January '15-Martini's

We're back!  After a year off, Brian and I decided to try our "new restaurant a month dates" again.

Our January pick is Martinis in Valpo.  The only thing that wasn't bland about this place was the smell of cigarette smoke.  The reason we chose this restaurant was because the website made it look like a really nice, classy restaurant like so many other places in Valparaiso.  This is not what it was at all.  When you first walk in you are hit with a wall of cigarette smoke and there are ash trays on every table.  I have not had to experience that sensation since the 90s and that is not something I have missed.  The bar area is actually bigger than the restaurant, and you had to walk through the bar to get to the tables.  I wouldn't even call this place a restaurant.  I would call it a bar that serves food.

Really???

I ordered the Tuscan ravioli and a house salad.  A few minutes after I ordered our waitress came back to our table to tell me they were out of ravioli, so I ended up with the blackened burger, which had onions and aioli sauce on it, and French fries.  The burger was OK, but not great.  All the flavor seemed to come from the sauce, not the meat.  They asked me if I wanted seasoned fries or regular.  I got regular which didn't really have much taste.  My food was not bad, but it wasn't anything special.  I could have made something just as good, or even better, at home.   Brian got a ribeye and mashed potatoes.  He said the potatoes were wonderful, but the steak was very bland and he had to cut off a lot of fat.  He actually grabbed the salt and pepper shakers off the table which I have never seen him do.

 

We were seated right away, and the waitress was OK.  She wasn't overly attentive or over friendly, but she got the job done.

If you are looking for a place to smoke and drink with your friends this might be the place for you, but if you are looking for a nice, romantic date spot try downtown Valpo.

Rating: 2 STARS
Price: Offer to Pay