La Tavola

La Tavola
248 Albemarle St.
Little Italy, Baltimore
410-685-1859
Italian
www.la-tavola.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Friday July 20, 2007 (6pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

We had an early and quick meal here last month. We were in a hurry to get home so we skipped dessert and appetizers and each had a pasta. I had the fettuccine alla romana; my spouse had the gnocchi. (Both were in the $15 range; I'm using a $$$ for cost because meat entrees are in the low $20s.) Put simply, both were outstanding, if not healthy. Flavors were rich; ingredients were of good quality. We were very impressed. Our server was extremely helpful and friendly; she didn't push the specials up-sell too hard, recommended a yummy cocktail for my spouse, and helped us get out quickly. Decor is standard boring nice-Italian-restaurant-in-America.

We liked it a lot and look forward to returning for a more leisurely meal. While not up to the standard of the best Philadelphia Italian restaurants (e.g., Caffe Casta Diva or Bistro La Viola), I think it is superior to the other Italian restaurant I went to a the same price point, La Scala.