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Violino Gastronomia
- Hours:
Mon-Sat 11 am - 2:30 pm
Mon-Sat 5 pm - 10:30 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
9 reviews for Violino Gastronomia
9 reviews in English
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Review from Brittany K.
Edmonton, AB
1/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Italian food is my all-time favourite. Like, in a discussion the other day with some yelpers about what our top 5 favourite cuisines are, Italian and Indian were the only two that didn't require serious thought. Immediate reaction = PASTA AND CURRY!!!! So of course, being quite the pastaphile, I selected a high-end Italian restaurant for my birthday dinner with my husband and parents.
The "restaurant" is actually a huge ol' mansion converted into a restaurant. Although it's an intimate space, the chairs are a hybrid of regular dining chair and comfy arm chair. Like a comfy armchair with a high back, your table feels very private and you kind of forget about other diners in your room.
I went back and forth and back and forth on what to order. That's kind of hilarious to me, because I ended up ordering what I'd already decided on when perusing the menu a week earlier: the fettucine alfredo, of course.
Our food arrived relatively quickly considering how busy it was (Saturday night). Bruschetta and crab cakes first, then main courses shortly afterwards. A note here, too, that our server was outstanding. Set our napkins down for us, excused himself for his reach every time he had to lean over to fill dad's wine glass, etc. Very polite and friendly.
What they don't tell you when you order the fettucine alrfedo is that it arrives on a tray they set up next to your table, in two separate dishes. Plate of noodles and cheese bowl. They scoop the noodles into the cheese bowl and LIGHT THE WHOLE THING ON FIRE. After you get over the awesomeness of what just happened and dig in, you get to enjoy a large meal (worth the money, I'd say) of saucy, cheesy alfredo-y goodness.
I snuck a bite of my husband's veal, too, which was tender and crispy and full of tomato-y flavour. And I think the best part of the night, food-wise, was dessert. The gelato that night was pistachio, my second favourite (next to lemon). I also noticed that my parents gave each other "the look" when they saw a table two over receive a dessert with a sparkler on top for someone's birthday. Shortly after I ordered dessert, my father excused himself to the rest room and returned after only about 25 seconds. So the sparkler on top of my gelato and "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate sauce on the plate weren't exactly a surprise, but a very wonderful addition to a very wonderful meal.
All of this, of course, is a long-winded way of saying that I loved Violino and I definitely can't wait to come back for another night of top-notch food and service. Bon appetito! -
Review from Lynn K.
St Albert, AB
1/9/2012
The first word that comes to mind when I think of Violino Gastonomia is "charming". The second word would be delicious, then memorable. It was truly a pleasant and relaxing meal that we had recently at this lovely restaurant. The meals were beautifully prepared and the service was fantastic. It was a pleasant surprise, too, when the waiter suggested that we truly relax and take our time enjoying the evening. No rush but just the right amount of fuss. Fantastico!
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Review from Vanessa P.
Edmonton, AB
7/18/2011 ROTD 10/6/2011
Violino is a small and intimate restaurant with a romantic ambiance located in a house near the downtown area.
My parents and I actually stumbled upon this place accidentally while searching for a nice restaurant without the long wait.
I ordered the pesto-cream sauce based pasta with prawns. The perfectly cooked prawns were juicy and succulent. The pesto-cream sauce was good; however, the portion was pretty small for the price.
My parents ordered a (parmesan?) crusted salmon and they thought it was delicious.
I don't really have any complaints on the service. They were fast, friendly, and knowledgable on the different dishes they offer.
The con:
We had ordered crab cakes for the appetizer, but they were a little dry and bland.
Overall, Violino was a nice change from the chains of restaurants located near downtown. It's a good place to take dates, friends and older family, but I don't recommend taking children. -
Review from Jake B.
6/30/2011
Recently, my wife and I enjoyed dinner on the patio at Violino. What a great evening!
The venue is fantastic and full of character, which is not the most common trait in the Edmonton area. I started with the Insalata di Salmone, one of the best salads I have had in a long time, and I was sold as soon as I saw that the dish featured candied smoked salmon (hear the angels singing?)! It was served in a parmesan bowl that broke apart and mixed with the salad as I ate, adding a change in flavor as I made progress. Another nice touch were the edible flower petals that it was garnished with. They tasted like... flowers (no surprise), and there is a reason I don't go around eating flowers, but visually it was a nice touch.
My wife had their Pasticcio di Pollo alla Crema for a main course, and they put the finishing touches on it table-side with a little bit of flaming liqueur in a hollowed out wheel of Parmesan Reggiano, which they tossed the pasta and chicken in before serving it. I couldn't resist a taste, and it had a subtle flavor that was very satisfying. I opted for a spicy Italian sausage risotto that was not on the regular menu, but was fantastic!
The finishing touch was a dessert sampler that is perfect for sharing, which according to their menu is "A collage of; chocolate sponge cake, tiramisu, artisan gelato, fruit filled frittelle flamed table side." I don't have the biggest sweet tooth in the world, but this dish was like a sugar rush from heaven! At only $12, it is probably the best dessert for your money I have had in the city. In fact, the pricing was very reasonable for everything, and significantly less than what we usually spend for a 'date' evening.
Kudos to the waiter, who was obviously fairly new on the job, but was extremely courteous and worked hard to please. My wife and I are not drinkers, and he showed uncommon sensitivity when he communicated to us that he noticed we were not drinking, and the flambéed selections contained liqueur. It was all good, but I was highly impressed at the respect he exhibited.
This is a fairly lengthy review, but my opinion is that it is hard to mess up Italian food, but it is probably more difficult to create Italian food that can be classed as 'amazing'. Violino definitely achieved this on all counts; food quality, service and ambience. It is a destination we will most definitely return to! -
Review from Vanessa L.
Edmonton, AB
7/5/2011
The decor was amazing. The food presented its self in a percise delicacy, and the service was incredible... I' ve work in the industry for a long time and to find a place to match my overdriven taste palate, aswell as my etiquette for attendance, all standards were kept. This is my ultimate go to place if I want to impress someone special or just to enjoy the night out with my man. :) love love love this place.
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Review from Lauren N.
11/15/2008 3 photos
If you're looking for a genuinely romantic restaurant to woo your (soon to be) significant other, I highly recommend Violino. It's an Italian restaurant located in the upscale High Street district, in a newly renovated 1913 mansion. Inside, the restaurant is accented with granite and marble walls, and dark wooden panes around the old-fashioned windows. The suede chairs and fireplace on both levels of the restaurant add to its classic yet modern charm.
My boyfriend and I recently came here for our anniversary, and I was so glad we picked this place. It's absolutely beautiful, plus I felt like a princess the whole night! The waiter did the whole flapping out the napkin and placing it on your lap thing, which I wasn't expecting. We ordered the antipesto misto for appetizers, and their signature dish, the bistecca alla fiorentina, a 40 oz. sterling silver steak with veggies and gratin potatoes. If you order this, be sure to order it earlier on, because it takes them about half an hour to prepare.
Our waiter was really great, and gave impeccable service through the whole night. He suggested that we order the antipesto for one, because the servings are quite large, and we still needed lots of room for our steak. I really appreciated his help on that, because boy was he right! The antipesto misto is basically a platter of cold and hot appetizers, like smoked salmon, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and prawns and scallops. The smoked salmon was delicious, and I highly doubt I will ever taste salmon as good as that anywhere else. I was disappointed that there was only a single shrimp and one scallop on the entire plate. They were delicious -- tender and juicy -- but we had to cut each in half in order to share them! Sorry, Violino, but you lose one star there.
The steak is their signature dish for a reason. They bring it out to you on a cart, and before hand-slicing it for you, they pour some Italian brandy into a ladle and warm this ladle over a flame. Once the flame is really hot and glowing blue, they pour it over the steak, and it all looks like one big blue flame. It's really amazing, to see what you're about to eat engulfed in hot blue fire!
The steak was heavenly -- so tender and juicy! It makes the Keg seem like McDonald's! I noticed a few other tables around us ordered the same dish that night too, and afterwards, the guy sitting behind us commented on how good the steak was as he was leaving. Everyone agreed, you can't beat a steak like that.
I really wanted dessert, but my stomach urged me not to stuff it anymore, or there would be consequences. Our dinner came to $85 that night, including tip. Expensive, but you really can't expect anything less of this place. And for the excellent quality and service, it's definitely worth it. For your next night of fine dining, consider Violino! -
Review from Harriet v.
SHERWOOD PARK, AB
9/30/2010
Another perfect spot in another perfect city! If you enjoy good food, great wine, and excellent service...you've simply got to try it here!!! (beautiful Chilean wine...go ahead...treat yourself!)
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Review from Maria F.
10/14/2009 1 photo
Viloino is a restaurant where I have celebrated my birthday. Feeling the need to impress my guests with my amazing restaurant choice, I chose Violino. I have always wanted to dine there, I simply did not have a big enough reason to visit this uber upscale italian restaurant.
From the outside, Violino looks like a nicely renovated house, and this is one of the reasons it caught my attention in the first place. The inside is just fabulous: main floor and second floor dining areas, fireplaces, beautiful crisp linens on the tables and nice cutlery. To my surprise, every single table was occupied.
Before I get to the food, let me tell you about our server. He was the charm itself. The guy must have attended a British Academy for servers or something, because the service we received from him was impeccable. The guy was Canadian but was trying to speak with the British accent (quite successfully by the way), he was courteous, he made food and wine recommendations, and overall he treated our party like kings and queens. My hat goes off to this gentleman; he works very hard for his money.
Now to talk about the food. .. It was not what I expected. The portions were rather small, and even though you could brake your tongue pronouncing the names of the dishes, they all turned out to be pretty simple and, as unfortunately was the case with my Pollo della Nonna (chicken breast with cream and mushrooms), pretty bland. None of my dining companions were inpressed with the food. What we WERE impressed with were the two bottles of $50 wine. Jesus, was it fantastic!
My party and I paid the obscene check, and left the restaurant feeling a little disappointed with the food but with the best memories of the wine and our fantastic server. If not for him, I would give Violino 3 stars out of five, but he is the reason I give it a 4. -
Review from Jaime S.
Edmonton, AB
2/9/2011
Wow what a fabulous night I had tonight!!! I made reservations for a girls night to celebrate a friend completing her exam and it was fantastic!! Way more than what I expected!! It is a beautiful, romantic, cozy atmosphere with EXCELLENT SERVICE!!! We felt like princess's!! We stayed for three hours and time flew by! The waiter asked us what the celebration was so we told him, and after dinner he came out with a dessert and plate with the words "Congratulations Allison" written in chocolate!! So sweet of him!! We were all so please with this unique, charming place!! a MUST GO!!
