Anselmo's Bistro and Bar (Louisville, KY)

After striking out on a few attempts to find a good Italian restaurant, in a few different cities, we decided to try Anselmo's. Anselmo's is a small, intimate authentic Italian bistro that has really good food, really good wine, excellent service; all at a really reasonable price. The ONLY negative is that space is small, and the vast majority of patrons are regulars - so much so the server instantly recognized us as new. This means seating is limited, and reservations nearly a must.

For an appetizer, we ordered the deep fried ravioli. It was excellent. We also heard really good remarks about the bruschetta. Either/both are winners.

For entrees, we order rattlesnake pasta and lasagna. The rattle snake pasta is tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce, and topped with grilled chicken and jalapenos. Really, really good; especially if you like an extra bite to your dish. The lasagna was extraordinary. Maybe the best lasagna Ive tried. This is what you should order.

For dessert, we had the cannoli. Don't leave without ordering this dessert. Its cream filled, covered in powdered sugar, and drizzled in raspberry sauce. Although I normally avoid desserts, this is not to be missed.

Why go? Perfect date night, with either a long term partner/spouse; or a first date. But definitely get reservations. Not really much of a guys night out spot, but I'm guessing you could already tell that. They do have a very small bar area, but definitely don't expect many single ladies parked there. Almost exclusively either a date destination; or a large family dinner.

Oodles Uncorked (Knoxville, TN)

Oodles Uncorked bills itself as an Italian American restaurant, with a menu that focuses on pasta and wine. Oodles is located in Market Square, an ever popular portion of Knoxville known for dining and upscale nightlife. Based on its location and menu, we decided on reservations a few weeks in advance knowing we would be in Knoxville. Unfortunately, everything about the experience was underwhelming.

First the service was slow, and surprisingly unfriendly. It took an unusually long time t seat a party of two, considering reservations a few weeks in advance. Then we were seated in basically in the corner of an inside hallway, at a wire outdoor table, directly next to the mailboxes (who's mailboxes, remains to be known). Both food and drink came out excruciatingly slow, especially given the quality of preparation; which leads to my next point.

The quality of food was just subpar, no other way to put it. For an appetizer we ordered smoked crawfish dip, which was pretty good; except that it tasted nothing like crawfish at all. It was basically a cheesy dip, which is fine, but not what was expected.

For entrée, we ordered a duck club panini and chicken fettuccini served with 3 cheese alfredo. The duck Panini was mediocre at best. The chicken fettuccini was largely tasteless, with the chicken obviously a piece of frozen, processed chicken that would be found at your local discount grocery. Frankly, it tasted like something you would expect at Pizza Hut, Gatti's, etc. Just subpar altogether, but especially for a market square restaurant where most locations tout local sourcing. The only saving grace was the decent wine list. Yet even that was subpar, at least for a restaurant touting itself as a wine bar.

Why go? Tough call, because there are a multitude much, much better food options within a stone's throw of Oodles. Maybe if your date wants a glass of wine. Maybe. Even so, there are a couple options in the square with a comparable wine list; and much better food. The only other conceivable reason would be for a cheap first date. But if that's your line of thinking, you may as well just show up in pajamas while you're at it.