4/21/06
Vivace
3118 Central Ave Se, Albuquerque, NM
(505) 268-5965
But wait…how do you pronounce Vivace? Vi-vaase?
Here are some tips:
- v: like v in vase
- i: like ee in meet
- a: long like a in father
- c: before e or i – like ch in chin
- (otherwise – like c in cat)
Now doesn't Vivace sound a lot better?
We were fortunate to have been seated in the newly(?) renovated/expanded side of the restaurant (the side with the bar). It was lightly dimmed and very classy!!!
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Menu:
The prices were a bit higher than our usual lunches, but otherwise were reasonable for an Italian meal (<$10 before tip/tax).
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Complementary Appetizer
While we waited for our meals, we were given probably the best bread in town…we requested refills many many times!
And how could we not dip it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar? So yummy!!
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Onto the main entrees:
Yeah…Nazim's fingers seemed to always find their way in…
I ordered the Conchigu Con Salsiccia E Panna (2nd page of menu). "Shell Pasta with Sausage, fresh Rosemary, Diced Tomato and Crème". I was pleasantly surprised by the mild spicy sauce. It was wonderful! While the dish was simple, each ingredient's flavor was well exposed in harmony (don't I sound just like the Iron Chef (Japan) commentators or Paula Abdul? hahahhaa…) I liked it! The pasta even had a bit of chewyness to it!
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We had a big turn out…12 people I think! (If you think I can't count, Frank is hiding behind Kuan and I'm taking the pictures)
We had a long lunch around 2 hours…Poor Nazim thought he could leave at 12:30 — the exact time the food started coming out! Oh well But it was worth the wait!
~~~ 1 hour after~~~
And since the dishes had large portions, a handful of us actually had leftovers! I liked how they packed it up for us:
Cozy in a white lunch bag:
That's awesome, don't you think?
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Vivace is most certainly a must-come-back restaurant — excellent atmosphere, very satisfying food and friendly service…did we really spend 2 hours there?????? Who cares!
Hungry Cactus' final verdict: A