Penne Pomodoro

Jen Jared, says:

• Food:

  4/5

• Vibe:

  5/5

• Service:

  4/5

• Value:

  4/5

• Overall:

  4/5

We visited here for Sunday brunch, (which includes $1 mimosas and bellinis.) I was a huge fan of Kitchen 1924, and though I now live in the area, hadn't realized until this weekend that its space had been filled by this Italian-esque restaurant. I loved the seating in the "public walkway," which I found to be a very clever idea that gets people in the door and smelling the food. Our actual server was a little slow in getting to the table initially, but I was under the impression that she had been gotten multiple tables at a time, and having 'done time' in the service industry, I can definitely sympathize. In the meantime, another server brought us drinks, and we had plenty of time to look over the menu.

I started with the "salad of the day," a delicious arugula salad, lightly dressed in a lemon-herb vinaigrette and served with heirloom tomatoes and hearts of palm. I loved it! My fiancee had the side caesar. The caesar dressing was underwhelming and had little taste, but the fresh, house-made croutons made the dish. For the main course, I had the wild mushroom ragout over gnocchi with grilled chicken. The sauce could have used more spice, but the gnocchi was perfectly cooked: not gummy, yet not tough. My fiancee had the white pizza with cherry tomatoes, and she added spinach. The crust was crisp and exquisite, perfectly seasoned and not too salty. My fiancee's father had the eggs benedict which, while not as pretty a presentation as we have found at "Another Broken Egg," was very tasty and well-made. The focaccia bread was the same texture and tastiness as the pizza crust with an added hint of rosemary which really set it apart.

The mimosas, too, were a wonderful value at $1, better than some $8-$12 mimosas I've had by far. Our server gladly added a splash of cranberry juice to mine, (I prefer a "poin-mosa,") and substituted grapefruit juice in John's.

For dessert, we ordered the tiramisu and creme brulee. After our delicious and filling meal, we were only able to eat a bite or two of the desserts, but they were equally well-prepared, and the presentation was lovely, with berries and sprig of mint.

Our server, Lauren, was a lovely young lady, who was actually working on her birthday. She is new to the restaurant, and she was kind, informative, and gladly saw to our every need and want.

Overall, I highly recommend the Lakewood location of Penne Pomodoro.