From the hype when this restaurant opened, we thought it was a very upscale, classy place. This past year my husband and I decided to try it. We dressed up and were disappointed from the moment we walked in. There was absolutely no ambiance. We felt like we were in a loud cafeteria, seated in front of the open kitchen. People around us had flip-flops on with tee shirts and shorts. The restaurant boasts of a wine bar, but our waitress never even asked if we's like something to drink. When I asked for a wine menu she would not bring one, but instead started naming some wines of which she had no knowledge. The surroundings were awful. The noise was awful, and the service was disgraceful. We left after one small plate of something that was quite over-priced, and went to a fine restaurant in Ames that has everything +39 is lacking. Would NEVER return to this place!

Great food and atmosphere. Went for lunch. Had Margarita Pizza and Burger with fennel, white truffle aioli, salad and rosemary fries. All very good. Dessert and coffee were amazing. The cannoli is true Italian and the coconut custard pie was delicious. Can't say enough about the coffee. Dark and rich. Would go again. Highly recommend for people who like high end quality food.

My wife and I went there for dinner. Excellent dining experience in small town Iowa. The interior had a cozy feel with a modern touch. Our waiter was an ISU student just starting his weekend shift but he was very attentive and knowledgeable about every menu item we asked about. The wine list has an expansive selection of Italian wines, many of them moderately priced at $30-$50. The cured meats and cheese antipasti is a must order. It's almost a meal in and of itself. The housemade pita bread with the thin sliced cheese (I think it was a cheddar) and raspberry sauce was particularly good. For the entree I had the meatballs served over whipped ricotta cheese, and my wife had mushroom pasta in a very heavy cheese sauce. Both were excellent. For dessert, I can't say enough about the coconut cake. It managed to be rich but not cloying, and there was a little touch of lemon or citrus in it. It's also surprisingly reasonable for the quality of the food. For $120 plus tip - we got an appetizer, two entrees, one bottle of wine plus two more glasses after we polished off the bottle, two desserts, and two cappuccinos. The only cons were some of the little details. Water spots on the wineglasses, empty kleenex boxes in the bathrooms, and questionable music selection (70s, 80s and 90s pop/top 40 stuff). Nothing that can be fixed. We'll definitely be back when we find ourselves in Ames for an event.

Went there for lunch today for the first time and will definitely be returning! Service was excellent, food was excellent, even the people watching was fun. The owner, a very obviously Italian gentleman, actually got up from his meal as we were leaving to thank us for coming. Highly recommend this restaurant!

Very nice atmosphere, felt very upscale. Food was great and served hot and prices were in a moderate range. Great attentive service and the owner stopped by our table to check on things and was very nice. We will plan to go again sometime.