Ristorante Da Rosario - Munich

I arrived at Ristorante Da Rosario at about 19:45 on a Tuesday in April 2009, feet tired from viewing four apartments scattered around Schwabbing - not to mention having walked from Arabellapark to get to Schwabbing after work. When I scanned the menu, I was surprised by the choices, and the reasonable prices for what looked to be a fairly good quality restaurant.

Well, I wasn't at all disappointed. Upon entering, I was surprised to not see artificial grape vines, or empty straw covered Chianti bottles festooned around the place. The decor is simple and tasteful; there's plenty of dark wood panels, but not so much to make it gloomy, and some nice art work adorning the walls. The tables were set immaculately with crisp white tablecloths, a single fresh cut rose, and lit candle burning on all the tables. The tables themselves are spacious, and there were a few large enough to seat a party of 8.

Overall, there is seating for about 60-70; although there was still room for a few more tables, so perhaps as many of 100 could squeeze in.

I started with a glass of Pinot Grigio (served generously), and ate some of the excellent fresh bread while I scanned the menu. I ordered a tomato salad (Insalata pomodoro) , and Veal scaloppine with wild mushrooms (Scaloppina Buongust...something or other). The tomato salad portion arrived, with what was clearly two whole tomatoes, slices medium with some sweet white onion, and a few fresh basil leaves drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I'm a big tomato fan, so I was a bit disappointed to find that I was served hydroponic tomatoes of a generic variety, very likely grown in Holland. So, while the salad was good, it would have been better to have had some type of plum tomato, or perhaps a variety of different tomatoes, but the rather tasteless, and pulpy, hydroponic variety was a small let down.

Then, the veal arrived. I can still taste it. The meat was seasoned and cooked expertly, and the portion was good (almost more than I really wanted, but I don't like huge portions). This was served covered, and I do mean covered, in some sauteed wild mushrooms, and the wine and citrus sauce was excellent. To accompany my main course, I ordered a glass of Chianti, and was not at all disappointed with the quality (cheap Chianti can taste like gasoline).

Perhaps Tuesday is exceptionally quiet, but while I was there, there were only four other customers (not four parties, but four people), so perhaps I was spoiled, but the service was very attentive and polite. The final rekoning (rechnung) was a modest €32; which while a bit steep for one person, was quite satisfactory considering the food and drink quality and service. This would be a great place to impress a date, or take your parents if they're paying !

Now, those who have read my other reviews will be familiar with my penchant for amusing observations, and luckily, while the customer base was small, one of them satisfied my requirement. She was about 55, and spent her entire meal groaning in a sort of pre-orgasmic delight with every mouthful of food she took, and, she took plenty of mouthfuls. By the end of my meal, wood took on increased significance, if you know what I mean.

Overall score, 90%

Schonfeldstrasse 24
80539 Munich
Tel: 089 24242682

Near Hahnenstrasse and Kaubachstrasse