bay Area, Garibaldi's doesn't have a parking lot so expect to drive up and down College a few times before snagging a spot. The trek to Garibaldi's isn't that bad because the restaurant is in Rockridge and you can window shop at the funky antique stores and boutiques lining College.
Garibaldi's is a neat brick building trimmed with black and has a gigantic polished steel door and huge windows. There are usually people waiting for their table hanging out outside. My friend announced to the hostess that we had arrived for our reservation but the hostess told us that we'd have to wait around thirty minutes. Our reservation only seemed to have reserved us a spot in the waiting line.
This place was packed and we had to weave our way through small groups of people to wait at the bar. They have a full bar, complete with bowls of olives to munch on. "Behind" is main dining area; the only way to distinguish between the bar and restaurants were the types of tables. I remember turning around to scan the place... the tall ceilings gave the whole restaurant an open feeling and I really liked the tall pillars they had.
After an hour from our original reservation time, we were finally seated, given our menus (which change seasonally) and a basket of warm bread was set down. Garibaldi's offers dishes from the Meditteranean like pastas, paella, wood-fired pizza, and various roasted meats. I opted to start with the asparagus and pancetta cooked in chili oil (around $9) and oven roasted chicken and polenta($15.95).
It took around half an hour for the appetizers to arrive. Now I usually don't mind that if the bread basket is refilled, the food server is available to take more drink orders, and the conversation is good. Unfortunately, only the conversation kept me from going insane until the food arrived. (Incidentally, while the conversation was great, the awful acoustics coupled with tons of people in the restaurant made it difficult to hear each other at times.)
The wait was worth it (maybe it was because I was famished at this point.) The asparagus was cooked perfectly (not too soggy), the pancetta was savory, and my chicken was moist and was seasoned well. I was too busy focusing on my food that I couldn't remember what my friends got, only that their pizza with guyere cheese the bite I had was delish as well.
Finally, and the main reason why I love Garibaldi's so much, it was dessert time. I ordered the chocolate budino ($7), which is this thick warm chocolate pudding served in a bowl topped with coffee ice cream, a light melted caramel, and toasted almond slivers. Someone ordered the continental cheese platter (brie and fruit) for their dessert and when they wanted to swap for a taste of the budino, I almost said no. Almost.
Despite the less-than-satisfactory wait time, service, and noise level, Garibaldi's is one of my favorite places to go because their food and art decco/industrial decor are aces. This is a great place to go if you're trying to impress some out-of-town friends or maybe a date, but be prepared to spend up to $50 a person and speak loudly. Oh, and get the budino.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
megugrrrl
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 - Top 500 |
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Location: Oakland
Reviews written: 147
Trusted by: 317 members
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