Everett Herald Review
Garlic lovers,
time is running out
EVERETT -- If garlic in your apple crisp
sounds intriguing, head for Lombardi's Neighborhood Italian restaurant on the
Everett marina. If it doesn't, wait until the restaurant's garlic festival ends
this weekend.
I had to try the garlic-laced apple crisp
($4.95). The first couple of bites were odd. Then, the garlic taste disappeared,
somehow, and the dessert was a delicious combination of crumbly brown sugar-pistachio
crust and lightly sweetened apples accented with dried cranberries. Unfortunately,
I paused in eating my dessert to sample my friend's cheese plate, and I tasted
the garlic in the apple crisp again. I gave up on the apple crisp and alternated
between my pumpkin-flavored ice cream and my friend's cheese plate ($6).
Adding a cheese plate for dessert is one
of several changes in the menu that Lombardi's new chef, Tom Rhyneer, has made
since coming to the restaurant in June as corporate chef. Rhyneer built a dazzling
display from fruits, nuts and cheese. It included a sage-laced Stafford, Oregon
blue, Tuscan Parmesan, plus two cheeses from Spain. Dried apricots and Rainier
Valley cherries, fresh apple slices, pumpkin seeds and pistachio nuts filled the
spaces between the cheese wedges. I added a glass of tawny port ($6) and wondered
why I had ordered anything else on this Friday night.
For our entrees, I chose one of the restaurant's
most popular dishes, pasta and meatballs ($9.95). The angel hair pasta was topped
with chopped tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic. The tomatoes, rather than a marinara
sauce, gives this dish a lighter taste, which I enjoyed. The browned meatballs
retained a slightly crisp outer edge and had a delicious seasoning that wasn't
dominated by any one flavor.
With my pasta, I enjoyed a glass of syrah
($6.25), which I ordered at the bar while we waited for our table. We didn't make
reservations. The restaurant has an extensive wine list with most bottles falling
into the $20 to $30 range. For the garlic festival, eight wines were selected
to complement the special dishes.
My friend's apple-wood smoked pork chop
($15.95) was glazed with reduced apple cider that gave it a sweet-sour accent.
My friend ordered the roasted garlic beurre blanc on the side and was pleased
that he had done so. He felt the garlic would have overpowered the delicate apple
smoke and cider flavors. I was offered one small bite and he kept the rest for
himself. The pork chop was served over a peak of ravioli. The pasta stuck to each
other and came apart, exposing the apple-Marsala stuffing. But, it was delectable.
We didn't taste any garlic in the ravioli.
If you crave garlic and ravioli, there's crispy fried garlic ravioli served with
a dipping sauce as an appetizer ($6.95). But only until Sunday night.
Herald restaurant reviewers accept no invitations
to review, but readers' suggestions are always welcome. Reviewers arrive unannounced,
and The Herald pays their tabs.
To view Herald.net review on their web
site click
here.
