Il Capriccio

Although located in Waltham, Il Capriccio has long been known to be one of the top italian restaurants in Boston, topping the lists of various websites for "Best Italian Food", beating out even some restaurants in the North End. I took advantage of the fact that it was Restaurant Week and made a dinner reservation on Friday. The restaurant had a classic and simple decor and was rather maze like with many hallways. The Restaurant Week set menu had a lot of decent choices and my housemate and I decided to order all different things and share everything so we could try out as many things as possible.

Tuna Tartare with Avocado and House Chips
The tuna tartare was very fresh and the hint of onions gave the dish the perfect amount of kick. The avocado was creamy and wrapped the entire dish together. The crispiness of the chips balanced out the soft creamy texture of the tartare.

Seared Foie Gras, Balsamic Onions, Reduced Apple Cider and Pear
Foie Gras is one of my all time favorite foods. This was actually quite a disappointment. The foie gras was overcooked and did not have that silky melt in your mouth fattiness that I am so fond of. The flavor was also lacking, it almost tasted like chicken liver. The balsamic onions and pear was done well but the star of the dish was not impressive. 

Vermont Quail with Sweetbread Stuffing, Marsala, Roast Potatoes and Trumpet Mushrooms
This dish was very flavorful and was enjoyable. The quail was tender and the sweet bread stuffing was complemented the quail very nicely with its rich taste. A decent but not mind blowing dish.

Pan Roasted Giannone Chicken "Schnitzel", Fried Egg, White Wine, Cipolline, and Potato Tart
Chicken was well done and the skin was very crispy. Once again, decent taste but not amazing. I also felt that the side dishes on both the first Secondi and this one was the same: carrots, cauliflower, and some other greens. This could be because of restaurant therefore the restaurants are not as detailed as usual but I believe that a truly good restaurant should ensure their dishes are exquisite and top notch regardless of what promotional period it is. 

Lemon Creme Brulee
The dessert was expertly prepared. The touch of lemon flavor was genius and made the already creamy and luscious creme brulee even more delicious. 

Warm Chocolate Budino with Whipped Cream
Delicious chocolate cake that ended the meal perfectly. Cake was smooth and rich with a bold chocolate flavor.  

Overall food was fine but it was not something that blew me away. Service was excellent and very attentive. Wine list was also very comprehensive and impressive. The food was prepared well yet there wasn't any particular dish that made me think "I must return here again for this". In terms of Italian food in the area I definitely thought La Campania was better. Still a enjoyable evening though for I am always happy to try new restaurants.