Valentini's Italian Restaurant, Duluth, MN

My folks took the Husband and I out for a combination New Year's Eve dinner and an early birthday dinner for me. We selected Valentini's because we could get an early reservation at the last minute and because we have not tried them out yet.

I made the reservation the day before New Years Eve, and then I had to call back and change the reservation to an earlier time. The hostess was very accommodating and they had space available at 5:00p.

We arrived on time and were immediately seated. The interior is a very lovely open floor plan with lots of windows over looking the Lake and the Lakewalk Surgery Center. For those of you familiar with Duluth, this was an existing building adjacent to the Rose Garden parking lot that has been extensively renovated. It was a combination of booths along the wall and tables over the rest of the floor. A large fireplace adorns one end of the room, and a somewhat open kitchen is on the other. We were seated in a booth in a corner which gave us a nice view of the whole room - our only complaint was the chill coming off the window.

For our "starters" (not appetizers) we were served warmed rustic bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I selected a bottle of Est! Est! Est! white wine (I am totally blanking the name) that was very good for the four of us to share. Three of us had salads - I didn't think there was anything special about it but the Mother liked the "house" dressing (I think it was a bottled variety). The Husband ordered a Tomato Bisque Soup that was quite good.

They offered a specialty menu for New Year's Eve: I selected Prawns in a Spinach Garlic sauce over a rice pilaf; the parents both had Shrimp Linguine; the Husband had a steak with mashed potatoes.

The dishes all tasted very good, and in the case of mine and the Husband's dish, were served with a side of steamed baby carrots (should have been quartered) and green beans. I felt my prawns were on the small side for what we paid for the dish - in other words, I have bought larger ones at my local meat market. The Mother felt the 5 shrimp on her pasta was a paltry amount and something set her tummy off for several hours after dinner. The Husband's steak was done to satisfaction and the Father enjoyed his dish.

I would like to try Valentini's again under normal circumstances. For the most part I enjoyed my dining experience, but I would like to sample something from their regular menu.