Alessio's Italiano Ristorante

This restaurant has always been on my list for romantic and non-intrusive evenings but ONLY if I get the alcove table ... there is only one. It can get noisy if the next table is full of boisterous people but the food is superb and the the bar am ... more

This restaurant has always been on my list for romantic and non-intrusive evenings but ONLY if I get the alcove table ... there is only one. It can get noisy if the next table is full of boisterous people but the food is superb and the the bar ambiance is wonderful. I like being left alone to enjoy my mean - this is the place to do it. less

We chose this restaurant after reading the online rave reviews.. Unfortunately, when we got to the restaurant, there was no hostess to greet us at the door. We stood and waited for about 4 minutes before being acknowledged. If that wasn't bad enough, ... more

We chose this restaurant after reading the online rave reviews.. Unfortunately, when we got to the restaurant, there was no hostess to greet us at the door. We stood and waited for about 4 minutes before being acknowledged. If that wasn't bad enough, we told them our name and that we had called for a reservation ahead of time, and were seated in a brightly lit room, in front of the bar, next to smokers by the piano. We asked to be moved to a non-smoking area, as both of us were getting over colds, and the waitress told us 'what do you expect in Highland Park? There's no smoking restrictions here--sorry'. Smoke from the bar and surrounding tables was awful. Service was slow at best. Waiters had to be reminded of the next course to come out, etc. My husband and I shared a good venison appetizer followed by 2 different chicken main courses, which were very tasty. Expensive--would be worth the price if.... Overall, I would give the restaurant 2 stars... Areas of improvement would include greeting guests at the door, (I worked for an airline, and you don't think we'd let passengers just wander about aimlessly, do you?)getting at least a designated area for smokers vs. nonsmokers, and having more waitresses on duty to handle a heavy Saturday night's crowd...also, when we made our reservation, we were under the impression we were getting a seat in the quiet, dark, romantic section of the restaurant. My husband and I were dressed in formal attire, so there should be no excuse, as there were empty tables there. We would NOT make the trip from Ft. Worth to Dallas again until the afore-mentioned improvements were made!!! less