Just a short walk from campus, Comensoli’s on W. Main provides a nice change from the cafeteria without draining students’ pockets of the little disposable income they have.
The dimly lit restaurant seats students, couples and families in either the main dining room or on a patio that can be opened up for the summer months. The front wall of the dining room is covered with huge windows that allow a view of the street through open blinds allowing outside light to enter the room. Black tablecloths and black carpet go right along with the lowered lighting. A large red brick wall on one side of the room is home to the few framed pieces of art in the dining room. No music plays inside Comensoli’s, but the small dining room allows for the dull noise of conversation to cloud the room. The tables in the restaurant are no more than five feet away from their closest neighbor, which makes maneuvering the room a tad awkward. Comensoli’s begins to fill up quickly with a dinner crowd around 6:30 and guests may wish to call ahead and reserve a table. As the restaurant becomes more full, the noise level increases, but never reaches a point to disrupt conversation. Depending on where patrons are seated, they can enjoy an obstructed view of the kitchen behind the bar where waiters and waitresses file in and out. This closeness of the kitchen allows guests easy access to smells that tease them as they wait for their food and the occasional sizzle of the grill to get their appetite going.
The wait staff possess a strong knowledge of the menu and provide good overall attention to their guests. They are personable and more than willing to engage patrons in conversation. Staff are always prepared to tend to a full house and one of them seems to be constantly be moving from table to table ensuring water glasses never reach empty.
Served with six pieces of toasted crostini, the feta bruschetta, an appetizer, comes out in a delicious warm half-sphere of Roma tomatoes, red onion, basil, garlic and feta cheese. The six pieces of toasted crostini are a few too little as there is much more of the bruschetta-topping than the crostini can accommodate, and even so, the dish is best shared between two people, as even with more bread, it is not a large serving. The small serving is a trivial issue though because the tomato dominant dish is absolutely wonderful. The combination of red onion and garlic gives the dish a slight spice that is piquant and complements the thick cheese and crisp tomatoes well.
The garlic bread appetizer is also small. Only four-pieces of bread are served with marinara sauce, but every bite should be savored. Mozzarella cheese is melted perfectly on top of Comensoli’s bread as a warm-gooey topping. Although the flavors are simple and common, they are combined without flaw and do not disappoint.
Shrimp, ocean clams, tomatoes, scallions and garlic served in fettuccine with a white wine cream sauce make up the frutta di mare. Guests seeking a dish packed with shrimp and ocean clams should look elsewhere. Though the lack of shrimp is not necessarily a bad thing as it is a little tough. While outshining the shrimp, the ocean clams are far from spectacular as well. Where the shrimp and clam falter, the white wine sauce shines. It is by far the best part of the dish. It provides a thick, creamy flavor to everything it comes in contact with. The bread served with entrees is a tad bland, but when combined with the white wine sauce, it is rushed with flavor. In fact, the bread smothered in the wine sauce is a better combination than the pasta with the sauce. Guests should be prepared to ask for more bread. They may find themselves pushing fettuccine aside for easier access to the pool of cream sauce coating their plate.
One dish that is not bread dominant is the chicken picatta. Two chickens breasts are served breaded with a lemon, caper and cream sauce. The chicken is moist with strong flavor by itself, but the lemon, caper, cream sauce adds another dimension to the flavor. The combination is somehow both mellow and sapid. The simple flavors work together to tease and satisfy mouths with differing textures and tastes. The chicken picatta is the type of dish that provides a reliable enough taste to make guests scared to try something new. Not because it may be bad, but straying to different portions of the menu would mean having to eat something besides the chicken picatta.
Comensoli’s allows for an affordable dining experience even with a college budget. The appetizers on the menu are all right around $6 with none of them reaching over $10. All of their entrees range from about $11 to $16. Along with various pasta dishes, the menu has “dinner specialities” consisting of a few chicken dishes, veal, salmon and steak. On any given night, Comensoli’s provides a special not found on the menu. They also offer guests the opportunity to make their own pasta dish by choosing the type of pasta, sauce and meat. Comensoli’s does not offer a dessert menu.
For students seeking to satisfy tastes outside of just hunger, Comensoli’s has a bar contained in the dining room that seats five or six people max. Their drink menu has 38 different martinis as well as a small selection of beer. They have a variety of bottles of both red and white wine that average around $30 per bottle. For those looking to impress though, the restaurant offers a few bottles that cost upward of $100 per bottle.
Student’s looking to enjoy a romantic dinner with a significant other, dine out with friends or just to escape the terrifying cafeteria for a night can find a home at Comensoli’s. It won’t require borrowing a roommate’s car or cutting back on Biggby for a few weeks to save. They provide a hearty, delicious meal at affordable prices and employ a friendly wait staff with complete knowledge of the menu. Comensoli’s is not the best of the best. It has its flaws. Overall though, the positives far outweigh the negatives and guests should leave the restaurant with nothing to complain about. And if nothing else, their bread is fantastic.
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