Etrusco

Penne Al Verde

This isn't the first time I have written about Etrusco. But seeing as the last time I wrote about Etrusco was way back in 2006 and I didn't have very good pictures, I think it's time for time for an update.

I visited Etrusco last week with a few friends and it's good to see that despite the recent economic climate and numerous businesses closing down around town, Etrusco was bustling on a Thursday night. And why shouldn't it be? Etrusco offers consistently decent food, a pleasant ambience and reasonable prices and it's that sort of consistency and familiarity that keeps people coming back for more.

Salsiccia

There are, however, a few comments I would have to make if I were to be completely honest. I have not visited Etrusco as often as I would otherwise have because of the following (personal) reasons/preferences:

1. The food, while always decent, is not outstanding. I have a few favourite items on the menu, but I can also make pretty good pasta at home. Thus, there is less motivation for me to go to a restaurant to have something I can quite easily make myself.
2. The ambience is pleasant...when it's not busy. When it's busy, for some reason the acoustics of the place just amplifies the noise and you have to shout at the person next to you to have a conversation. You also have to wait (for service or food) quite a bit if they're busy.
3. The last time my friends and I visited Etrusco, years ago, we had a snotty waitress and our experience with her was probably the main reason we avoided going back to Etrusco. All the other staff were lovely, but every time we were there, we got the same waitress. Over the years, there were numerous occasions where when we were thinking of some place to go to just for a nice dinner or to celebrate something, Etrusco came up, but was quickly dismissed because of our experience with that waitress. What can I say? Can't blame us for not wanting to put up with her again, can you?

Michelangelo

Having said all that, I am glad I went back. We had a very friendly and pleasant waiter, a really enjoyable meal and a good ol' chat among friends. I ordered the Penne Al Nono, gobbled it down very quickly because I was starving, and promptly spent the rest of the meal eyeing my friend's Penne Al Verde (which is one of my favourites and was the other thing I contemplating ordering but didn't because there's no meat in it and I am unfortunately one of those people who feels like they haven't eaten if they haven't had any meat). Luckily we all shared our food so I got a bite of the Verde and a slice of the Salsiccia, which was quite yummy (Please visit Etrusco's website for descriptions of the menu items.)

Penne Al Nono

We also had desserts: the Tiramisu, the Hot Fudge Sundae and the Gelato. Apparently the Gelato and Tiramisu were very good and my Hot Fudge Sundae was just what I needed to round off the meal. Slurp.

Etrusco

The Savoy Building

8A Moray Place

Dunedin