• Calamari $8.95 (shared)
• (Shrimp) Scampi Limone w/ asparagus, pasta side, and salad $24.95
• Strawberry Layer Cake 4.95

This was a difficult one for me to review. On one hand, the food was actually pretty good and it was a family place so very casual and fun to watch the groups of families out for Mother's Day. On the other hand, it was a bit expensive for the atmosphere and while the food was really very good, it wasn't quite at the level I would expect for the price I paid for my dish.

I thought the calamari was great, a little greasy, but the coating was light and calamari were pretty tender. The salad that came with the meal was more than just iceberg which was impressive as well. The bread was not too impressive, but it was served with flavored butter and a tapenade which was nice. My shrimp special was very good, the accompanying asparagus was also very good and the side of pasta was adequate nothing too special, but a nice unassuming accompaniment to the shrimp. The cake for dessert was fine, it was not spectacular, it was more of something you would get at grandma's house, which is kinda what the whole meal felt like, what you might find at your grandma's if she was Italian.

I think if you live in or near Hopkins, this is great Italian restaurant to have around, but if you live anywhere else I am not sure it is worth the drive.

• Rigatoni Bolognese w/ ground pork and beef, marinara sauce and salad $19.95
• Turtle Cheesecake $4.95

I was less than excited about our meal here. While Renee had a good entrée, mine was ordinary and overpriced. Rigatoni Bolognese was one of the specials that evening, and it sounded good. But an average marinara sauce, average rigatoni, and average ground pork and beef all combined to something anyone could make just as well at home. A slightly below average salad came with the entrée. The mixed greens were overdressed, sucking out whatever natural flavor was in the greens.

The turtle cheesecake was adequate and fairly priced, so less to complain about there. Don’t bother ordering coffee with dessert, it’s awful.

The only bright spot was the calamari. It was a lovely plateful of lightly breaded calamari that was excellent. I nonni was better, but this is pretty darn good for the price. It’s the only thing I enjoyed from my half of the meal.

The service is notoriously slow, and not in a good way. Several tables around us were quite anxious, though not vocal, about the slow service. Curiously, the entrees arrived before we were done with our salad, which also happened at the table next to us. Then, the server did not clear our salad plates until much later. It was a first for me, and a very odd experience, like the whole meal. I can’t recommend Trattoria Michelangelo.