Okay. So I hear about the place, Dom's Patio Villa, and how it has some the best Italian food in town. This probably wouldn't be too great of a feat, given that this is Champaign-Urbana. But what the heck. I grabbed a buddy of mine, and went to town. How much food can two guys put down? Not nearly enough. It should have been 4 people to really sample the menu, but whatever. I can always go back, and try to confirm my thoughts later.
The place is right near everything, but you wouldn't really see it unless you were looking for it. That's a definitely plus. The building looks sort of shady, as the entrance was built into a solid wall, painted white, with no windows. This is the sort of place that you see in the movies, and I was half-expecting to see Joey "Fingers" Moretti and Frankie "Fish Food" Rizzetti with the rest of the wiseguys inside. But then I remembered that this was cornbread Illinois, and not New York or Chicago, and stepped inside with confidence.
The place is cool - sort of nondescript. There's a funny mural on the wall, and the place looked sort of like a banquet hall - nice, but sort of sterile. The crowd was generally older, family oriented. Not the hip-spot. But that's OK. We're here to eat, not to see and be seen.
As you sit down, you get a couple little wedges of focaccia, with some herbed olive oil to dip. Excellent - the bread picks up the oil nicely, and you get this fun sensation as the dense bread sort of melts in your mouth with a smoky flavor. Good times, though they didn't offer to bring out more bread. That would have definitely made the wait a little more fun.
But the wait wasn't long - there was a very helpful server who pointed out the popular dishes, and seemed pretty knowledgeable. The only downside to the place was that there were too many "house secrets." They don't always understand that they are in the cooking business, not just the food business. Chances are, I can make whatever they make. I just want them to do it for me this time.
The server recommended the Chicken ala Dom, the Braciole (bruh-shoal), or the Manicotti. We went with two of the three, as we went with the Galena in lieu of the Chicken ala Dom, as it was the same dish, only with a filling, instead of just a chicken breast. In addition to the three entrees, they also had rice balls as an appetizer. This definitely had potential, as well. This was a research project, and we were going to be meticulous.
The side salads and the rice balls came quickly. The rice balls were a rich, somewhat spicy meat filing, surrounded by a mixture of rice and cheese (probably mozzarella), and then deep fried. We got two of the golden fried treats, and a side of the marinara sauce. They were excellent. Crispy on the outside, savory on the inside. The marinara was fun, as it had a very bright, a little sweet, and a little savory tomato flavor to it. What made it a little different was the abundance of garlic, cut up into small, but visible pieces. Very tasty if you're into garlic. But, the next time, I'll ask for an alfredo dipping sauce, as the marinara competed with the filling a little too much. The salads were pretty plain - chopped up iceberg, a slice of tomato, and a slice of cucumber. The house Italian dressing was fun though. Very light, a little sweet, a little sour, and very different. It's generally not my style (think rich bleu cheese dressing), but it was a good change of pace, and a good complement to the fried rice balls.
There was a little wait until the entrees came, but the server was great about coming by and bringing drink refills. A very underrated part of the dining experience - servers should be relatively hands off to let you have some conversation, but always looking to see if you need more drinks. A server who can bring refills without being asked usually rings up an extra 5% on my tip.
The three entrees all came together, with a basket of a tasty, crispy garlic bread. With the abundance of sauce that was on all of the dishes, I was pretty confident that we'd be using up the bread.
The Braciole was a roulade - sirloin steak, stuffed with a mix of breading, salami, and pepperoni, all ground up finely - served with a small side of spaghetti, all smothered in marinara sauce. It was definitely tasty, but could have used a more tender cut of beef, as the sirloin was a little tougher than I was expecting. The filling could have been just a touch heartier, as it tended to dissipate in the marinara sauce while you sliced it (which was accentuated by the tougher cut of steak). It wasn't bad, but there are other items that would be on my list before the Braciole.
One such dish would be the Galena. Another roulade, this time a spicy filling of beef, pork, and cheese, rolled up into a pounded chicken breast. It came in a rich, white wine sauce, again accented heavily with garlic. This roulade was very tender, and pre-sliced. The filling was a little more solid than in the Braciole, and was easier to eat all parts of the dish together, letting the flavors blend.
The manicotti was the last dish to be sampled, and it was very good, though the portion could have been larger. A little more care would have been preferred in putting sauce on top of the noodles, as parts of the noodles were uncovered, and were dried out by the broiler. The noodles were stuffed with two different fillings, one meat and one cheese. The meat was excellent - spicy, and meaty. It had a little bit chew to it, so that you knew that you were eating a meat filling. The cheese was tasty, but a little bit too dense. A little less egg and mozzarella in the filling would loosen it up and give a creamier taste.
The final act of gluttony was dessert. They had homemade cannoli and tiramisu. The tiramisu was pedestrian. The flavor could have been a little richer - using a good espresso instead of Kahula probably would do the trick. And there could have been a greater amount of the marscapone filling. It wasn't bad, but it wouldn't be a reason to come back.
However, that was not true of the cannoli, which was amazing. The shell was crispy, and just the right hybrid of cripy and crunchy. It also had a subtle cinnamon flavor to it that really worked. The filling was very tasty, with a light, sweet taste and feel, that was complemented by chocolate chips, and candied fruit. Here was another "house secret" that mildly annoyed me. We were trying to figure out what the candied fruit was soaked in. I was guessing brandy or maybe amaretto. My buddy guessed rum. And the server didn't know, and told us that it was a secret. Regardless, the cannoli alone made this trip worthwhile.
All in all, this was a good place to get a quality meal. After tax and tip, you'd probably expect to spend $40 - $50 for a dinner for two, sharing an appetizer and a dessert, without wine. A little more than doing the Olive Garden, but the food is much better. The final rating will have to wait until the rest of the menu gets a look, but for now?
-foodgeek
Rating: 0.5 stars, with potential for another 0.5 star.
Dom's Italian Patio - 301 S. Locust, Champaign, IL. (217) 352-8444. Appetizers: $2.95 - $9.75; Sandwiches: $3.25 - $7.50; Entrees: $8.75 - $16.95; Desserts: $2.75 - $4.75. Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations recommended on the weekends.
Long overdue update: Dom's closed it's doors in 2007, after the original owners passed.
The place is right near everything, but you wouldn't really see it unless you were looking for it. That's a definitely plus. The building looks sort of shady, as the entrance was built into a solid wall, painted white, with no windows. This is the sort of place that you see in the movies, and I was half-expecting to see Joey "Fingers" Moretti and Frankie "Fish Food" Rizzetti with the rest of the wiseguys inside. But then I remembered that this was cornbread Illinois, and not New York or Chicago, and stepped inside with confidence.
The place is cool - sort of nondescript. There's a funny mural on the wall, and the place looked sort of like a banquet hall - nice, but sort of sterile. The crowd was generally older, family oriented. Not the hip-spot. But that's OK. We're here to eat, not to see and be seen.
As you sit down, you get a couple little wedges of focaccia, with some herbed olive oil to dip. Excellent - the bread picks up the oil nicely, and you get this fun sensation as the dense bread sort of melts in your mouth with a smoky flavor. Good times, though they didn't offer to bring out more bread. That would have definitely made the wait a little more fun.
But the wait wasn't long - there was a very helpful server who pointed out the popular dishes, and seemed pretty knowledgeable. The only downside to the place was that there were too many "house secrets." They don't always understand that they are in the cooking business, not just the food business. Chances are, I can make whatever they make. I just want them to do it for me this time.
The server recommended the Chicken ala Dom, the Braciole (bruh-shoal), or the Manicotti. We went with two of the three, as we went with the Galena in lieu of the Chicken ala Dom, as it was the same dish, only with a filling, instead of just a chicken breast. In addition to the three entrees, they also had rice balls as an appetizer. This definitely had potential, as well. This was a research project, and we were going to be meticulous.
The side salads and the rice balls came quickly. The rice balls were a rich, somewhat spicy meat filing, surrounded by a mixture of rice and cheese (probably mozzarella), and then deep fried. We got two of the golden fried treats, and a side of the marinara sauce. They were excellent. Crispy on the outside, savory on the inside. The marinara was fun, as it had a very bright, a little sweet, and a little savory tomato flavor to it. What made it a little different was the abundance of garlic, cut up into small, but visible pieces. Very tasty if you're into garlic. But, the next time, I'll ask for an alfredo dipping sauce, as the marinara competed with the filling a little too much. The salads were pretty plain - chopped up iceberg, a slice of tomato, and a slice of cucumber. The house Italian dressing was fun though. Very light, a little sweet, a little sour, and very different. It's generally not my style (think rich bleu cheese dressing), but it was a good change of pace, and a good complement to the fried rice balls.
There was a little wait until the entrees came, but the server was great about coming by and bringing drink refills. A very underrated part of the dining experience - servers should be relatively hands off to let you have some conversation, but always looking to see if you need more drinks. A server who can bring refills without being asked usually rings up an extra 5% on my tip.
The three entrees all came together, with a basket of a tasty, crispy garlic bread. With the abundance of sauce that was on all of the dishes, I was pretty confident that we'd be using up the bread.
The Braciole was a roulade - sirloin steak, stuffed with a mix of breading, salami, and pepperoni, all ground up finely - served with a small side of spaghetti, all smothered in marinara sauce. It was definitely tasty, but could have used a more tender cut of beef, as the sirloin was a little tougher than I was expecting. The filling could have been just a touch heartier, as it tended to dissipate in the marinara sauce while you sliced it (which was accentuated by the tougher cut of steak). It wasn't bad, but there are other items that would be on my list before the Braciole.
One such dish would be the Galena. Another roulade, this time a spicy filling of beef, pork, and cheese, rolled up into a pounded chicken breast. It came in a rich, white wine sauce, again accented heavily with garlic. This roulade was very tender, and pre-sliced. The filling was a little more solid than in the Braciole, and was easier to eat all parts of the dish together, letting the flavors blend.
The manicotti was the last dish to be sampled, and it was very good, though the portion could have been larger. A little more care would have been preferred in putting sauce on top of the noodles, as parts of the noodles were uncovered, and were dried out by the broiler. The noodles were stuffed with two different fillings, one meat and one cheese. The meat was excellent - spicy, and meaty. It had a little bit chew to it, so that you knew that you were eating a meat filling. The cheese was tasty, but a little bit too dense. A little less egg and mozzarella in the filling would loosen it up and give a creamier taste.
The final act of gluttony was dessert. They had homemade cannoli and tiramisu. The tiramisu was pedestrian. The flavor could have been a little richer - using a good espresso instead of Kahula probably would do the trick. And there could have been a greater amount of the marscapone filling. It wasn't bad, but it wouldn't be a reason to come back.
However, that was not true of the cannoli, which was amazing. The shell was crispy, and just the right hybrid of cripy and crunchy. It also had a subtle cinnamon flavor to it that really worked. The filling was very tasty, with a light, sweet taste and feel, that was complemented by chocolate chips, and candied fruit. Here was another "house secret" that mildly annoyed me. We were trying to figure out what the candied fruit was soaked in. I was guessing brandy or maybe amaretto. My buddy guessed rum. And the server didn't know, and told us that it was a secret. Regardless, the cannoli alone made this trip worthwhile.
All in all, this was a good place to get a quality meal. After tax and tip, you'd probably expect to spend $40 - $50 for a dinner for two, sharing an appetizer and a dessert, without wine. A little more than doing the Olive Garden, but the food is much better. The final rating will have to wait until the rest of the menu gets a look, but for now?
-foodgeek
Rating: 0.5 stars, with potential for another 0.5 star.
Dom's Italian Patio - 301 S. Locust, Champaign, IL. (217) 352-8444. Appetizers: $2.95 - $9.75; Sandwiches: $3.25 - $7.50; Entrees: $8.75 - $16.95; Desserts: $2.75 - $4.75. Open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Reservations recommended on the weekends.
Long overdue update: Dom's closed it's doors in 2007, after the original owners passed.
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