Bottega Louie

Reviews 3

JA

Jason Karuza

Summary: Excellent quality ingredients served with dedication in an elegant, but casual, atmosphere. The vibe of the establishment reminded me of Portos in that its very loud, bustling, and sought after. However, the likenesses end there as Bottega has no parking lot, has much higher prices, and ultimately leaves a question about value for the experience of dining. To me, what I got just wasnt matched by what I paid. My first visit here was with two friends on a Wednesday night. We arrived at around 730pm and the place was packed. We were told an hour wait would be required. To kill some time, we made our way to the bakery and picked out a couple Macarons each. I had heard so much about these things that I figured at $2 each they must be amazing. Given that they are about the size of Oreo cookies, they had better be amazing for $2 each. They were not amazing. They were good, but not $2-each-good. The texture of these little items is sort of crispy on the outside, soft/chewy at the next layer inside, and then a creme filling of some sort. The problem for me was that the cakey/cookie part that was supposed to be soft was often dry and overly chewy. The flavors were a range from so-so to pretty awesome. In the course of the evening, I believe I tried 9 or 10 different flavors. My favorites were the (surprisingly) the Earl Grey and the Green Tea, but still I couldnt justify $2 per cookie. Sorry, Im cheap/value-driven :) After killing more time at the bar across the street, we made our way back and were finally seated. Our server was friendly and attentive throughout the meal. He provided one of my friends with sparkling water while the other two of us had normal, sans-gas liquid. Two lobster-claw shaped bread rolls were brought out for us to nosh on while we figured out our order. We decided on starting with the Fried Mozzarella, and then each get a beer and a burger done somewhat differently. My burger was requested medium, add cheese, with bacon well-done, avocado, and grilled onions. The other two burgers had combinations of avocado or bacon, and one was medium, and the other medium-rare. It wasnt long before the fried cheese was brought out. The price for this item is $8, and it included a single mozzarella stick on a plate with some marinara sauce on top. I should have figured that, given the price of the macarons, this would be an unfortunate choice but we split it into three 1-inch squares of fried cheese and enjoyed what we could. It was certainly well prepared and the flavors were excellent. The outside texture was also well executed. Just a terrible value. Finally the burgers arrived. Unfortunately, this is where my experience somewhat didnt hit expectations, in particular. The presentation was excellent. The bacon was really tasty and crispy (splendid!). But the burger was dry and over-cooked, the onions were not grilled, and the $2 addition for the avocado yielded a very small portion of the ingredient. Kind of disappointing. It was tasty, but not $16+$2/extra ingredient tasty. The fries were actually my favorite part I think. Excellent texture and very tasty. Balanced well by the ketchup. No ranch dressing here, btw, for those who are fans of dipping in that condiment. For dessert, we ordered 5 more macarons, one of which was not the one we ordered, so our server brought out a sixth one for us at no charge. By that time we were pretty full, so we paid the check and made our way home. Ultimately, Im glad I got to go and experience what the big hype is about. I appreciate what the restaurant brings to the table as far as atmosphere and service goes, but food and value are fundamental to me. There might be better items on the menu, maybe even better values, but I figure a burger is pretty straight forward and should be easily executed with mastery at the price point they are asking, and when its not, it is somewhat disappointing. Not to mention, $2/cookie is pretty exorbitant.

JE

Jennifer Lu Gilbert

We came to Bottega Louie on a Sunday around 11:30am for brunch. I expected the place to be packed but luckily we were able to get seated immediately. About 15 minutes later, I looked over and saw a big line at the host table. Service: A++ The host asked for my last name when I checked in. After that, our server referred to me by name throughout the entire meal. Service was probably one of the best that Ive ever seen -- in fact, our server was too nice that it was almost border-line creepy! Once we sat down, we were immediately offered flat or sparkling water in a carafe. We also ordered juices and they were freshly squeezed and tasted delightful. Ambiance: A+ This place is very New York. I loved the open space and the open kitchen. Tables are placed at a good distance -- they maximize the space but you are far enough where you cannot hear the other tables conversation. The acoustics are not that great so the place gets very loud. Food: B+ The portobello fries: I thought they were good. However, it was not what I expected. I thought we would get strips of portobello mushroom -- much like sweet potato fries. Instead, these are thick battered-fried porobello pieces. The aioli sauce accompanying the fries was spot on. Salmon Benedict: I love eggs benedict so Ive had my fair share of them. The eggs were cooked well and the yolk ran perfectly when I cut into them. Instead of regular english muffins, these were sitting on potato pancakes. The potato pancakes were crispy and absolutely delightful. Unfortunately, this dish was not made perfect as I could not taste the salmon at all. Farmers Market Breakfast: This dish looked appetizing when it arrived but it didnt live up to its expectations. The best part of the dish was definitely the shaved reggiano parmesan and the poached egg. However, everything else in the dish was just ok. Burrata Pizza: I did not get to taste the pizza but it looked and smelled delicious! I cant wait to return so I can try this. Brunch Overall: A I loved having brunch here and wish I can find an equivalent in my home town. I would highly recommend Bottega Louie and cant wait to return. Dessert & Pastries: As you walk into the restaurant, you will be greeted by numerous rows of macaroons, dessert goodies, and unique pastries. Everything looked delectable but I was too full from brunch to indulge. I did splurge on the macaroons and brought home a delicious box of variety flavors to share with my bf. The macaroons cost a hefty $1.75 each so make sure you chose wisely! Minus 1 star for the ladies that work behind the pastry counter -- they were super slow and could not understand directions. Even something as simple as taping up the box so the lid wouldnt open during our flight home was too difficult for them to comprehend. It was super frustrating -- almost making it not worth it to stop by the pastry counter.

JE

Jeffrey Kim

first, beware and park in a parking garage someplace! street parking can be super risky and there are tons of tow spots. anyway, Bottega Louie...to sum it up kinda reminds me of a more upscale Portos Bakery...in that they do have a bakery with tons of desserts, cakes, etc...a coffee bar...and they also do have sandwiches, entrees, etc that you can order for dine in. the very friendly and cute hostess sitting behind a ginormous book (i think it records guest names) sat my friend and i near the back of the restaurant adjacent to the pizza station, where you could watch the chefs flip pizza dough. the place has super high ceilings...so the place has tons of echo and loud ambient noise. nevertheless, the all white interior of the place was very modern and stylish in a way. for drinks, we both ordered the coffee (which is frigging amazing black...you dont really need sugar or cream because its just so damn flavorful!!) the green tea/lemonade was also great and refreshing. as for entrees and apps...my friend and i ordered the famous portobello mushroom fries that comes with some type of aioli. i ordered the beef brisket entree (~$20, comes with mashed potatoes and etc...supposedly slow marinated for a few days or something) and my friend got the lasagna (two giant pieces). as for side dishes, we got an order of the meatballs in marinara (i think about 4-5 meatballs...amazing!!) and calamari (disgusting...PASS!). our waiter was friendly and accommodating without being too obtrusive. the bathrooms are located to the back right side of the restaurant and wow...they are really gorgeous! marble floors, gold accents, and very well kept and sparkling clean. after our meal, i was tempted at the colorful rainbow of macarons and gave in to temptation. i bought a box of 5 of my choosing and enjoyed them later on that week at work! they were quite delicious and chewy...they were my first macarons, and i have to say im a big fan now! will have to try other macaron spots (e.g. Paulettes) to see how they compare. overall, the experience was fantastic! definitely a lot pricier than Portos, but the food quality here is definitely worthy of those few extra bucks. definitely will come back for another lazy weekday lunch!