And on to Le Gallo Rosso...

I want to preface my review of Le Gallo Rosso by saying that this is the first time I have will be writing on a negative experience at a restaurant. I will only say this once and then whatever your opinions may be, I will accept as part of my job. I will always be honest, to a fault, on my experiences. It is harder for me, especially with locally owned places such as Le Gallo Rosso, as I never wish to dislike any place or pass on any negative words. If I am going in to a restaurant planning on reviewing it I will follow through regardless of my experience, positive or negative.

Last Saturday night’s date night started off with amazing dinner and drinks at St. Charles Exchange. My husband and I wanted to sample a new Louisville restaurant and then wanted to get dinner somewhere that we have been wanting to go for a long time but have never had the chance, Le Gallo Rosso. Le Gallo Rosso is a rustic Italian restaurant in the heart of Bardstown Road’s Restaurant Row. Located in an old Victorian home, Le Gallo Rosso opened it’s doors six years ago and shares it’s building with the Roost Inn, a Bed and Breakfast that has two suits.

 Our reservations were for 8:30, so we arrived shortly before. Our table wasn’t ready so we directed ourselves toward the unmanned bar. The restaurant is in a converted Victorian house so there are several small rooms to maneuver through. The atmosphere is immediately quaint and warm. The walls are painted with murals of waiters adding to the old school Italian restaurant feel. After waiting several minutes at the bar, our server came over and introduced himself to us. We ordered a bottle of wine and shortly after were directed to our table. At first I am a little thrown off, as I was told it was a romantic setting, and it is anything but. The plastic tablecloths and loud server meetings in the middle of the dining room are anything but romantic. Our appetizer was great, a Margareta Pizza that was crisp on the bottom and made with fresh tomatoes and basil. Simple, delicious Italian food, just what I wanted. Our salads were next, I had a Mediterranean and my husband a house salad with blue cheese. The salads were simple and fresh. Our entrees were extremely disappointing. I ordered the chicken parmesan, wanting to see Le Gallo Rosso’s take on a staple Italian dish, and my husband ordered the sea bass and mushroom risotto special.   The chicken parmesan was overwhelming on the plate. The large breasts of chicken were covered in an inch of tasteless mozzarella cheese which was not only unappetizing, but made the fried chicken underneath soggy. The red sauce or “gravy” was practically non-existent, and the capellini noodles were bare and right out of the box. My husband’s fish was cooked to perfection but was lacking in the taste department. The real problem with his dish was the risotto, the Italian elements of the dish. Risotto is supposed to spread on the plate and you could build a wall with his because the consistency was so think. Needless to say, we didn’t order dessert.

There were aspects to our meal that were good, but the bad definitely outweighed the good. When Le Gallo Rosso opened, they made their own pasta. Although making homemade pasta for the masses is very difficult, other restaurants like Palermo Viejo are doing it, and it makes all the difference. Le Gallo Rosso is still doing well, they were very busy Saturday night while I was there, and there are many people that enjoy their food. I personally would not recommend Le Gallo Rosso.     

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