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Adelmo Banchetti opened his cozy, two-story restaurant in 1989, and his fans still flock there just about every night of the week. The menu’s a bit of a throwback; best are a saucy, hunter-style rabbit and the grilled, marinated garlic chicken, from a recipe handed down by Banchetti’s mother-in-law. Adelmo’s is a wine industry hangout, and the modest list includes some good bottles at reasonable prices.
We go to Adelmo's regularly because it's comfortable. Solid food, nice wines and service that's not pushy.
We tried Adelmo's for the first time this week. We enjoyed the rabbit, chicken, gnocchi. Service was great. We can see why they've been around. Will definitely go back.
I can't think of another restaurant in Dallas, that will make a dish off the menu for you, or even special order a favorite wine for you.
We first came to Adelmo's about a year ago at the recommendation of a colleague, and have been regulars since. We enjoy the variety, the wines, and especially Adelmo and his stories.
If you went on the monday night just after july 4, you cannot expect for them to be packed nor any other restaurant in the city. I have had many wonderful meals there and some ok ones, but in the end, the quality is on par. They may have some flaws but your criticism is a bit rigid. You sound like many of Dallas' $30K millionaires, who are just distraught because they cannot get a decent marinara like they had in the Amalfi or buffala mozzarella like they had in Florence. Well, if it bothers you so much, then move to Italy and get the heck out of town! And if you such a connoisseur, you would have ordered a glass of champagne and not prosecco.
The menu at Adelmo's is a "throwback", but there are no crowds of regulars here. On our recent visit we saw five other customers (we left at 8:30pm on a weeknight). Two were loud regulars, one hairy man with a sweat band was getting to-go and one couple who arrived by taxi.
I had no complaint about what was on the plate, but in Dallas there are simply better choices.
Our mozzarella and tomato salad came with very good pesto, ripe tomatos and an interesting presentation of onions and marniated artichoke (it is pictured on this site). While the portions were ample, the cheese was not melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella di bufala.
The quail on cous-cous with rosemary sauce sounded great, and the flavors were perfect, but the quail was sadly over cooked.
I ordered ravoili Florentine with tomato/basil sauce. The dish was fine, but it was not the tomato/basil of the Amalfi coast, but a northern Italian version with orange oil clinging to the sides of the bowl. The flavor was fine, but it was uninteresting.
It was odd to sit and eat in the empty room with the two booming regulars attended to by the proprietor. We did not examine the wine list but our generic by-the-glass selections were fine, except for the overly sweet processco.
I felt embarrassed for the diners who came by taxi. If they were visitors to Dallas who selected Adelmo's from a guidebook, then they got the wrong impression. Mi Piaci, Acrodoro, Ferrari's (either location) are all much better traditional italian with interesting menus. There are also some less traditional choices such as Bolla, a hit-or-miss upscale with a modern menu and often "hit out of the park" fare such as scallop pate. Daniel Osteria is a quiet option with interesting Sicilian food.
I believe that Adelmo's has seen better days. I believe that you should see better restaurants.
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Ever since I interviewed Adelmo Banchetti on the phone about the renowned steak tartare he serves at his namesake restaurant, I've been curious about what (besides the chopping and careful blending of raw steak) goes on inside that handsome, brick-red-trimmed two-story building on Cole Avenue. (Full review)