Overall grade: B+
Went there within an hour of closing (not my decision) with a group (5 total). It was a recent friday or saturday night.
The place is small, but very adorable in its old world, hole-in-the-wall feel. As the place was packed when we arrived, we were seated in the back room next to the kitchen, although it didn't feel so much like a back room. It was rather comfortable for me.
With our arrival so late, it was understandable that they weren't able to make a particular dish according to its regular recipe, as some ingredients had run out. No biggie.
The restaurant didn't have a liquor license, so we sent off two of our party to go buy two bottles of wine at the liquor store across the street. This felt kind of odd that we needed to do this, but it didn't really spoil the mood.
The salads we got with our meals were very satisfying in general. I really liked the presentation and the homemade dressing. I got a mixed greens salad with balsamic. The greens were delightfully wrapped around with thin cucumber strips so as to create a bowl effect. This was visually stunning (in a good way) to me.
I got the Gorgonzola Fettuccine -- it was divine! The portion size was also rather sizable, so I took the extra home -- and it made super lunch leftovers!
However, my dinner date in the group wasn't as satisfied with his Lasagna. It was served at too low a temperature, although I believe he enjoyed it overall. So, all was not lost.
So, I think Le Gallo Russo is definitely recommendable, especially as they were so friendly and accommodating at such a late hour to our group. And the food was fantastic. But not being able to order drinks and having a dish served cold pulls down the marks. If those issues weren't there, I'd be giving this lovely restaurant an easy A.
