text: After seeing such great reviews on Yelp, I decided to take the gf to this little Italian place in Gilbert. I REALLY REALLY wanted to like this place, and the owner was really nice. But.....all I can muster up was a meh. First, the decore just doesn't seem to fit the restaurant name. The name says to me, nice Italian restaurant. We walked in, it seemed....sparten. There's just something missing that makes it feel Italian. Anything...some rustic decoration? Idk. I really think the ambiance can be much better if they did something.... It was mostly just plain walls with some murals. Anyhow, I'm not here to eat the food, not the wall decore. We ordered some Clams Casino s for appetizer. The gf ordered Chicken Campagnola and I ordered Veal Scaloppine Principessa. So the clams.... Cardinal sin #1, you never ever serve sandy clams. You must soak the clams in fresh water for at least 20 minutes to rid of the salt and sand. Well, the gf and I tried 2 clams each and every single one of them were sandy. Crunch crunch crunch. Uck. I am grateful that that item was taken off our bill. Just for that I think they deserve half a star more. On to the entrees. While the flavors were not bad, I do feel like the food is towards average than good. My veal was slightly over cooked but fairly tasty with the sauce on top. It just didn't give me the vibe of this is so good I want it again. My gf's chicken was definitely way overcooked. It was tough and the sauce was on the salty side (and I'm a salt junkie). Overall, I dare say I've had better food at certain Macaroni Grill chains so..... I do really want to like this place because it's so close to where we live..... But for the food they serve, I think they can be $3-4 less. I would've gladly pay the price if the food had impressed me. Alas, the search for a great Italian restaurant with reasonable price continues.....