• Crab cakes $9 (shared)
• Contadina salad $11.50 ($9.50 + $2.00 split charge)(shared)
• Fettuccine with shrimp in lobster sauce $22
• Chocolate mousse $6

We decided at the last minute to do a restaurant this week, so we did not make reservations and walked in at about 7:30 on a Saturday night. The restaurant was absolutely packed, but if we wanted to sit on the patio we could sit right away. It was a beautiful night a little chilly but nothing we could not handle, so we did. Let me back up a bit and say that for those who have not heard the hype about this restaurant they are in the old Tulips space on Selby which is a great space and they have a great patio. I think because the waitress we had on the patio was also doing tables in the restaurant the service was a little slow, but on one of the first beautiful nights this spring, we really did not care. It was nice to just to sit and enjoy the weather.

The crab cakes were unique and I think in a good way they had mozzarella and red peppers mixed in which added some interest. The salad was pretty good, but not at all worth the 9.50 plus the split charge. This was a bit annoying, but I am sure Steve will outline our annoyance with it since he was much more annoyed than me.

The taste of the entree was amazing, but in the end it only had three shrimp that were overdone on the side. The amazing part was the fettuccine with the lobster sauce. It was very good, but was it worth $22, not quite. But easily a plate cleaner. The dessert was adequate, of course I had no problem finishing it, but not worth $6.

Overall, I think that was the reason I rated La Grolla so low was it was adequate to good food, but a little pricey for what you actually got. They really are not on par food wise with the best restaurants that can charge those prices. They are close so maybe in few months give them a try.

• Spaghetti alla Puttanesca w/ shrimp $14.95
• Tiramisu $6

A few random thoughts about La Grolla:

• I really wanted to like the restaurant, really I did.
• The crab cakes included too much fatty cream filling on top of the normal batter-fried coating for me to recommend. The crab cakes and accompanying salad were dripping in a bland oil dressing.
• I liked the taste of the Contadina salad, but Renee didn’t. I am a sucker for fresh mozzarella.
• I didn’t care for the salad splitting charge when this is already an expensive salad and no one else in town charges to split a salad.
• The Spaghetti alla Puttanesca (with tomatoes, olives, capers, herbs) was great.
• I am not sure adding shrimp to the pasta dishes should cost as much as they charge. Like Renee’s entree, the shrimp was overdone.
• The tiramisu was fantastic. If someone drags you to La Grolla, make sure that you’re the first in your group to order dessert so you get the tiramisu.
• La Grolla is where the extras cost extra. I was afraid to ask for a spoon to help eat the spaghetti because I thought there might be an extra spoon charge.