I have been here several times. I live in Reston and am always looking for a new eatery to add to the list. I also believe unless truly horrific, I should give a place a few tries before rating it.

I went before it opened for a special event. It was really fantastic - food, service, etc. There were some dishes I didn't prefer -but my SO liked them just fine so I figured, just a matter of taste. I'm a garlic/salt/spice girl - he is a pesto anything kind of guy.

I have also been to Italy several times (North to South) and had just returned from a trip when Il Fnornaio opened so I was excited to get real Italian cuisine.

I think my first time was my best time. Lasagna was perfect, the wait staff was very nice, I liked the linen cloths & outfits (only because it reminded me of Rome and Sicily). The buffalo mozzarella, tomatos and EVOO was definitely underwhelming. I was sad, but thought = opening night - not everything can be perfect. They tried to tell me tomatoes are frequently green or brown. But it was still pretty good.

My second time - I start bringing more people to try it. I was still okay with the meal, but my guests were underwhelmed - they thought it was too expensive. I will say I did not think this, I thought Reston Town Center, kind of upper scale trendy, so reasonable. Some food was good, some was okay, only one item appeared to be really not good. Some dishes weren't available.

My third time - I couldn't breathe because of the smoke so have no idea if my food even tasted like food or cigarettes. As a former smoker I would think I could adapt, but even at the far end of the non-smoking section - it changed nothing. I complained - to no avail. The food was not good this evening, it was late, came out wrong, etc. So - I figure - bad night, they can't all be good all the time. Some dishes weren't available.

My fourth time - after waiting, oh, I don't know, an hour for our reserved table (not including the half hour early that we showed up), I was getting miffed. Plus, it was still packed with smoke. I don't care if there is smoking in restaurants, really. I just think ventilation should be required. And I felt like I was dining at Marlboro and not Italy. I tried ordering a drink for me and my SO and mine came after about 30 minutes, but his never did. (I guess coca-cola is harder to pour than an absolute & cranberry). She did give us a bill for both which was nice. Anyway, again, in non-smoking, was filled with smoke again. Couldn't breath. My SO actually started to have an asthma attack. Can you believe it? The food was definitely less than good.

So - my rating - just okay. I wish I could say it was great. But with dishes unavailable (at an early hour of seating - 7pm, 8pm), the smoke, messed up reservations, etc. I'm not ready to keep it on the frequent flier card. In fact, I threw out my Il Fornaio passport since I knew I wouldn't be back that frequently. Too bad - love to eat and love italian food.

Great Italian!

Instead of waiting 45 min. for a table last Sat. night, my husband and I decided to eat at the bar. Our waiter was enjoyable, and the bar is very nicely decorated. The olives and the bread sticks they provided were very good. However, I have to report that our food was disappointing especially given the price paid. My husband ordered the roasted chicken. The presentation was very nice. However, the chicken tasted just so so and the potatoes were definitely instant! That seems unacceptable. My shrimp risotto had good flavor, but the shrimp were very small (salad size) and were scarce. Don't be fooled by the chic-New York-styled restaurant....the food needs to seriously be improved upon !!

We tried it twice even though the Post said the food was bland. It is. But worse, it is poorly prepared and barely edible.

The Olive Garden crowd might like this place but if you enjoy real Italian food, go to Ristorante Bonaroti in Vienna, VA. You compare the two and you'll see what I mean.

The bread is good. A bakery should be able to make bread.

The entrees are expensive and not worth the money. On our first visit we had to return our order three times until they gave us what we ordered. It was not worth the wait. On the second visit, they got it the first time but the item was ordinary.

The salads have way too much garlic to my taste and too much oil to my SO's taste.

The entrees are inedible. The Gnocchi was like snot and when my SO tried to explain to the waitress the problem with the dish she threw another menu at her and told her to order something else.

Several managers came over to give us the status of the replacement food but they never introduced themselves, didn't apologize and neither tried to find out the issue with the food.

20 minutes later a grilled chicken dish arrived but it was so dry she couldn't gag it down. We asked for the check.

As an appeasement, one of the managers brought over a complementary dessert which contained nuts. We had already notified the waitress several times she was allergic to nuts. Be careful. Their service could kill you.

My food was edible but not great on either visit. We will not return any time soon. I hope it improves or it will never survive.