Tartufo Cucina Abruzzese

Not sure why anyone would give this alleged ""Italian Restaurant"" more than about 2 stars. As a true Italian, trust me, you are better off going to Paparazzi in Wellsley where food is fairly good, cooked out in the open, and brick ovens exist. Tartufo is no bargain by any stretch of the imagination. Wines are cheap but way overpriced, antipasto is beyond overpriced for what you get, food is mixed bag depending on day and cook, and the pasta with a tartufo? Look carefully and try to find THE tartufo...and when you do, ask where it came from (China?) and why the unbelievable steep price. Avoid bar area seating, they chat there and it's noisy as hell. Try and see if you can ignore the ""chefs"" frequent outbursts in public to his workers. good old ""dante"", can't boil water as far as we can tell! Food is no better than mediocre but way way overpriced. Our advice: Drive by and keep going!: more

My husband and I went to Tartufo's for the first time on Saturday, Nov. 27, and had quite an enjoyable dining experience. We were seated around 6:00 p.m. Our waiter was attentive, our food was delicious, and the entrée portions were just right for us. When we go out to eat, I typically have just one slice of bread so that I’ll have room to fit my meal. However, things were different this time. While waiting for our appetizer, I just couldn’t stop eating their bread. What made it so enticing was its light texture and crispy crust. It tasted delicious dipped in olive oil and wasn’t filling. For an appetizer we decided to go with the antipasto. The Italian cold cuts were top quality, the prosciutto was thinly-cut, and the piquant Parmigiano cheese contrasted the flavors nicely. Our only recommendation for this plate would be that they increase the portion size to better match the price. Next to come out were Greg's shrimp scampi and my Mediterranean sea bass with mussels. The shrimp scampi was served with homemade tagliatelli. The pasta was cooked slightly more than al dente and had a light garlic and fresh-diced tomato sauce. Five large shrimp topped the pasta and each were well cooked yet tender. A little sprinkle of red pepper flakes enhanced this already scrumptious dish. The Mediterranean sea bass that I ordered came with either mussels or risotto; I went with the mussels and was very glad I did. The fish was fresh, very tasty, and cooked to perfection. The mussels were arranged along one side of the dish which made a nice presentation. They were flavorful and well cooked. For dessert we shared a tiramisu and each had a cappuccino. What a delicious way to end what turned out to be a wonderful meal. more

We went there recently before reading all the mixed reviews. Ordered the antipasto ($13) , the ""tartufo signature grilled veal chop"" ($35), the ""Veal Piccata"" ($23), and cannoli ($6), along with wine. First, the wine..: we got presentted with a bottle of Italian wine at hugely inflated price and it was no better that the ""jug wine"" sold by Cribari. Based on our serving, I could not reccomend the $13 antipasto to anyone, as it was ripoff #2: a few pieces of coldcuts and a couple pieces of cheese..all worth maybe $3.00 and sold at huge markup. That so-called ""signature dish"" of veal says a lot. If taht is their ""signature"" dish...then the place is truly 4th rate. It came to ma bit dry, undercooked, and tasted like pre-frozen meat to me. My wife's Veal Piccata was a slop of tasteless ""something"". Top it off with $6 mushy (prefilled?) cannoli...and it definetly convinced us to not return to that 3rd rate cafeteria passing itself off as an elite Italian restaurant. funny thing is, we are Italian and cook Italian (wife born in Italy) and from scale of 1-10, their food that night rated a 3 from us. Go if you like, but we scratched it off. more

We dined there recently and found it OK but unremarkable. Having read reviews, we stayed away from overpriced antipastos that are embarrassingly served with minimal contents on the plate (we noticed a few). We stuck to main course and got the veal. Nothing to write home about, tasted like Restaurant Depot meat and not fresh natural meat (though I have no way of knowing). It was bland and not particularly ""Italian"" or ""unique"". I've had better at lesser places and to top it off, it was not hot...just barely tepid.. The wine was not something I would advertise to people as it's a pathetic act to charge so much for what tastes like ""jug wine"" at best. The service was slow and the place was not full. We saw the noted chef a few times trying to chat or impress the customers but I have heard he is far from a chef, more like a short-order cook, but again can't vouch as he likely did not cook our food. Would I go back? Nope....food is just ""OK"" but certainly NOT worth the price they want. But, maybe it was a bad night so you should check it out yourself. Remember - skip the antipasto ! Get the CHEAPEST wine on the menu as more expensive stuff is also ""cheap"". Pros: Decent location Cons: List is too long more

This restaurant is outright offensive!!\r If you order wine- especially the super Tuscan selection- The servers are instructed to pour house wine. Grey goose martini? I hope you can tell the difference- because he doesn't pour the proper product.(but will charge the proper price)Althought there are certain items on the menu for a guest to ""order"", they do not exist in the restaurant and are misrepresented by the establishment. They have been known to charge for bread. They also have been known to add items to a check or and order without notice to the guest.\r \r The owner Dante has been regularly seen actually having arguements with guests and servers. He misrepresents his food by calling it organic and local. The tuna is indonesian and pumped with carbon minoxide for color before frozen. The rest of the items on the menu follow suit with this theme. Steaks and so forth are all low quality cuts and frozen. This guy even calls himself the ""chef"" yet is incapable of cooking a grilled cheese. Read past reviews on Chowhound, Yelp, Boston dot com- I am not the only one who has experienced this.\r \r The deserts are all 50 cent items bought at restaurant depot. Nothing is made on premise. My suggestion for prospective guests is to open a can of Chef Boyardee, open a box of Franzia, and wave down the ice cream truck- the quality of all those items will be better and you can save all of the money that this place plans on extorting from you. Cons: Everything more

Some food is OK, other is not up to standard. Price is most definitely overboard for what you get. Sitting close to bar is worst thing possible...noisy and obnoxious employees. Chief chef should also stop yelling in public at employees on occasion. Antipastos are heavily overpriced and miniscule in quantity. Stay away from pasta with so-called tortufo........TINY portion at huge cost, probably the very worst value in the joint. Stick with grilled en-trees. Wine is also overpriced and cheap in type. Some selections are OK. You need to judge for yourself but from our 3 visits, the place gets at best mixed reviews. Pros: quaint and cozy Cons: food not consistent, service below average, noisy more

Mediocre food passed on as original Italian. It's OK, but definitely not worth the prices they list. As others have also said, the wines are a ripoff in price....3rd rate wines at premium prices. You can do just as well and better in price at Papa-Razzi for sure. Pros: quiet, small, friendly Cons: no better than avg food at best, chef yells at waiters, noisy more

Il mangiare non e' veramente Italiano. Certo mangiare e' buono e certo fa schifo, ma tutto costa troppo. Il ""chef"" non e' un vero ""chef"" come uno pensa. Invece e' un cuoco di montagna. Va in giro come un coglione con una risa di cretine. Io raccomando andare e provare e poi vedere se e' abbastanza buono per ritornare. Non toccare pasta con tartufi, costa troppo e il principale da pochissima. Il restorante e' pulito, bellino dentro, ma il mangiare non e' sempre buono. Pros: pulito, bellino Cons: non vero Italiano, qualita' non e' sempre alta, il cuoco principale sembra scemo more

\r The place is OK. But, nothing to write home about in terms of food quality and value. We have been there a number of times due to our home location and we have found that quality of food is very inconsistent from week to week. Food tthat tastes reheated, food that is not warm, long food waiting times, overcooked food, undercooked food. It's also true about ""cheap wine"", but what normal restaurant doesn't serve cheap wine at inflated prices? They serve $6-$8/bottle wine at $30+/bottle and make it look like it's a great Italian wine - it isn't. But, that's part of the business. The chef, dante, as prior reviews have alluded to - is truly a clown with big grin and sporadic yelling at staff. I think a more befitting title for him is ""head cook"". A chef he is definetly not. But, hey, what restaurant is perfect? Don't go by all the reviews here. Use them only as a guide and check it out yourself. Pros: location is preety good but so-so parking Cons: as many others, inconsistent quality and low value more

It's ok, small, and overpriced. I got ripped off on the pasta with tartufo...about a spoonfull of pasta with a few cheap (probably Chines sourced) mushrooms they like to call ""tartufos"". Tartufo my a-s! They were fancy mushrooms! Over $20 for spoonfull on huge plate? Please..give me a break! Stay away from pasta dishes and antipastos..stick to main course ONLY and you may be OK. It's sometimes a crapshoot..so about average for main course. By the way, the wine is 4th rate cheap..but they boost up price by 500% to make it appear special...so careful on the wine. The chef seems to be a ""fool"" with his stupid grin all the time while occasionally yelling at staff. It's a bit noisy and small. Place is clean and it tries to give one a cozy atmosphere.....but overall it's just ""average"" food and most is NOT truly ""authentic"" Italian...just a wanna-be copy. I'm not saying it's bad as I still go occasionally and get a main course, just saying ""watch what you order""...and don't expect consistency in quality night to night.. Pros: clean, semicozy, good clientele Cons: not authentic Italian, not consistent quality, cheap wine, some items a very poor value more

I tried it with wife and friends this past weekend. I loved the place. The food was excellent, service no problem, and a wonderful atmosphere. The chef greeted us at our table and prepared some wonderful food. We will go back. Truly a delight in our opinion. Pros: very good food, nice atmosphere, good service Cons: it's small (but cozy) more

I have been going to this place over the past year. The food is not too bad and in fact it's sometimes very good. It seems to be inconsistent, maybe depending on who cooks it at any given time. Service is good. The wines are not their strong point as they are indeed low quality but priced a bit high. All in all, not a bad place to try. Just stick to main couses as the antipastos appear to be a moneymaker for them and very little for you. Pros: Clean, good food(usually) , average service Cons: low quality wines, overpriced antipastos more

I loved the food and the relaxed atmosphere. Great place to spend a quiet evening dining..\r Not sure waht all the fuss is about prices. Good food is costly everywhere and this place is no costlier than any good restaurant., Pros: great food, goos service, nice place Cons: maybe just a tad noisy more

I have no affiliation with this resaturant and I have never been there before but i was curious who has the time to write all these bad reviews. They are clearly written by the same person. Even worse is the fact that this website doesnt filter their reviews, so much for trusted content huh. \r \r what a joke. more

\r Check out descriptive on their website and p - ss your pants. Their writing is about par with their food.\r See their website at tartuforestaurant dot com\r \r One section of it is shown below :\r \r Tartufo Ristorante \r \r With a family concept and a highly profetional Staff to cater your needs we'll give you a charming and great experience.\r \r \r Owner/Manager Anna Mountzuris \r \r Explains Restaurant ""Blending and enticing assortment of organic meats, fish, vegetables, and of course fresh Baked Bread, all in the abruzzes tradition.""\r \r \r Owner/Executive Chef Dante Bellucci \r \r Pescara his home town it's a very important in the abruzzo area east central Italy they have the must known Art Culinary school in Villa Santa Maria, for years was the principal city serving as the regional melting p0t for the unique Abruzzese recepies.\r \r \r Pros: I'll think of one soon.. Cons: food and value more

The place is a joke! High prices for mediocre food and very cheap wine inflated for customers.\r \r \r Check ou Tartufo's website descriptives at tartuforestaurant dot com and p-ss your pants laughing. Description on his website is shown below::\r \r -------------\r Tartufo Ristorante \r \r With a family concept and a highly profetional Staff to cater your needs we'll give you a charming and great experience.\r \r \r Owner/Manager Anna Mountzuris \r \r Explains Restaurant ""Blending and enticing assortment of organic meats, fish, vegetables, and of course fresh Baked Bread, all in the abruzzes tradition.""\r \r \r Owner/Executive Chef Dante Bellucci \r \r Pescara his home town it's a very important in the abruzzo area east central Italy they have the must known Art Culinary school in Villa Santa Maria, for years was the principal city serving as the regional melting p0t for the unique Abruzzese recepies. more

Last few people got it right! Dante paisan is by no means a ""chef"", even if he gives himself that title. He can't cook much of anything with a few exceptions. He is not only rude to staff but sometimes to customers - we experienced that. He goes around with his big paisan smile instead of attending to his kitchen. And his co-owner Maria, what the f - ck does she do? Bar area is nosy and they can't make a good mixed drink. Food, as many before me have attested to, is way overpriced considering quantity and quality. Let's not forget the cheap wine that he marks up by about 500% ! The guy is faking his way because of clientele that can't really cook well and/or do'nt know real Italian food through no fault of their own. We have been there at spotted intervals beginning about 2 years ago..and NOTHING has changed even as we believed it would improve. Bear in mind, we have not gone often and most of the few trips were at someone else's invitation (birthday, anniversary, etc) and those same people now agree with us. Dante - get some cooking and managing skills and then maybe you might get deserving reviews! In the meantime - skip this place and go to a real Italian restaurant with good food and good atmosphere and realistic prices. CIN CIN Dante! Buon appetito to that garbage you sometimes serve at hugely inflated prices! Pros: entertained by that fool Dante Cons: food, service, prices, noise, cheap overpriced wines, lousy mixed drinks, ""chef""'s arrogance and manners, lousy chef more

Terrible food, service is weak and the BIG-SHOT owner Mr. Dante is a bad Italian joke. This wannabe pisan can't cook so he tries to schmooze around the joint trying to justify his overpriced menu. The bar is poorly staffed and is always out of top shelf liquor and mixers. Hey goofball, take a couple hundred out of the register and run to the liquor store for some booze.The wine list is lame and totally overpriced. This guy needs to lose the whole goomba routine and go take a few cooking lessons. I know he wasn't paying attention to his mama when he was growing up. He's also extremely rude to customers and waitstaff alike. This joint needs an entire overhaul, get rid of Dante, hire a real chef, straighten out the bar (you might want to start by stocking the bar and hiring someone who knows how to make a drink), and train the waitstaff properly (you can start by keeping them away from that cancer Dante). An Italian accent can only go so far, especially in a city with so many excellent Italian joints. Avoid this dump! Pros: It should be out of business soon. Cons: Owner/ chef is an imposter for an Italian who claims to know food. more

Not only is that stuff about the Dante chef-owner true, but his prices are out of sight considering what you get. The food is average in most cases but sometimes poor as his cook(s) don't cook it right....like cold veal chop..or mushy pasta dish. We have gone numerous times at invitation by friends but only once on our own - and that once was enough! Advice: Drive right by , wave to customers, and go some place with value and good food. I rate the place a 3 out of 10. Pros: still looking for one Cons: almost everything more

We agree with previous reviewer completely. Have eaten there twice and have also seen this Dante clown treating his people like trash. The guy comes around with a s - -t eating grin like a fool and thinks himself as our gift to cooking. Our experience and that of 2 other couples has been ""mixed results"" on the food - it's much too pricey for quality and quantity that you get. No better than average at most. As a prior person said - you get screwed on the cheap wine being marked up far more than other places for what you get. The guy is shafting unknowing customers, especially jewish ones it seems...that love Italain food and think what they are getting is ""authentic"". Our advice - try it if you like but don't even say hello to the idiot Dante, and then you will certainly decide that ""I got shafted..I won't go back..!"". If you are smart - drive right by it on the way to a GOOD restaurant with a GOOD manager/chef and one that does not shaft you as much. Pros: average staff service, good location Cons: DANTE and his idiocy and prices for food he serves, and questionable quality more