How Do You Say "Meh" in Italian?

Last night a couple of us had a leisurely dinner at Panzano.  We had previously met there for lunch and were so impressed with the menu variety and flavors of the dishes that we thought a long dinner with a few drinks would be a good idea.

Not.

All levels of service were excellent.  Our waiter was friendly and knowledgable (and gave very good wine recommendations) and attentive, but didn't hover too much.  Other servers were quick to fill water glasses and remove dishes and silverware when we were done.  Panzano was very busy last night, as it was during our lunch there, and the hostesses remained friendly.  The environment is open, nicely decorated and well-lit.

All signs pointed to Go!  Until the food...

We were presented with a complimentary amuse-bouche style appetizer that they were practicing before putting on the menu.  While this was a nice touch and presentation, it wasn't flavorful.  It tasted like an upscale tater tot, topped with parmesan cheese and served with an (impressive) balsamic sauce.  We thought it could have used more seasoning or perhaps a more developed stuffing of cheeses or sausage.

For our appetizers, we ordered Panelle e Olive Frittes, described as "crispy chickpea and olive batons with whipped feta, roasted red peppers, micro basil and balsamic gastrique."  It was dense and did not have hints of olive or any other flavors.  We did not finish it and would not order it again.

We also ordered Caesar Griglia, described as "grilled hearts of romaine, anchovies, garlic, parmesan."  Their regular Caesar salad and this grilled one are A.I.W.F. Award winners.  This salad was presented nicely and tasted very good.  The lettuce was just barely grilled; it retained a smoky flavor and a bit of char on the edges, but the rest was still crispy and cool.  The dressing was light and all the components of the dish worked together well.  This appetizer would make the perfect business lunch.

There is no other way to described our entrees than disappointing.

This dish is Scallopini di Vitello, described as "grass fed veal scallopini with lemon, capers and sun-dried tomatoes, over mashed potatoes and spinach."  They tried to present it well but let's face it, this does not look appetizing.  Nor did it taste good.  Again - our observations over and over were "no flavor."

The other entree was Ragu di Cinghiale, described as "farro pappardelle tossed in wild boar Bolognese, topped with Grana Padano."  The pasta was cooked to perfection, but the dish was sweet.  Not the slight sweetness of a good marinara sauce, but an overpowering taste that drowned the other flavors.  The cheese helped balance the flavors but could not save the dish overall.

Dessert was the highlight of the night, and at least ended the meal on a good note.  We had Bombolini al Limone con Mirtilla, "lemon curd stuffed doughnuts over blackberry marmelatta with vanilla gelato and micro basil."  The doughnuts were baked well, a nice combination of doughy and light, and the sorbet cut the sweetness of the dish.

The other highlight was the Budino de Caramelo, "butterscotch pudding topped with salted caramel and whipped sour cream, topped with a rosemary pinenut cookie."  This dish was a wonderful mix of salty and sweet and complex.  It was delightful.

Panzano's menu offers an impressive variety of dishes, as well as wines, cocktails (interesting, for sure), dessert drinks, appetizers, and side dishes.  This is just a sampling of a few dishes, but we were underwhelmed.  That said, when we met for lunch, we enjoyed it quite a lot, as it was almost the opposite of last night's experience - which is to say lots of complex flavor.

Panzano might be worth checking out in order to form your own opinion.  Hopefully your food will taste better than ours did last night.  :)