I made a reservation for 6 people with no problem, but I had to give a credit card number I guess because they tend to get busy and want to make sure you will actually show up. I had only been here once for lunch during restaurant week last year, but I figured it was a good choice because they have a huge menu and are in a convenient location.
When you first walk into the restaurant, it is definitely a bit overwhelming. The bar is right near the entrance and when we got there at 6:30 is was already packed with people in business suits. Not only that, but the music was blasting and I was starting to sweat worrying that I may have made a huge mistake with the restaurant choice. However, the main dining room is a bit further than the bar and the music is much more faint, so don't let the bar area in the front overwhelm and frighten you. The restaurant itself is pretty big and had the decor of a classic old italian steakhouse. Since it tends to get crowded, the tables were all pretty close to one another so prepare to have your chair bumped into a few times throughout the night.
As I said earlier, the menu is huge and they have tons of great options to choose from. For the appetizers, they have a great range from italian classics like caesar salad, minestrone soup, and tomato mozzarella, to more interesting options like tuna tartare, kobe rice balls, and a meatball appetizer. The main courses also have a great variety as well. They had a bunch of different pastas, pizzas, chicken dishes, fish, and steak, in addition to a lot of options for side dishes. It is perfect for a large group because there is definitely something here for everyone. For the appetizer, I opted for the caesar salad and the other dishes ordered at the table were the beet salad, tomato mozzarella, and vegetable minestrone soup. After you order, they bring complimentary garlic bread with marinara dipping sauce to the table which was delicious and the perfect way to start the meal.
Even though we did all order our own appetizers, the salads can definitely be shared. The caesar salad was really delicious and one of my favorites that I have had. There was just enough dressing on it without being too heavy, and there was fresh shaved parmesan cheese on top which I loved. I couldn't finish it because it was so big, but it was a great start to the meal. I also tried the beet salad, which I thought was delicious because I love beets, and the vegetable minestrone soup which tasted very light, fresh, and flavorful.
For the main course, I had a really hard time deciding because there were so many great options on the menu. I narrowed it down to the penne alla vodka and spaghetti and kobe meatballs, but since they are known for their kobe meatballs my sister and I decided to share that as a main course since we figured the portion would be big enough.
When the dish came to the table, we were very happy that we decided to share because the portion was once again very generous! Neither of us really like ricotta cheese, so we pushed that off to the side and then were ready to eat. The kobe meatballs were super juicy and tender and had a great flavor to them. The spaghetti itself was served in a tomato/bolognese style sauce and it was delicious. We split the dish and still had some left over because it was so filling! It did not go to waste, however, as we passed it on to our grandpa who gladly finished it for us. The other dish that got rave reviews at the table was the tuna main course that my grandma ordered. Again, I do not eat fish so I did not personally try it but she loved the dish overall.
Of course, a meal is never complete in our family until you see the dessert menus, and their menu definitely stood out to me. Usually it is a pretty easy choice for me because I pick the one chocolate dessert, but they had 3 different chocolate desserts in addition to oreo zeppoles! My sister and I were once again sharing, so we narrowed it down to the dark chocolate bread pudding and the oreo zeppole. The bread pudding said it came with butter croissants, dulce de leche, chocolate sauce, and a few other components which made it seem delicious yet also overwhelming. Since we were pretty stuffed already and at a table with 4 other people, we decided to order the oreo zeppole because it came with 6 oreos which made it easy to share and also easy to control the consumption quantity.
The dessert was so rich and awesome. It was basically like a donut with an oreo on the inside, and you can't really get much better than that. On the side, there is a little vanilla malt shake which pairs really nicely with the oreo and is reminiscent of cookies and milk. You can't find any dessert like this at any other nice restaurant in the city, so that made it much more special and unique. This is a great dessert to order when you are with a few people because it is a very satisfying and you can easily share it and control your portion size. While we were eating, I also saw there 20 layer chocolate cake go by (no, that was not a typo, it is 20 layers!) and that looked sinful.
Overall, the food here was delicious across the board and we barely had any plates left with food on them by the end of the meal. Yes, it is on the expensive side but the portions are very generous which makes it easy to share with others, and the quality of the food is worth the money. Each course did not disappoint, and every one of the six of us was satisfied with what we ordered. Even though the restaurant got packed and every table was full by around 7, the service was great and moved at a nice pace. Lavo is mainly known for the notorious crowd that it attracts and for the nightclub, but it is also a fantastic restaurant. While it gets very loud and you may have to strain your voice a bit just to have a conversation with the people at your table, it is a great italian steakhouse. The evening was filled with great service, delicious food, and lots of laughs and great memories with my family! You can't get much better than that!
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