Taverna Banfi at the Statler Hotel

Valentine's Day Dinner

My wife and I decided to try something a little different this year, so we went up to Cornell to experience the remodeled Banfi's. We had our wedding reception in the Statler Hotel five years ago, so it is always a nostalgic experience to go there.

I have to say, I love the valet parking! It is just so convenient! Anyways, on to the dining experience. Entering the restaurant, the maitre d' was inviting and polite and found our reservation quickly. We were shown to a table for two on the banquette in the center of the first dining room. The ambiance is plesant, albeit a bit sterile and "hotelie." The dining room does not have a very cozy feel and the lighting is rather bright, but the tables are still intimate despite the close proximity of fellow diners.

The waiter is, of course, a student, as are all of the employees in the service portion of the restaurant. I think this adds something to the experience since they are eager to serve and very conscious of how they are presenting themselves. It actually comes across very professionally.

The wine list is appropriate, with a nice selection of wines by the glass, half bottle and full bottle. The Italian zinfandel that we had was nice; full bodied with dark fruit and a bit of chocolate, but not really anything to write home about.

The menu is rather interesting, although I was having a bit of trouble deciding how to structure my meal. This is a good thing, mind you. They offer flatbread pizzas, appetizers, salads, pasta and main courses. What is particularly nice is the option to have a small, proper, pasta course. We decided to use the pasta course as our main, and sample more of the offerings from the other sections of the menu.

Spinach, roma tomato and mozzarella flatbread: we both liked this dish, the flatbread was grilled with plenty of garlic, and the fresh green flavor of the spinach was wonderful with the charred flavor of the bread. I could have skipped the tomatoes since they were practically raw and made the dish a bit soggy. I would order this again.

Braised duck and lamb duet with polenta and robiola cheese: this was my appetizer and the most delicious dish of my meal. The braised meat was served on a small disc of polenta with the cheese melted over top. The sweetness of the meat with the savory flavor of the cheese, which is similar to brie, was wonderful. I wish this dish was a main course!

Buffalo mozzarella, oven-dried tomato, fried tomato and basil: my wife's appetizer, also a great dish. I personally love buffalo mozzarella, and fried tomatoes, so it was hard to find fault here! The fried tomatoes had a wonderful fennel flavor and the mozzarella was really creamy and fresh. The oven dried tomato was not really dried and felt tacked on, not consequential to the dish.

Spinach salad with roasted pear, goat cheese and sherry vinaigrette: your basic salad; it was good, but not memorable for me. The roasted pears were very, and I mean very, cold. As a result they were mealy and not very pleasant. I would have like the whole dish much more if the pears were either warm or raw.

Four cheese ravioli with red wine veal sauce: my wife's main; a nice dish consisting of five housemade ravioli filled with blended ricotta and mascarpone (and obviously two other cheeses) with a tomato based meat sauce. The highlight of this dish was the interplay of the mascarpone and the veal, truly delicious. For $17, the dish seemed a bit light on quantity.

Gnocchi, sweet sausage, broccoli rabe, pine nuts and dried tomatoes: the gnocchi were pretty good, a little overcooked, but certainly not chewy. The whole dish was decent, but could have a used a bit of refinement. This was another instance where the dried tomatoes were not dried enough, and I feel that the dish would benefit from the deep, rich flavor that oven-dried tomatoes deliver. Overall a light and enjoyable dish.

The desert buffet: I don't know if this is standard procedure, or if it was special for Valentine's day, but they offered Tiramisu, flourless chocolate cake, panna cotta, apple and pear gallettes, bread pudding, carrot cake and fruit salad. The best of this was the panna cotta, we both agreed that it was supremely delicious. The rest was not memorable.

Overall, we had a nice time. Nothing really blew us away in terms of the food or service, but nothing was dissapointing, either. The prices are generally fair, although some of the servings could have been larger. We would go back, but not regularly and I don't think it would be our first choice for a special occasion.