Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.
We’ve all seen those ads on Facebook. Everything looks good and the prices seem fantastic. Some are legitimate, and others not so much. Case in point, Nancy and I are still waiting for our wind chines we ordered from a third world nation three years ago. Because of this, we decided to take Facebook ads with a grain of salt. But, we saw an ad for a restaurant in Geneva offering a Five Course Meal on Monday or Tuesday for $25 for lunch, and $30 for dinner. Nancy is very “frugal” and said, “we can’t pass this one up, what have we got to lose???” So, on we went to the Portofino Trattoria.
Portofino Trattoria
500 S. Third Street – Unite 147
Geneva 60134
(331) 248-0263
portofinoitalian.com
Directions: Take Rte. 47 South to Rte. 38, East to Third Street, South to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 40 minutes
We pulled up to the restaurant and were lucky to find a street parking spot right in front of the restaurant. Portofino Trattoria is located at the south end of the Geneva shopping district adjacent to the railroad tracks. If you can’t find street parking, they have a parking lot in back of the restaurant. Is it handicap accessible? Technically, the restaurant is, but navigating the sidewalk leading up to it could be challenging.
The interior was very modern having an abundance of tables that are VERY close together, plus they have an outdoor al fresco dining area.
We were seated inside and given some warm bread with olive oil and parmesan cheese to dip into while looking at their many menus, including the special that we came for.
Their Facebook special is a fixed menu. Each person receives the following. First course is Bruschetta Romano which is a toasted garlic crostini topped with tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. The second course is the Portofino Salad which is romaine and radicchio lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes with crumbled bleu cheese all tossed in their house balsamic dressing. The third course was linguini with your choice of meatball or sausage in their house made tomato sauce. The fourth course is the Pollo Arrosto Romano which is a pan roasted chicken breast in garlic, olive oil, lemon, and rosemary with a white wine sauce served with a side of roasted potatoes. The fifth and last course was their Tiramisu. This is layers of espresso-soaked lady fingers and marscarpone cream.
What arrived first was a large plate with our first and second courses. The bruschetta was delicious and well-seasoned with garlic. The salad was awesome, not just lettuce like you get at most restaurants. The sweetness of the dressing was a nice touch.
Jim went with the Linguine and Italian Sausage, and I went with the Linguine and Meatball. We each received another huge plate containing the third and fourth course. The pasta was a perfect al dente and my meatball was delicious. Jim’s Italian sausage was sliced diagonally and lightly browned and was also delicious. The Pollo Arrosto Romano was new to us and we enjoyed every bit of it. Last, but certainly not least, we were presented with two perfect portions of their tasty Tiramisu.
This promotion is brilliant. It gives you a taste of a variety of different dishes with perfect portion sizes. We still came home with doggie bags!!!
The cost for our “Deal of the Decade” was $64.78. The best $25 each of us has ever spent.
Dining Duo Note: This promotion is only available at the Geneva location. We asked the waiter how long this will last and he said, “for a while.” Please call before you go to make sure they are still running that promotion.
Jim’s take: They served really great food at a really great price.
Nancy’s take: Five delicious courses and a doggie bag to boot!!!
Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com
