Bad Experience Albeit a Few Months Ago, Tuesday, 04 September 2007
First let me say my experience at Barolo was quite different than the other 2 reviews posted here. To be totally objective, my visit was several months ago and perhaps there has been a change in the kitchen for the better. So, if there was a change my review is outdated and moot so move on.
I went with a group of 10, and I totally agree the restaurant has very nice decor and can be romantic if in a date setting. But after the impressive first impression it all went down hill.
The food was inconsistent. The appetizer of cold cuts, cheeses and salad was a good start but my main dish of black seafood linguine was awful! I asked the noodles to be cooked al dente and I am not sure the server understood. When the linguine arrived I knew he did not understand, it was mushy and way over cooked. I ordered the pasta thinking since it is an Italian venue there staple of pasta would/should be one of their better dishes. It was not.
The others in my group ordered from lasagna to some meat dishes and again some was edible but all in all the entire group was quite disappointed after the impressive entrance to the eatery.
The final straw was the wine list. I agree they have a nice selection of wide ranging wines, both red and white, from key wine regions. However, the prices for many/most were so over the top that I almost fell over in my chair. Perhaps the typical practice of 2 to 3x retail price for a bottle I am accustomed to back in the US can not be applied here in Dalian and China. But, when I saw many familiar bottlings that layman who are not on expense accounts might order which were marked up 5 times or more above what it would cost retail I thought it was way over the top. My thought was the owner(s) of Barolo know they cater to the Expat and affulent Chinese crowd and are thinking we are either stupid, ignorant, or have money to burn to order any wine just because it is on the wine list in a very presentable restaurant. I did not.
beckytesdall
jim
