Italian Dinner @ Levetto (Liberty Village / King West)

I had read many positive reviews for Levetto, and after reviewing the menu and the prices, I knew that I had to pay them a visit with my friends. I reviewed the Levetto website carefully, and I couldn’t find any information about whether they took reservations or not – many restaurants will note that you can’t make reservations or they tell you what you need to do to make a reservation. So what I did was send Aly MacGregor an email (she is in charge or press and media inquiries) and she arranged a reservation for myself and my friends. Aly not only addressed all my questions, and reservation changes (a very patient lady she is), she made sure to follow-up on our experience the day after our reservation. One highlight of my communication with Aly was when I asked about gluten-free options for my friend Karen who really wanted to join us for dinner (Levetto does not have gluten-free options on their menu), and she spoke to Chef Shahir Massoud (Corporate Executive Chef for Levetto) about my query, and Levetto agreed to look into this for us.

The day before our reservation, I received a Twitter message that read, “Look Itanni! Gluten-free pasta!” And there was an image of Chef Shahir making fresh gluten-free pasta. How incredible is that?! So I immediately contacted Karen, and she was thrilled for the opportunity to join us and not have to stick to salads.

On the evening of our reservation I strolled in ON TIME, and as usual my guests were already there, seated. Argh Once I greeted everyone I went to look for Chef Shahir to thank him for what he had done for Karen. I was relieved to see that Chef Shahir was there this evening (they had recently opened the College location, so it was very likely that he would be at the College location). When I introduced myself and thanked him for the reservation and the gluten-free pasta, he flipped it around and said, “no THANK YOU! We are so excited to have you and your friends join us. I wanted to be here to meet you all. Aly really wanted to come as well but there was a scheduling conflict.” Awww! It often shocks me when a restaurant that is doing so well, can be so humble. But then it is because of restaurants and service like the one we received at Levetto that will keep from returning to a restaurant that has amazing food, and a self-righteous attitude.

The Menu

The menu is split into 5 sections:

Pasta ($8-$13)
Pizza – they come in three sizes: personal (4 pieces), medium (6 pieces), large (guessing 8 pieces) and the prices range from $6.50-$31
Salad ($8-$9)
Specials
Desserts ($6)

: Taking delivery and pick-up orders

: Take out and delivery is huge at Levetto

: Drink options. They also have beer on tap

: Chef Shahir showing Karen the gluten-free pasta he made for her

: The boys are making pizza

: Chef Shahir in action

: Rigatoni made with slow-braised beef ragu, grana padano, chives

: Pomodoro with tomato sauce, garlic infused olive oil, fresh basil, grana padano and chives

: Margherita made with Fior di Latte, crushed tomato sauce, fresh basil

: Pollo Toscano made with all natural seasoned chicken breast, tomato pesto, Fior di Latte, red onion, sundried tomato, fresh basil

: Gluten free pasta with slow-braised beef ragu, grana padano, chives

: Cavatelli made with pea pesto, roasted red pepper, baby spinach, white truffle oil, ricotta

: Affumicato made with smoked bacon & mozzarella, tomato sauce, mushroom, scallion

: Salsiccia made with Italian sausage, shaved fennel, roasted red pepper, chili flake, black olive, Fior di Latte, fennel fronds

: Affumicato made with smoked bacon & mozzarella, tomato sauce, mushroom, scallion

: Pollo Toscano, made with all natural seasoned chicken breast, tomato pesto, Fior di Latte, red onion, sundried tomato, fresh basil

: Pollo Toscano made with all natural seasoned chicken breast, tomato pesto, Fior di Latte, red onion, sundried tomato, fresh basil

: Trecce made with garlic infused olive oil, chili flake, sundried tomato, goat’s cheese, arugula

: Verde, made with basil pesto, cherry tomato, caramelized onions, baby spinach, radicchio, Fior di Latte

: My go-to pizza is always Margherita made with Fior di Latte, crushed tomato sauce and fresh basil

: Tiramisu made with Espresso soaked lady fingers, mascarpone cream, coulis, shaved chocolate

: Panna Cotta made with Seasonal compote, crumbled amaretti cookie, cinnamon

: Panna Cotta made with Seasonal compote, crumbled amaretti cookie, cinnamon

: Warm Brown Butter & Coconut Semolina Cake with Coconut Icing, Toasted Pistachio

: Warm Brown Butter & Coconut Semolina Cake with Coconut Icing, Toasted Pistachio

: My guests!

: Had to get a picture with this super talented chef – and well, many of my female friends had such a crush on him, that I had to throw this picture in their faces – “look! I got a picture with Shahir!” 😉

Every single one of my guests were blown away by the food. It was not only delicious, but the ingredients were fresh, the pasta was made from scratch, great portions, and there was definitely value for money. We also lucked out in the dessert department. If you check-in to Yelp, you get a free dessert, so we all got a different dessert so we could share and try all three. My personal favorite was the Tiramisu, followed closely by the Warm Brown Butter & Coconut Semolina Cake that was served steaming hot, and then the Panna Cotta. But really, it comes down to your taste preference: if you like rich go with the cake, if you like creamy go with the tiramisu, if you like tart and not-so-sweet desserts, then go with the panna cotta.

After dinner Chef Shahir made sure to check-in with every guest, and shared with us how he became a chef and some stories from his time in New York. I told him that I was flying to Italy the following week, and that when I returned I would teach him a thing or two about Italian food. 😉

Thank you to the team at Levetto and Aly for making this wonderful evening happen for us. Since this dinner, almost all my friends have returned, and at least 4 are now regulars. Now I am dying to see how the College location is doing. I hope it’s just as good as the Liberty Village location since the College location is closer to where I live.

See you soon Levetto!

P.S. Karen wanted me to tell you that Chef Shahir packed up the left over pasta for her to take home. She told me that she had enough fresh pasta for a week, and it was delicious (chef Shahir taught her how to keep it fresh at home).