Italian Cuisine
(404) 524-5702
Dowtown Atlanta
191 Peachtree St NE # 3
Atlanta, GA 30303-1740
http://www.ilmulino.com/
DARIO " THE AVERAGE MAN" MOBLEY 7-6-2009:
Man, I really felt under dressed for this place when I first arrived to the door. It was a very fancy place that had the attitude of essence and elegance. When we were pulling up in my 2002 Ford Explorer, there was an older guy and his wife getting out of a Jaguar giving me that snot nose treatment.(That did not happen. I made that up.) lol!!! However, when we walked inside, there were only two other people there so we barely escaped the embarrassment that we would have faced from the paparazzi had we been spotted at a place with so few people.
We NARROWLY Escaped The Paparazzi !!!
This restaurant was interesting for many reasons. It really was one of those places that stressed service. We literally had three different waiters helping us. There was the normal waiter, the captain waiter and the wine expert. It was confusing because at one point, I thought our original waiter had just left or been fired because he seemed to disappear for a long period of time.
Anyhow, they started us out with an array of breads and appetizers. Keep in mind that these appetizers are the ones that we did not order. One second we were sitting there with just water and napkins and the next second our table was full like the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Indians. It was actually kind of funny. Additionally, in about 15 minutes or so, they cleared all of the "pre"-appetizers off of the table.
After that, "The Foodie" ordered a glass of wine and I ordered a Grey Goose and Cranberry. If you are looking for a cheap date like Thurgood (Dave Chappelle) had with Mary Jane (Rachel True) on the Movie "Half-Baked", this is not the place. My cocktail was $13.00 !!!! WOW!!!!!!
Anyhow, here is what we had for dinner:
Scampi Oreganata
Jumbo Shrimp with bread crumb sauce sauteed with white wine, lemon and garlic served with escarole
Pappardelle with Sausage
Fresh Pappardelle pasta and sausage served in a tomato-basil sauce with wild mushrooms and onions
Tortellinni alla Panna
Meat Tortellini with Cream Sauce and Sweet Peas with a touch of black truffle sauce
The food was good and it was reasonable. We ended up with a $120.00 total bill. However, in hindsight, I felt like I was being a cheap ass and a little bit conservative. There were some items on the menu that was priced as high as $55.00 dollars. Also, I felt that there were a lot of other interesting appetizers that I would have normally tried. The point is not to try something extremely expensive though. For me, if I see something that sounds interesting, I should try it without hesitation. Who am I anyway? I am not the guy who only goes to Applebee's when the appetizers are two for one and order the chicken quesidilla EVERY TIME. I am not referring to anyone in particular but I have seen those type of guys in action and it is pretty funny. (I AM TALKING ABOUT ROY I PIERCE FROM MARSHALL, MICHIGAN. ROY I PEIRCE, ROY I PIERCE, ROY I PIERCE, ROY I PIERCE !!!) What does the "I" stand for? I could never figure that out. Anyway, like I said, I was not referring to anyone that I personally know or worked with and lived with in Jackson, Michigan but I just have the broad mental picture of how I expect that person to look and I can't resist sharing this image with you:
ROY I. PIERCE & DARIO MOBLEY IN AUGUSTA MAINE. ROY HAS THE RED HAT ON AND HE IS THE WHITE GUY!!!!!!!
Yeah, this is not the real Roy Pierce. I honestly just grabbed a random picture off of the internet and really painted a mental picture of what I thought he would look like. Again, This is not really Roy I Pierce. ( Alert: Yes it is. Roy Pierce has the red beard and white shirt and has two fingers off.)
Consequently, I think I need to have another visit to this restaurant and spend about $250.00 bucks and get all the things that I really wanted. I will go back as soon as I get a chance but until then, all I have for you is that Il Mulino's is a very fancy place with good food and amazing service. The food was not mind blowing but it did the trick. My grade is:
B- Amazing Service with Good Food but Not a Place to Hangout and Drink
Happy Eating,
Dario "THE AVERAGE MAN" Mobley
ANGELA "THE FOODIE" SAYS:
I have a serious problem with laughing, and tend to do it at inappropriate times - especially at restaurants. I tried to muffle by chuckles at Vita when Average Man and I first met our flamboyant waiter, and I did the same when the "show" started at Il Mulino.
First off, I consider myself well versed in the proper way to eat things at restaurants, but I was totally baffled when a slew of wait staff came over to drop off a boatload of food that was meant to be the equivalent of bread/butter at other restaurants. First came the zuccini; then one of the many servers came over with a block of parmesan the size of my head and put thin shavings on our bread plates; then came fourr small circles (each as big as my toe) of some sort of salami; and then several types of bread. I giggled to myself as all the various plates made their way to our table at once from several different servers. It seemed quite theatrical to me (hence my nervous laughter). Then I leaned over and told "Average Man," I didn't know if the non-bread items were meant to go on the bread because some of the bread pieces already had toppings...I still don't know, but it was tasty!
We ordered our food, and - just like Average Man - I felt kind of bad for ordering one of the cheaper things on the menu. We were getting first-class service, Average Man's water was refilled every time he took a sip and we just had a boatload of free, unrequested food brought out to us. However, I came to eat tortellini alla panna (a favorite dish of mine growing up) so that's what I got.
The shrimp oreganata appetizer was delicious and I'd definitely have it again. The tortellini alla panna was good, but nowhere near the best I've had.
All in all, I enjoyed myself, but was happy when we got out of there and went to Hand in Hand to sit outside on plastic chairs and enjoy cheap drinks. After leaving Il Mulino, I felt like I had just been in a stuffy museum and wanted to "let my hair down." Great service, good food, but not really a scene I could regularly get into.
Always hungry,
Angela "The Foodie"
