Rivoli, Berkeley

I am wayyyy behind. Sorry, things have been *kinda* hectic at work, but now that things have calmed down I'm ready to start blogging again.

My family went to Rivoli for my birthday dinner. Everyone that I told we were going there said, "Oh, I remember going to that place a really long time ago. Good food." It seemed from talking to my friends and family that Rivoli is one of those well-loved places that people just start to forget about sometimes. I'm on a mission to make people stop forgetting.

The appetizers at Rivoli are to die for. There were five of us, so we ordered three appetizers and split them. The first one that I tried was a crab souffle. It was really light and airy, with a slightly crispy outside. The flavor, though, was amazing. It tasted truly of the essence of crab--as if they had used the good parts to make the souffle (this is my Chinese side talking-by good parts I mean the body and that gushy yummy stuff from the back). The second appetizer I tried had slices of roast duck over blinis, garnished with fresh grapes and currants. This also was amazing. Andy even ate the currants along with everything else. Usually, I try not to order duck if I'm not out for Chinese food, because I often find that it can be too dry. This duck, though, was flavored magnificently and was still moist. The last appetizer we ordered was the portabella mushroom fritters with aioli. We originally chose them because I had read online that it's one of the only dishes that's kept on the menu year-round. The mushrooms were meaty and not greasy despite being fried, and were complemented perfectly with the aioli. Unfortunately, since Rivoli changes their menu every three weeks, it's going to be hard to find these same dishes, but if you see any one of them on the menu, I highly recommend them all.

For the main course, I ordered a chicken with prosciutto and kale dish. I remembered the last time I went to Rivoli with my friend Margaret that they did a great job with the chicken. This time, I wasn't as impressed. The chicken was still moist, which was a plus, but I didn't feel that the flavors went too well together. The prosciutto was overcooked, so I missed out on that flavor, and the bitterness of the kale made everything taste funny. They had cooked the kale with pomegranate seeds, which was interesting, but I think it just needed a lot more butter. A lot.

Andy was very happy with his dish--he got a steak with scalloped potatoes and spinach. He ended up eating everything except for the decorative tomato on the side, which is very impressive. I laughed because he said that it was presented in a way that he would think the meal would be "gross", but that as soon as he tasted it, he really liked it (This means the plate looked gorgeous and appetizing).

My dad had the salmon, no complaints there, and my sister had a risotto cake. I was too full to try either one, but they seemed to enjoy their meals a lot. My mom got scallops, which were really good. They were cooked well and what I really liked was that the restaurant wasn't stingy on the scallops--there were at least seven to nine on her plate.

Dessert also was great. Rivoli always has a hot fudge sundae on their menu, which is a classic. Definitely when ordering, I recommend splitting it between two people because it's huge. The nuts are really well toasted and seasoned, which is the best part, but I'd still probably go to Fenton's in the end for some really good hot fudge. We also ordered the sorbet--that day they had made raspberry and mango with mini shortbread cookies. The sorbets were very refreshing and tasty, and truly tasted like the actual fruit.

I really love this place--the atmosphere of the restaurant, too, is really great. They have a beautiful garden behind the restaurant, that is viewable from all of the tables. Since the place is so small, the service is friendly and quick. My only hold up with not eating at Rivoli all the time is the price--this place is not cheap, but when you do go for an all-out eating experience, it is well worth it.

Rivoli is located at 1539 Solano Avenue in Berkeley.
To make reservations, call (510) 526-2542 or 1(866) 496-2489.

They are open Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Friday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Sunday, 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

They also have a website: http://www.rivolirestaurant.com