I would like to start my restaurant review by first stating that Italian cuisine is among the top three of my favorite foods to eat. Having said that when the opportunity to write a review for Zurlo's presented itself I was anxious to see what the establishment had to offer.
Zurlo's Italian Bistro is conveniently located just southeast of 132nd and Maple Street at 13110 Birch Drive in Omaha, NE. Zurlo's is open from 11a.m. to close Monday through Saturday and features a happy hour 3p.m. till 6:30 p.m. Although we did not make reservations as this was our lunch hour, I would recommend calling ahead if you have a large group or plan on having dinner. Upon our arrival we were greeted by our friendly waitress and promptly escorted to our table.
The atmosphere at Zurlo's is clean and classic with a unique contemporary twist. The dress code is casual although you will feel right at home coming from the office in your business attire. Zurlo's decor is quite contemporary featuring dark hardwood floors and bar surfaces, stark white leather chairs, thick hardwood tables, track and pendant lighting, and an interesting center dividing wall that separates the bar area from the dining room. The most interesting feature of the decor are the colors, the dividing wall is predominately translucent white sharply contrasted by a vibrant green that really makes the place "pop" if you will. The restrooms were impeccably clean and the background music really set the tone for an Italian dining experience.
The menu is comprehensive and features appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, panini's, pasta/big plates, brick oven pizza and desert selections. Zurlo's also has a to-go menu for both lunch and dinner dishes with the dine in and take out selections being somewhat similar in variety.
For our lunch we started off with two appetizers: cheesy garlic crostinis and shrimp scampi bruschetta. The crostinis were pleasantly crispy and the accompanying gorgonzola cream sauce was creamy and rich with a pleasantly tangy finish. The shrimp scampi bruschetta was quite complex in flavor featuring generously sized shrimp drizzled with scampi sauce atop a crunchy sourdough slice and finished with a drizzle of what appeared to be pesto and balsamic vinegar, by far the best scampi I have tasted in quite some time. For our entrees we chose the chicken pesto pizza and bolgnese with italian sausage atop angel hair pasta. The chicken pesto pizza featured a thin crust with generous strips of grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, fresh mozzarella and swirled with pesto sauce, overall a good choice but the chicken was a little on the bland side. The bolognese featured pulled pork, italian sausage and a mildly tangy tomato sauce. Although the bolgnese was flavorful and zesty and the angel hair was cooked properly, the italian sausage was sliced a bit too thin. For dessert we selected the limoncello cheesecake and were pleasantly surprised to learn that all the deserts on Zurlo's menu were prepared in-house, no store bought cheesecake here. Upon arrival to the table the cheesecake wedge was drizzled with cherry sauce accompanied by a portion of fresh whipped cream and garnished with a mint leaf. The cheesecake was the appropriate portion size, delicious and the delicate fresh whipped cream was very impressive.
The service at Zurlo's is second to none, the friendly waitress was prompt and courteous taking the time to thoroughly answer questions we had about the menu. Our beverages were promptly refilled and our food was delivered to the table in proper order and at the proper temperature. We were asked if we needed a to-go box at the end of our meal and the finished plates were removed from the table in a timely manner.
Our total bill after two appetizers, two entrees, iced tea and dessert was $49.00, reasonably priced for a gourmet sit down lunch. The price of our meal was comparable to the outstanding service we received. Average price per person for lunch is roughly $16.50, easily worth every penny for fine italian cuisine. Average price per person for dinner is around $25.50, again more than reasonable for the atmosphere, friendly service and delicious food.
In conclusion my experience at Zurlo's was very good and I will definitely be a return customer. The food speaks for itself and the prompt courteous staff is top notch making Zurlo's a very nice restaurant to refer to friends, family and those out of town clients that you want to impress.
