La Dolce Vita Italian Ristorante- Provo

I started eating at this little place when it first opened 30 years ago, and loved it then, still love it today. The owners are from Naples, and have retained the family recipes since the beginning.  I've eaten at La Dolce Vita for lunch and dinner, and I have to admit that there are just a few things I would prefer they changed.

First, some of the decor really needs to be updated, especially the fake plants here and there.  When seating guests, having them in the back room by the kitchen isn't the best ambiance when you have a perfectly nice outer room that feels more like a special seating area.  Why use that back area unless you are already out of space in the main dining room?

Second, the toasted bread served at the beginning of the meal is badly in need of a change.  Serving the bread on aluminum foil just looks tacky, and to use sliced white bread loaded with oil rather than using a lovely, rustic bread served hot with the oil on the side is just a poor choice.  We never eat much of the bread.

The italian sodas are fantastic, love them, don't change a thing.

I usually order either the Gnocchi Combo or the Canneloni.  Both dishes are amazing and delicious.

My daughters' love the pizzas, and usually choose a different one each time.

Everything is so delicious.  Can't say enough about this place.  No it is not on the order of the old Ottavios, but, if you love good Italian food then you won't be disappointed. 

La Jolla Grove

La Jolla Grove in Provo

Chef Kent Andersen has done an amazing job with the menu at La Jolla Grove in the Shops at the Riverwoods here in Provo.  We have long been told how good the food is at this restaurant, but, it took us a while to give it a try.  Thank goodness we were open to it on one of our recent date nights.

It was a weeknight, so the crowd was pretty quiet, and we arrived right at the start of dinner service.  The ambiance is nearly en-pointe but could use a bit of tweaking when it comes to where the wait staff spend their down time.  Having them standing around at the back right next to several tables makes it feel a bit more like a family style restaurant than the upper market establishment they are going for.  Still, we can overlook that when the food is as delicious as this menu offers.

We started off with Italian sodas.  Frankly, most places will give you this huge glass full and it just overwhelms the rest of your experience.  La Jolla Grove offers slender flutes.  For appetizers I ordered the Balsamic Marinated Stuffed Mushrooms and shared with DH.  So delicious, and just right for sharing.  The mushrooms sit on a bed of spring greens, and the balsamic glaze is perfect.  The mushrooms are large, with a tasty stuffing of gorgonzola cheese.

For our next course we each had a bowl of soup.  I ordered the Potato and Garden Leek Soup, and DH ordered the Mushroom Soup.  To be honest, we would have both been just as happy with each other's choices as we were with our own, and we took turns sharing sips from each other's bowls.  The soups are so good, I would have been happy if that was all we had.  But wait, there is more deliciousness to come.

For entrees we chose from different sections of the menu.  I chose to order the Shrimp Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Spinach from the pasta menu.  The sauce is perfection, and the pasta cooked just al dente as it should be.  Everything about this dish made me so glad I chose it.  After already having an appetizer, soup, and Italian soda plus sharing some of the bread rolls, I was glad to have room for this entree.  The spacing between service of each course was just right, and the portion size makes the experience much more pleasant than the usual American sized offerings that leave you feeling over full and needing a take home box, which in my opinion should not happen on a regular basis in any restaurant.  If you find most customers leaving with boxes in hand it is a signal that the portion sizes are too large.

DH ordered from the Signature Entree's menu, ordering the Roasted Chicken Marsala.  He was very happy with his choice, and after sampling some of his dish I could understand why.  Very light and full of flavor, the chicken was juicy and tender, the sauce was not too heavy, and the accompaniments were perfectly suited to the other flavors on the plate.


Our choice of dessert was to share the Berries and Cream, which was enough for both of us simply because we had already had so many courses.  While we did enjoy this dessert, next time we will need to try the famous Lemon Cake.

The wait staff was attentive without being pushy or intrusive, the location is romantic especially on nights when live music is playing in the gazebo just outside the front door.  I just wish the clientele showed more respect for the class of restaurant they are enjoying and dress up a bit.  Wearing jeans and flip flops to a place that takes itself this seriously is just disrespectful.

I would give this a high rating in all categories and highly recommend La Jolla Grove.  Prices are reasonable, and the variety on the menu is wide enough to please everyone.   As for breaking it down by the numbers, I give this place 4 points for atmosphere, 5 points for food quality, 5 points for menu selection, and 5 points for service.