Torinos’ @ Home

DELETED… Daniela is a hostile skank.

Mediocre food hyped by guy ferry yes he’s a fraud that’s his real name not fiery. This is a media hyped to make him sound more credible. His paternal grandmother is actually Italian not his mom nor his dad.
Anyways lets get to the review. The interior of the restaurant is clean and presentable there are many little areas you can sit at to have a private dinner. They have a fairly decent wine selection for New Mexico. Their menu is printed on a single piece of paper and the selections are not many. our waitress was pleasant enough but she neglected us on occasion and we expect more from such a highly reviewed restaurant. We would’ve had ordered an extra bottle of wine and an extra entrée but she was too busy with the many other tables occupied. Whoever manages restaurant you need to hire more staff
As for the food we ordered the lemon chicken beef cheek manicotti and briskets ravioli. Nothing about this meal was special. The portions were tiny I would expect small portions from a highly skilled chef but this food seem to be made by amateurs I struggled hard to give this a three star rating the only thing that pushed it to four stars was the cleanliness of the dining area. I would never return to this restaurant and feel that a dinner at macaroni Grill or Olive Garden would be very equivalent. Guy ferry hyped this restaurant to be something it is really not there is not enough staff in the restaurant to small I prefer my Italian restaurants in Southern California much more too bad wish it would’ve been better. I only wanted to write this review to not let the TV show influence your dining decision as there are many very good restaurants in the Albuquerque area that deserve a chance.

The food was amazing. My son had steamed clams, I had spaghetti bolognese and my hubby had pasta frutti de mar (pasta with shrimp clams calamari). They were great. We ended up eating a portion then rotating plates so we all had some of each. We also had the antipasta platter. It was great. Loved the goat cheese brushutti. Now on to dessert. Molten lava cake and fried ravioli.

Wow. My buddy and I came to Torinos at Home expecting amazing food and we were not let down when it came to that! The Beef cheek manicotti is fantastic! The restaurant is well lit, clean, and they are proud of Guy Fieri visiting them. The service was prompt, the server knew the dishes well and answered all of our questions. Torinos has a great wine menu and they have suggestions for a wine with each meal. Really helps make those diffocult decisions.
The only negative about Torinos was the incredible length of time it took to get our food. There were only a few other folks eating in the restaurant, yet our meal took well over an hour to get to our table.
Overall– great food, great service. Must visit for great italian food!

We had the lunch paninis. Absolutely delicious. The focaccia was fresh and the sandwich had delicious ham and/​or prosciutto and vegetables. The salad that went with it was fresh and delicious. The fries obviously homemade. The latte was perfect. The is Albuquerque’s best kept secret. Will drive to Albuquerque from Santa Fe just to eat there

I had high expectations from Torinos after checking out the reviews here. We went in pretty late to the restuarant and because we had to drive after the dinner, so decided to try only the food and not the wine. The restaurant was very clean and the first expression was pretty good. The server was very friendly. I order Nero Di Seppia, and honestly I was not impressed by the taste. It looked good, but was very bland. I’m giving this place 3 stars only because of the service and the ambience. Food? Could have been better!

I absolutely love this place. The environment was peaceful and for some reason it felt like home. I ordered some foie gras which was delicious. I also had the duck confit which came with fries which is why im giving it 4 stars, I guess i just expected a better side. Overall it was a great place and the food reminded me of why I chose the culinary field as my profession.

This local business is featured on the Food Network. My husband and I stopped in for an early dinner and we were not disappointed. I ordered a panini from the lunch menu along with homemade fries. The panini was so crispy even the left overs held up for lunch the next day. The French fries had the fresh flavor you expect from a real homemade fry. My husband ordered a fresh pasta with a pesto sauce. The texture of the pasta left no doubt that it was made on site and probably even that day. The pesto has the strong basil flavor you expect with a high quality olive oil. If you are looking for a local pasta joint, this is worth a try.

I’ve been hoping that I would somehow find my way out to Albuquerque again since I saw Torino’s @ Home on D.D.D. I had plans to meet friends at the balloon fiesta during my cross country trip, so opportunity knocked. I have to admit that after reading a couple of bad reviews here on Unilocal!I took pause and tempered my expectations.
We had a late lunch and the service was both prompt and friendly as well as helpful.
We split a caprese and a side homemade sausage as our appetizer. The yellow tomato was juicy a perfectly ripe and sweet. The mozarella was creamy delicious and the EVOO dressing and balsamic reduction tied it all together nicely. The sausage was plump and porkilicious and I would recommend it as a side to and dish for anyone who had even a remote apprecation for sausage.
I had the Bolognese for my entrée and was most pleased with that choice. It was a sizable portion with bountiful, delicious, local ground beef and pork jaw with carrots and celery all blended well into the tomato sauce. One friend loved his panini but wished he had ordered the Bolognese when our plates arrived it looked so good. My other friend ordered the butternut squash manicotti special which I did try and it was also simply outstanding.
I hope I can find another opportunity to get back to Albuquerque just to sample other items on this menu. I say that as an Italian American who lives in the northeast and has great Italian food often, both dining out and with friends and family. Yes it is that good. I have no idea where some of the attack reviews were coming from — to each his own I suppose.

I don’t know what they hype is. The food is mediocre and tasteless. All 4 entrees had no salt and no taste.
This place is a shame to Italian food. !!

If you want to be ignored and have pricey food that’s really not that good then this is the place for you.

Love this spot! The soup and salad is the way to go if you want something light that won’t put you in a food coma at your computer after lunch. The tomato soup is nice and thick, not too salty. Share the tiramisu for dessert with coffee!

I am leaving 2 stars because I had high expectations on this restaurant from the reviews I read and people who referred this restaurant as awesome. The food is not bad but not unique. However my complain is when they were taking my order they said something about their day special appetizer and how awesome it is. It wasn’t in their menu so I tried it and came to my mind that it wouldn’t be more than 7 or8 dollars. The appetizer was literally deep fried zucchini skins and When my bill came they charged me 18 bucks only for my appetizer!!! Comparing to my panini which was only 14 bucks. I brought it up to waiter and told him you should have tell me about the price when its this expensive. They still charged me for it which if I knew it would come with that price I would never try it.
So my tip to you ASK FOR The Price of whatever its out of menu!!!

On the plus side, their desserts are excellent. I typically don’t like tiramisu but thought theirs was good. And the poached pear was excellent.
On the down side, they aren’t customer oriented. I ordered the beef brisket and gnocchi. When it arrived, it was hot (as in spicy). I asked about it and was told they put a ‘little’ chile de arbol in it. I don’t expect to find Mexican chiles in Italian food, and there was no mention of it on the menu. I explained to the waiter that I was sensitive to that kind of heat, but he didn’t do anything about it. He could have offered to bring me a different dish, taken it off my check, or just comped my dessert. But he did nothing.
It’s my second visit. The first time I ordered the duck confit panini. The confit tasted great, but there was only a small amount, and most of it was fat. The sandwich is huge but it’s mostly bread.
Both times I’ve been there, I’ve gotten the sense that’s it more about them than their customers. My second visit will be my last.

I love this place. Currently in a food coma. Someone come rub my belly.
Boyfriend and I came in and the hostess (?) asked if we had a reservation. And of course I got the eye roll from the boyfriend. Whoops. They were so great in squeezing us in before another person who had reserve got there.
Honestly the pictures don’t do justice it is a really cute place with a community table, wine displays and a bar.
I like to believe I know wine but I don’t. Just give me something sweet and I’ll love it, so moscato it was!
Everything is homemade from scratch so just go eat there, the gnocchi is amazing. Beef brisket is fall of the fat awesome and tendered. Excellent flavors. Can’t wait to be back.

I have to say upfront that my review may be a bit skewed because my wife and I personally know Maxim and Daniela, the owners. This was however our first visit to Torino’s. We first met this lovely couple when we visited Santa Fe a few years back. We tried their small but excellent eatery in old downtown at which time we struck up a conversation with Daniela who I immediately knew was from Italy. My wife and I are also Italian (1^st and 2^nd gen respectively) so naturally, we hit it off. Before we left, after finishing a delightful gourmet breakfast, Daniela introduced us to her husband and chef Max who was equally charming and familiar despite being French (chuckle here). We ended up taking them out to dinner before we returned home and had a wonderful time. As a result, we became friends and have remained in contact over the years mostly through social media.
As luck would have it, we were recently returning from a family visit to Colorado, We stayed in Albuquerque en route to Colorado Springs but we arrived late and were disappointed that we weren’t able to see our friends and try their restaurant. As fate would have it, I left a pair of new running shoes at the motel where we stayed overnight so I made arrangements to pick them up on our home trip which I did. After doing so, it was mid afternoon and we were hungry so my wife asked Siri to find nearby restaurants. Much to our surprise and delight we learned that we were basically right around the corner from Tonrino’s. What are the odds of that considering how spread out Albuquerque is?
As soon as I walked in I recognized Daniela who after a second knew who I was. It was a wonderful and long due reunion. In addition to my wife, we had my Italian mother in law and young teen nephew with us. Needless to say, we were treated like family and guests of honor. Maxim was also there but was not in the kitchen so we got to briefly visit with him as well.
Torino’s is a sizable and stylish eatery modeled after upscale Italian trattorias. It’s well appointed, but cleanly decorated with plenty of room between tables. We initially were seated inside and started enjoying some appetizers and an apéritif followed by wine and more samplings from their intriguing and delectable menu.
We eventually thought it would be nice to move outside to enjoy the beautiful late Spring day so Daniela happily accommodated us, and much to our continuing pleasure, Daniela and Maxim joined us. The patio is a lovely shady area surrounded by high end office buildings in the distance. It is very nicely appointed with flowers, plants and umbrellas along with all the lush green trees.
I am pretty certain that between us we tried just about everything on the menu and it was all top notch both in flavor as well as presentation and preparation. The afternoon was capped off with Daniela requesting that one of each of their superb meal ending desserts which we all shared.
Although we took our time and enjoyed each and every bite, we left quite full and satisfied well beyond expectation. We had a terrific time visiting and savoring our afternoon dining experience.
Please note that I insisted that we NOT be comped for our meal and we were not although the dessert assortment was picked up by our host and hostess for which we were very grateful.
My only regret about Torino’s is that it is so far from us. .. we live near Sedona, AZ. But anytime we are traveling through the Duke City, and time permitting, we would never miss a visit to this delightful and innovative Italian-​Euro eatery.

Torinos @ Home is a place I’ve wanted to try ever since seeing it on Food Network. It’s been in the national spotlight and is obviously known for their Italian cuisine.
The biggest problem you’ll have when coming here is figuring out what to eat! Their menu is the perfect size in my opinion and it’s one of the places I need to come back to because I wanted to try every thing on the menu. After deliberation and deep thinking I chose the Beef Cheek Manicotti and «The Amazing Foie Gras». As the name implies, the beef is from the cheek and simmered for at least 5 hours I believe. It is inside the manicotti and about as smooth and tender as beef can possibly become. They could have kicked this dish up a little with some green chile or another powerful flavor though. It felt like it was one ingredient short of being fantastic. The foie gras was fantastic. They put it on a crustini which pairs perfectly. I highly recommend it.
My wife got the spaghetti (which I had as leftovers the next day) and I can attest that is was one of, if not the best spaghetti I’ve ever had.
My mother-​in-​law got the meat lasagna and although I did not try it, she seemed pleased with it as well.

When it comes to Italian dining in the Duke City, landing a plate at Torino’s is tantamount to pulling three cherries at a slot machine. And I’m not talking about odds, here, because you can’t lose. When the dish arrives and my eyes land on the winnings, there’s a serious Bing! Bing! Bing! that accompanies the ordeal, before I even fork it up. Presentations truly look as great as the food tastes, especially with the antipasto platters and specials. As it should be. This humble little strip mall villa transports you, it’s worth every cent.
The owners of this shop are simply edible. They are. You get the feeling that Chef Maxime and his wife, Daniela, were meant to bless the world with culinary joy. Maxime has a passionate, particular and occasionally peculiar take on what authentic northern Italian cuisine should encompass and Daniela, well, she’s the rock and the exclamation point, exuberant, terribly funny, driven. They’re the type of couple we’d all want for parents. I’m betting they throw incredible dinner parties, and they’re the life of ‘em. Someday I’m going to ask them to adopt me.
Everything, and I mean everything here, is made from scratch in-​house with serious love. Like all European food, the stuff will take time to arrive. That’s the point, silly. Relax, don’t come here on a power lunch, take a load off, the hell with your boss, life is too short for bad food. Some of the very best in Burque, promise.

This place is three for three! I have previously been here for lunch (risotto, wonderful), dinner with the hubby (see my other review), and now dinner again. I don’t know why we don’t come here more often, but I intend to in the future. Just look at this:
A bottle of Volpaia Chianti Classico 2011 — smooth and full of flavor — it slides around your mouth and lets you know that life is good. The antipasto del mare had only high notes. The calamari was not rubbery in the least, no it was tender to the point that I suspect they massage the squid into submission for this dish. There was a tuna with red pepper, some tarragon aioli that I spread around on the little fish cake, and an incredible crostini with white anchovy.
Oh no! What? Save my silverware? Service FAIL! Taking my silverware off the freshly destroyed plate that I just pushed back from harshes the whole experience. Instead, clear the plate and bring me a new fork and whatever else I need. For reals, that is how you do it. The last thing I want to do is pick up my dirty fork and then set it on the table — really, honestly, that’s just gross.
Where was I?
Oh, oh, oh, the husband’s gnocchi spezzatino melted in my mouth and the brisket required no knife. However, my hanger steak was so full of flavor that I consider myself the winner of the main course round. It was in a rich, red mushroom sauce, served perfectly medium rare. What else was on that plate? I don’t remember and who cares!
For desert we had the molton chocolate cake, which was drenched in espresso — awesome! — and the apricot ravioli, which was crunchy and full of almond flavors. I was going to lick the plate but realized there were children at the next table who could learn bad manners from me so I did the right thing and … oh who am I kidding! I licked the plate, discreetly. I plan to make a You-​Tube video demonstrating that technique. You’re welcome.
We got out of there for one and a half and it was worth every penny. Service was excellent, except for that silverware thing but I’m not deducting any stars for that because the atmosphere is kind of casual, and I could have told them to bring me a new service.
I love Torinos.

I’m caught debating between 4 or 5 stars, but I chose to go with 4 since the air conditioner wasn’t working when we arrived. Luckily, the patio is nice and the weather wasn’t bad, but it was still a bit of an inconvenience.
I’m a sucker for a good charcuterie plate, and the burrata and coppa was the closest thing to it. It was pretty delicious! The whole thing was served on a wooden pizza handle and nicely arranged. We had to ask for more bread since there was a good amount of burrata on the plate! The burrata itself was exactly what a burrata should be: a mozzarella-​like exterior with a creamy buttery interior. The olive bread came out nice and toasty. The olive flavor was very subtle. I’m not sure exactly how the confit tomato petal in the dish was prepared, but it was heavenly! It kind of tasted like a sun dried tomato, but not as dry…
For our meals, I ordered a duck confit panini and my husband got the beef cheek manicotti. The manicotti seemed overloaded with cheese, it was bordering on inedible. With a lot of bread, it was fine, but without it, it was almost like a cheesy soup with some beef mixed in. The manicotti noodles were a bit overcooked, so they just fell apart in the soupy mixture. My panini, on the other hand, was great! I ordered it with a side salad, which came with a light lemony vinaigrette. The panini itself was mostly duck confit, but paired nicely with sun dried tomatoes and a goat cheese spread. I was quite pleased with my selection!