Whether looking for a place to impress a date or entertain your parents, look no further than Vivace.
This elegant Italian restaurant has a heartwarming ambiance and serves a delicious, traditional cuisine.
Located on Ivy Road, Vivace is just a stone's throw from Arch's Frozen Yogurt.
Upon arriving at Vivace, the maitre d' will give you choice of sitting indoors or outdoors, a choice you will find hard to make due to the beauty of each option. The inside of Vivace is relatively formal; tables set with a luxurious white table cloth, wine glasses and silverware laid out perfectly. The tables are spread out well for privacy, and candles give a sense of calm intimacy.
The outside dining area of Vivace is more casual but does not sacrifice the romantic mood.
The informal table structure makes the evening dining experience fun and relaxed, and the weather in Charlottesville at this time of year makes dining outside enjoyable. Umbrellas over each table serve as both protection against the elements and as decoration.
The dim candle lighting and soft Italian music in the background combine to form an authentic Italian dining experience, while a multitude of plants and decorations make it hard to believe that the traffic on Ivy Road is just a few yards away.
At night, Christmas lights form a perimeter around the patio, effectively separating the diners from the outside world.
During the early evening when it still is light out, the outside experience makes it hard to tell whether one is in Virginia or in a little cafe in Italy.
The wait staff at Vivace is extremely professional. Dressed all in black, the waiters were quiet but courteous and attentive. In a friendly manner they informed us of the specials and answered our questions about Italian food in a manner that showed that they clearly knew what they were talking about. Food service was prompt but unintrusive, so you don't have to worry about your waiter interrupting your conversation with a date.
Vivace's menu is fantastic, but it does not make accommodations for the frugal customer.
The least expensive pasta entree runs $11.95, while the most expensive veal dishes run well over $20. But if you're willing to spend the money, the food definitely is worth it.
The appetizer menu is quite diverse in the tastes to which it caters. Pane D'Aglio ($3.50), plain Italian bread with garlic butter, is available for those who desire a classic, simple and inexpensive primer before the main course. Mozzarella and Prosciutto con Pomodoro ($7.25) comes with tomatoes and delicious fresh salad greens topped with an amazing house dressing, but this appetizer was relatively bland and not worth the money.
A tastier pick is the bruschetta ($6.75), Italian bread with mozzarella and tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Other Mediterranean delights on the appetizer menu include calimari ($7.95) and mussoli in brodo ($7.95), mussels in broth with tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs.
The salads were extremely impressive.
A simple salad with house dressing costs $3.50, while Caesar salads run $4.95 for a small and $7.50 for a large.
These salads are large enough to count as a meal, especially when the diner avails himself of the opportunity to add chicken for $3.50 or shrimp for $4.75.
Vivace offers a variety of chicken dishes served over pasta, from baked Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti marinara ($14.50) to Grilled Chicken with Italian stuffing and broccoli ($14.95). The Pollo Bello, seared chicken with artichokes, red pepper and cream sauce (16.95), was unsatisfying. The taste of vinegar from the artichokes was too strong and smothered the mellow flavor of the cream sauce.
The pasta in the dish was good, but the chicken was too dry.
Dishes with beef generally were more expensive than pasta dishes served with chicken. Vivace has a number of veal dishes on the menu, including Veal with Mushrooms ($18.95) and Veal Piccata with lemon ($18.95).
For the hefty price of $22.95, you can order the Filet Mignon with broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes.
But if you want to try tastes not usually combined with pasta in America, you should order from the seafood menu. Shrimp can be ordered with either basil, lemon, tomato and risotto ($18.95) or with bell peppers, onions, tomatoes and capellini ($17.95).
You also can order salmon ($17.95), swordfish ($18.95) or tuna steak ($18.95).
In addition to meat and fish-centered entrees, Vivace offers a specialty pasta menu that includes Lasagna Bolognese or Fiorentina ($13.75). Cheese-stuffed ravioli tossed in a vodka and tomato cream sauce ($14.50) and tortellini ($13.95) round out the menu.
Vivace offers a nice blend of pleasant atmosphere and tasty food.
Unlike many Italian restaurants, Vivace does not overpower the diner with garlic, instead relying on its great pasta as the basis for most of its dishes.
If you're willing to spend the money on a pricey outing, you'll find that this restaurant is a great place to take a date.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | YesterdayWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 3 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
