Trattoria Tre Venezie

Although we are well traveled and of some means, it would be immediately apparent to the server-thing that we were completely unfamiliar with the crap they were serving. And we were. But rather than an attitude of kindness and hospitality, of an offer to initiate us to the intricacies of the Italian specialties and regional cuisine they were claiming to serve, the server-thing maintained a condescending and vacuously pretentious posture. And so our misadventure at Tre Venezie began. We got it pretty quickly: this place is a pretentious dump. Nonetheless, we were not in the mood to change restaurants, it was getting late anyway, so we tried as best we could to salvage the evening and continue on. We decided to order an entr?e each and some wine and make the best of it. I ordered off the menu a sort of beef ragout served with a large, flat pasta, and my girlfriend ordered a special, but never quite knowing what was to come. In the meantime I looked at the wine list. My girlfriend drinks white wine and I red, so we decided to order separate carafes. The server-thing suggested two wines and brought them for us to taste. The red was not what I had in mind and when I said so, the creature actually became rudely argumentative, inferring that I really didn?t know my mind?! The wine list contains at least thirty wines by the carafe, and as I began to peruse the list and make inquiries, it had no interest in my interests, but instead condescended that it would have to see what?s ?available.? This negated entirely any point in having a list of wines that can be ordered by the carafe. Server-thing brought the ?available? wine. It was apparently a Reserve Cabernet. My girlfriend and I both took a taste and I said it was fine. And this is the interesting thing: both my girlfriend and I are certain that I did not receive the wine I tasted. What I got was rot-gut in a carafe, some base wine that didn?t compare to the vilest wine you can imagine. And my girlfriend told the obnoxious creature just that: this is rot-gut. Did it apologize or offer another wine in the spirit of professional hospitability? No, again it argued, not only condescending that we didn?t know what we were talking about, but contemptuously inferring that what we really got was what we deserved. The wine was left on the tariff without any further comment and I left the wine unfinished. It was truly sickening to even smell, let alone imbibe. In the meantime our entrees had arrived. The back server-thing, hunched and morose, dropped our plates without even looking at us, let alone a greeting. My entr?e was fine, but common and unspectacular. Delivered to my girlfriend was a bowl with five small doughy balls in a pool of butter, bland in taste and about the size of gnocchi, that would better serve as a mortar for bonding bricks than as a substance fit for human consumption. By the end of the meal, and the next day as I write this, we both felt literally, physically poisoned by the food and wine we were served, and psychically poisoned by the experience of Tre Venezie. My girlfriend, who paid for the meal, was heartbroken at the way my birthday dinner turned out. Obviously we will never return to Tre Venezie and my advice to anyone considering going there is don?t. This low life establishment crossed a line far beyond rude, leaving both my girlfriend and I with feelings of anger and resentment. In the end, we felt robbed of our time, our dignity and our money. more

I like this restaurant, but can't say I love it. The food is pretty good, but a bit overpriced for their measly and demure portions sizes. The l... more

My wife and I dined here last night for the first time and enjoyed Trattoria Tre Venezie very much. This is not a family restaurant, a chain restaurant or a ""I am on a budget place"". This is a place that sits by itself. You go here if you are a foodie and enjoy gourmet Italian. Example: Ravioli with chocolate and butter, pork, Ravioli with beets, a few beef and vegetables dishes, a lot of unique uber-gourmet twists on Italian contemporary dishes. No pizza, no meatballs. The waiter read to us about 10 specials that night (almost as many specials than there was regular food items): it took about 10 minutes to describe everything once. We travel and we were thoroughly entertained by the entire visit - it took us back to memories of being out of the country. The wine list is fantastic and beware: there are a lot of choices. The waiter will help you out but this is not a place to ""guess"" at. Know what you are ordering. I read the other reviews on this site before going and was concerned. Some of the reviews mention Buca, ""good deals"", snobby waiter staff and food / alcohol complaints. Listen, buck up and try it for yourself. We are looking forward to our next visit. If you want pasta go to cheesecake factory or somewhere else. Pros: Food and drink Cons: Parking is a little challenging more

I have been in the luxury hotel business as a General Manager and other Executive positions my entire working career. I am also a sommelier. Exceptional food and impeccable service have been my agenda for almost 20 years. During that time I have seen a lot of guests that fit the profile of DreamerLA. The simple fact that he/she compares Green Street Tavern to Trattoria Tre Venezie is indicative of someone ""grabbing for straws"" and doesn't have a good argument. The tavern is a casual spot with comfort food (albeit good) and the trattoria is more formal, elegant dining experience. The pork chop and the veal chop are amazing! The desert menu is casually elegant. They take many of our old family recipes and add elegant touches. I have been going to Tre Venezie for at least 5 years and the food is consistently great and the service has never failed us. Some experiences have been better than others (by a very small margin) but none have been nearly as bad as DreamerLA claims. Perhaps DreamLA should learn more about Grappa before ordering it. Ordering ""something smooth"" is so vague that one should be prepared to get just about anything. The server should have asked more questions to make a better pairing and I hope that he/she learns from that experience. They have a vast selection of Grappa labels; something to please every kind of palette. ""Overpriced"" as DreamerLA described the menu is subjective. If you are looking for a special night out instead of going to a Tavern and watching the Monday night game on the 60? LCD, this is a special kind of place. They use high quality ingredients that are not cheap and I think most reasonable people would expect to pay for it. My wife and I enjoy this restaurant very much. We go to it on special occasions and we both believe that the food and the service are outstanding. more

Delicious Wagyu carpaccio! To a previous poster - if you don't like Wagyu (or don't know what it is), don't order it! Everything that we ordered last night was absolutely delicious, from the beef cheek to the almost plebian lamb ravioli. Service was impeccable. more

NEVER AGAIN! We had high hopes because of the reviews and our neighbors? recommendation. Upon entering, the decor is nice, quaint and cozy. But the food was marginal at best and in some instances, inedible. Two of the the deserts we had were so bad we sent them back and they only gave us credit for one of them. And the prices, WAY overpriced. Go just east on Green Street to a place called Green Street Tavern where the food is much better, they have great service and the pricing is very reasonable. We eat out a lot in Pasadena and trust me, there are a host of places, at a wider range of price points, with much better food and service. Pros: Nice ambience Cons: Everything else! Bad food, severely overpriced, rude staff and owners that don't care. more

The food is good but the service is appalling -- and predictably so. The rudeness outweighs the benefits. They almost take pride in their indifference to their guests. more

Well, I would say some of my experience was good, some ....not sure. To start, I need to say that I lived in Venice, Italy for 12 years so I consider myself ""Venetian? and I was very excited to dine at a restaurant that relates itself to my home town region. (Although, Tre Venezie refers to an area that covers a third of northern Italy, and not only Venice). We ordered the appetizers. My Carpaccio was very fatty. I did not like it. Raw beef should not be fat. That is not how Harry's Bar served it to Ernest Hemingway when the dish was first invented! My girlfriend had the claims and mussels. It was truly delicious and fresh. Pros: Food Cons: Service more

I like this restaurant, but can't say I love it. The food is pretty good, but a bit overpriced for their measly and demure portions sizes. The l... more

This restaurant serves dishes from the nothern region of Italy. It was very unique unlike the Italian food I am use to having which is more heavy. The dishes were really light and doesn't make you feel guilty about eating pasta. The portion may be small compared to other restaurant, but really....how much food can you eat? We started off with a plate of cured meats. There is actually a charge for oilve oil if you want to dip your bread in, but I think it is all worth it. There were about 5 to choose from and the waiter will introduce all 5 of them. For primi we had ravioli stuffed beets, spaghetti with speck (my fav), and risotto of the day which consisted of greens and strawberries (strawberries were used lightly so it was not wierd). For secondi, we had boiled mixed meats (chicken, beef, beef tongue, sausage) with 4 condiments (himilayan sea salt, salsa verde, horseradish, and chutney type thing), stew beef tripe with pancetta and raisins, and cured pork chop with carmelized shallots. All the flavors of the dishes were very intresting. It was light but there is substance. The pasta has good texture and bite. Overall excellent. Pros: Food, Knowledgeable waiter Cons: hmm can't think of any....parking? more

Based on a recommendation from some friends who live close by this place, and backed up by the various reviews here, we had dinner on Friday night and were really disappointed - I'm not sure if our expectations were set too high? Pros: Service, Nice Atmosphere Cons: Bland Food, Parking more

If you've been searching for a place in Pasadena that is quiet and romantic, even on a Friday or Saturday night, this restaurant is it--if you're willing to foot the bill. Pros: Food, drinks, service Cons: price, if you're on a budget more

I would definitely come for the pasta. It is fresh and different. Although the dinner size is still not very big. As far as the atmosphere, the front room is a refreshing escape from all the ""romantic"" couples that might be in the main dining room. more

I've been here a couple of times and this place is amazing...well worth the price. It's very romantic and I believe the head chef prepares the dishes as well as the desserts. Pretty much, everything here is good. more

lovely anniversary evening, this atmosphere is the best. Some of the food was unusual and delicious. Poor waiter kept telling us how overwhelmed he was although the room wasn't full. Pretty and quiet off the busy, loud old pasadena strip. Might go back for wine and appetizer otherwise very expensive for what it is. Pros: ambiance, location, quiet Cons: service, price, price more

I went to this restaurant because Zagat rated it so high but it was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. The service was horrible and the food was so so. We had a waiter that was in a bad mood and when we complained we were ignored. All this and then we got hit with a big bill at the end. Doesn't seem right that you should have to pay so much to be treated so poorly. Pros: Atmosphere Cons: Service, Expensive, Pretentious more

My Husband and I reserved a seat in this romantic restaurant after hearing rave reviews from friends. We were not disappointed. The service was exceptional and the food was by far the best I've had in Old Town Pasadena. Pros: Romantic, Fresh Food Cons: Expensive more

I used to live in Pasadena for many years but did not discover this restaurant until recently when I was looking for a place to take some friends out for their birthdays. What a find! The restaurant's decor is comfortable and chic, it's like being in a beautifully decorated house. Our server was fun and knowledgeable. This is not the run of the mill Italian restaurant. We had a beet risotto as a starter, which was delicious. I had sea bass in a slightly spicy tomato sauce over pasta, which was also very good. I tried all of the pasta dishes my friends ordered and they were all tasty and nothing like anything I've eaten before. I passed on my own dessert but tasted a blood orange sorbet in a cookie shell, an Italian version of creme brulee, and a chocolate mousse like dessert -- all of which were wonderful. Pros: Food, Ambiance, Service more

Tre Venezie is tucked away on a one-way street behind the hubbub of main street Colorado, and well worth a look. Stepping inside the main dining room, visitors are often greeted by the owners, whose kindness authentic accent is unmistakable. The soups include traditional and surprising selections, pastas are hand-made on the premises, and a fresh daily fish dish is perfectly prepared with oil and garlic. The dining room is long and cozy, and in the back, against the wall, is the table where the owners sometimes dine late in the evening, watching over the diners and wait staff, sipping a glass of wine themselves after having introduced themselves to the guests and ensured that they have all they need. more

Well Pasadena, you want great restaurants, but you don't want to pay! Well here you have too, and it's worth every penny! We have restaurants that don't meet expectations, Halie's for example, poor service, Chophouse, poor food, Shiro (moving), same ol', Maison Akira, boring food. This place works, in West L.A. everybody would be there. SUPPORT THIS RESTAURANT, I love it. Pros: Incredible food, unusual dishes, good wine list Cons: , service average more