My sweet bf, who drives twice as far to work (through Hartford to boot), suggested we go out to dinner on Wednesday. He left the choice up to me and I thought....lets try Abudanza. I am SO damn smart!
I had been to Abudanza when it was located at the X in Springfield. It was BYOB when I went and the food was really good but the location was a little difficult for me. I was really happy to hear that it was now on Boston Road in Wilbraham. Right up the road from me....yeah!
S and I prefer sitting at the bar if it is just the two of us. We can hear each other but we also like the connection a bartender has with their customers, if they are good.
We started off with the combo/pick three appetizers. When trying a new restaurant I think it is a nice way to try a few things but usually the same things are offered which can be a bit boring. We got calamari, mozzarella sticks and wings. The serving size was more than generous! The calamari was crisp and not greasy but I would have liked it to be tossed with something like cherry peppers, garlic oil...something. The mozzarella sticks were awesome! You get 4 sticks, they are cut to order and breaded right then. Very tender and don't taste like a freezer which I hate. The wings were large and tender but the sauce was not my favorite. We picked the mild buffalo sauce and it was too sweet for my taste. I will try a different sauce next time.
For dinner I ordered Abudanza Chicken which was a thinly pounded chicken breast surrounded with wild mushrooms, artichoke hearts, fire-roasted tomatoes, huge salty capers and prosciutto. I had it served over fettuccine. OMG! So good. So huge. Chicken was SO tender. The portions are ridiculously large. This also came with mixed veggies and a huge garden salad. This was all for $14.99. I had enough for a generous lunch portion the next day.
S had a one of the specials that evening, I don't remember the name of it but it was Lobster, Shrimp, Chicken, Sausage in a Fra Diavlo over fettuccine. This came out in a vat. I would have served this to four people! It was a wonderful sauce, not too spicy but definitely had a bite to it. He had enough for lunch for 2 days and dinner the next night!
As a former restaurant manager there are a few things that I would like to recommend to Abudanza.
1. Music. Please. Play some music. While I know we are in the bar. There is no need for sound on TVs in the bar unless it is the Superbowl or a Red Sox game (yes every Red Sox game)...put on the closed caption and play some music. I don't care what it is but the silence is deafening. As a former restaurant manager, I know the few times that the satellite would go out, the dining room felt off. A little Sinatra would go far.
2. Kitchen noise. You don't have an open kitchen so I really don't want to hear whats going on back there unless I am walking back to the bathroom.
3. Cell phones. I realize it is 2011 but it will forever be rude to me. People go out to eat to escape. The fact that this employee walked by and all of the sudden out of his ass I hear Steven Tyler's voice screaming "I don't want to miss a thing" didn't make me happy. I turned to S and said "he needs to be fired".
4. This place takes pride and makes everything from scratch and to order. I appreciate that. In this world where we want everything to be as fast as a game on their PlayStation, there needs to be an explanation. People talk about slow service and they are mistaken! The service is great. Attentive even. You need to educate your staff on how to communicate this to your customers. Perfection takes time. Maybe put it on the bottom of your menu. Have the server give a little intro when the customer first sits down how it is done. Might snuff some of the idiots who don't understand that your food doesn't come from a box so it takes time.
All in all, I would say our food was a 9 out of 10 and ambiance was 7 out of 10. We will definately be back and next time I will wear my stretchy pants!
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