Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano

10 Reviews on “Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano”

• Tami Lumsden Wooding

  We went on a recommendation from our hotel and we are so glad we did! It was a busy Sat. night and the front of the house gentleman was by far the best Ive ever encountered. The food, service and wine was all amazing! If you are craving great Italian food you must go here!!!

  January 22, 2020, 9:12 pm

  Log in to Reply
• Bill O'Connor

  My wife and I visited Dahl and DiLuca (D&D) last Tuesday. The twelfth was our thirtieth wedding anniversary, and D&D was recommended by local friends. For business and pleasure we have dined in dozens of countries on four continents. We have had some remarkable experiences, lots of good food and good people, and thankfully, less than a dozen occasions when an establishment really failed, pretty much on all points. I feel obligated to report to the community of diners that April 12th, 2016 was one of thoseWe chose D&D for its being advertised as a place for a romantic dinner, a recommendation of our Inn-keeper. We were seated at one among a row of two seat tables with barely room to squeeze between, along one wall. The room was full; the background noise level was high. The piano player was reaching the far corners perhaps contributing to patrons raising their voices to attempt conversation. It was impossible both to be heard at a conversational level across the table and to ignore the raised talking level at tables on both sides. My wife reacted emotionally to not being able to have that romantic dinner. That night the room could have passed for a New York deli at noon. The room set up is either cynical greed or is just deceptive advertising; clearly a management problem.I ordered a Caesar. Examples commonly vary between, at, in my estimation, the highest level, predominantly green Romaine with sparse central veins, through whole leaves, to mostly white veins with little green. The dressing should include grated parmigiano-reggiano, a little Dijon mustard, and egg yolk for high flavor and a clinging consistency. What I was served was 85% veins and a dressing, where it hadnt dripped off the Romaine, nearly absent seeming to be mostly lemon juice. Its left to your imagination to wonder what they actually do with the green parts of the leaves. I sent it back, which the server accepted brightly, as seems her habit, but without a look, hesitation, or question on the return of a full salad plate. My wife was served their adequate insalata mista, followed by a good but definitely not outstanding veal piccata. No real complaint on the salad or piccata, but when food and service begins not to measure up, at $100 per person full meal, standards tend to tighten, at least with me.I had veal marsala whose flavor, though not temperature, was pedestrian, but just about right. When it was served I asked the server if she understood why I had returned the salad. She seemed to, at least no later than my question. In this lukewarm marsala the veal, though cooked correctly was curled seeming to have been crowded in the pan. I thought the smallness and slimness of the slices might justify a fourth. Our entrees were not bad food; they just were not in any way up to the pricing; there was nothing outstanding to cause anyone to seek them out at D&D. Service was acceptable but the server had the disconcerting, busy night, way of asking a question and disappearing before it was answered, sort of like a normal doctor visit. Though it took two tries to get a hot cup of coffee, we thought we might salvage a dessert or two so I had the Italian wedding cake and my wife the flourless chocolate cake, which, though well flavored, sadly came with a grainy texture like bad fudge. The IWC was inexplicable. The mascarpone was heavy and grainy. Too much sugar ruined the light silky smoothness it requires; I could not detect a hint of coconut with nose, mouth or eye, and the nut pieces, whatever they were, were too small and sparse to identify. They looked too dark to be walnuts, but I did not taste pecan or, really any, other flavor. The best Italian wedding cake is truly decedent, with a silky, seductive mascarpone, and an overwhelming abundance of walnuts and coconut that seems to fill the baked cake. My wife agreed that this IWC was flavorless, and it was returned. The server also brought a crme brulee on the house for our anniversary.The crme brulee was a mush with far less body than the dish requires. It also wasnt finished. Growing admirably desperate, the server wouldnt accept my refusal of her offer of a tiramisu. This, at last, came well made, with separate components that remained apart to be blended in the mouth, and held up to second and third bites instead of collapsing into mush as these too often do.As we were reassuring the server, that the problems were little to do with her, the floor manager came over and brusquely said he heard we had had a problem with a salad. As I related the above he grew visibly angry, and when I finished he looked down at the table and remarked that at least I seemed to like the sugar. There were four empty envelopes because the first cup of cool dishwater, so I had to sugar and cream two cups to get one drinkable. Fortunately, since my own temper was shortened by his attitude, he stormed off with an offer to do something before I could respond. The bill presented was an insult. It included everything short of the Caesar, one of the desserts and some arbitrary 10% or so. We paid and as we left, he, having perhaps thought better of his behavior, stopped me and asked if he could do something else. I was of a mind to walk on, but he seemed genuinely frightened. I softened and decided to give him a chance to make amends. He explained that everything is made in house. I replied that that is a framework. One still has to execute and be constantly self critical rather than self-satisfied. He said that she has prepared Caesar like that for 25 years. I replied that a thousand cherubim singing it would not improve the taste. He said perhaps California people like the food as prepared for us. I wondered if Californians thought themselves taste bud dead and, even so, if Californians could support a Sedona restaurant by themselves. He then fell back on we were crowded tonight. I offered, that using a crowded restaurant as an excuse for poor food, indifferent preparation, blithe service and impudent management was, over time, a self correcting problem. But he bid me wait for a further offer. When his offer turned out to be merely a $25 future discount, I turned it down; and our judgment of Dahl and DiLuca was sealed. Everybody screws up. Its what you do after the screw-up that defines your character..Since the decidedly un-romantic room setup, recipes and service practices, are the foundation of their problems, and management believes that half-measures, insults and a high-handed attitude makes amends for abominable customer experiences, we will not find our way back. We did have truly outstanding food and respectful, attentive service on visits to both The Hudson and Schoolhouse this trip, and an honest, well made and served lunch of a half BLT and hash browns at Nickys diner that set me back seven bucks. So, all in all, it was a good food visit to one of the most inspiring parts of the country.

  July 21, 2016, 11:45 am

  Log in to Reply
• Sona Khosla

  Perfect for a special occasion or lovers of Italian fare & ambiance. The food was exquisite with delicate flavors and fresh and high quality ingredients. The ambiance is elegant and romantic. The service was professional, but it wasn’t as warm and welcoming as I would have liked. Had the Brutus Caesar and the Ravioli Romano – both of which were delightful! Probably the best Italian food I’ve ever had.

  December 25, 2015, 9:07 pm

  Log in to Reply