What:
Casual all-day dining
Where: Facing the Harbor Piazza
Price Range: $$ - $$$
Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; closed 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Reservations: Not required but recommended during
busier periods
This spacious 300-seat restaurant is the only eatery serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That doesn’t mean that you have to settle for so-so food, however. The cuisine here is first-rate, inventive, and well executed.
Large windows look out onto the piazza where there is plenty of al fresco seating. Should you care to eat outdoors, you’ll be happily accommodated. The columns indoors are painted with fanciful scenes of commedia dell’arte figures cavorting under the sea with dolphins and seals. With its high ceilings, tile and mosaic accents in blue and gold, and polished wood trim, the Trattoria projects an air of laid back elegance.
At breakfast, the Trattoria lays on a sumptuous buffet that features made-to-order eggs and omelets ($17 for adults, $8 for kids). You can also order from a more traditional breakfast menu that features such favorites as eggs Benedict and waffles adorned with fresh fruit.
Lunch is on the light and casual side, with one half of the menu given over to a variety of soups, salads, and other starters. For the rest, there are sandwiches, pizza-like flatbreads, and simple pasta dishes. Starters run from about $6 to $14, sandwiches are about $10 to $14, flatbreads are $14 to $16, and entrees are $15 to $17. Specials may be priced slightly higher.
In the evening, prices rise slightly for salads and flatbreads and more interesting entrees ($18 to $31) are added. They range from salmon to a hearty New York steak with an inventive demi-glace. A special kids’ menu features simple dishes for $10. The cute desserts ($5) are served in a stemmed glass and include a simple tiramisu and apple crisp.
If the weather’s fine, the tables in the large al fresco dining area on the piazza offer the best seats in the house.
Note: Kids are specially welcomed. At the back of the restaurant there is a small dining area just for little ones, featuring brightly colored toddler-sized tables, a large-screen TV showing appropriate kiddie fare, and big pillows for comfy after-meal sprawling. Some nights a magician will perform or a clown will drop by to create balloon animals. On some nights there is Character Dining with various Universal stars; ask the concierge for the schedule.
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