We ate at this restaurant at the shopping mall across the street from the New Westin, Lagunarmar Ocean Resort in early December ( Dec 5-12) and the service and food were very good. Service was very attentive and we had a cupon from the Westin for welcome drinks which were cosmo martini's. We went here twice during our stay and enjoyed both times very much. Husband had a veal chop and I had hog fish-it was delicious, just need to get by the name, it's a light fish like flounder. We split a spinich salad both times and it was delicious. The deserts were just enough for a couple of bites each, which was all we wanted. Prices were very reasonable. The staff was very friendly and appreciative for our business and the fact that we were from the Westin. It's a newly opened hotel and they like to know where you are comming from. The concierge at the hotel does give out cards with certain restaurants on it that are their preferred restaurants.

My boyfriend and I ate at La Madonna on December 3, 2008. After a week of all inclusive meals from the buffet, we were really looking forward to a nice dinner from a menu.

Our waiter Samuel walked through his favorites on the martini list. But there was no pressure to purchase one. Our service was top notch.

We sat outside at a low table, in funky red chairs that looked a lot cooler than were comfortable. But it was entertaining because we watched a silver painted man try and beatbox for change nearby.

I am a vegetarian and when ordering I asked if they used chicken stock for the risotto, thinking to myself I really shouldn't be asking such a question at a place like this. Samuel quickly and confidently said no and described every ingredient that is in the risotto. I was really impressed. But, I ordered the truffle pasta, my boyfriend ordered the lasagna, and we got a side of grilled veggies.

They brought us bread. Flatbread from a wood fired oven, a few think slices of white bread and some little toasts with some green olive tapanade. The white bread was amazing. Slightly sweet and savory with really good texture.

Just the right amount of time later, our meals came. Jeff really liked his lasagna, he said it was really rich but good.

My fresh pasta in a light cream sauce with white truffle oil and black truffle shavings was very good. Very rich though and I couldn't eat much. Maybe I should have gone with that risotto? And the veggies were good, except the eggplant wasn't salted to get the bitterness out.

The actual restaurant was beautiful.

If I had to compare this restaurant to my favorite Italian places in Oregon, it wouldn't be a favorite. But then again I have pretty high expectations when it comes to Italian food. Would we go back? Maybe.

Hope this is helpful.

We went to this restaurant over a year ago and loved it. when we returned 2 weeks ago, we definitely wanted to try this place again. However, we were somewhat dissapointed. First, the server was extremely pushy trying to get us to order one of their specialty martinis. All we wanted was to order a bottle of wine which after some insistence the server brought over the wine list. I ordered the lasagna and was really dissapointed. It was obvious the lasagna wasn't fresh and was simply reheated as a piece they had prepared from a larger batch. The overall service was ok except for the aggressive waiter with the martini list. We will most likely never return to this restaurant. We definitely enjoyed "Thai" right around the corner much better than this place.

The ambiance is quite interesting and the service is attentative. But we felt prey to a wine list scam. Original wine list offered a modest red wine for $40 US, but when the bill was presented it cost $400 US! We requested the wine list and the higher price was listed. Our food for six adults did not cost that much. Also, after the bottle had been presented by our waiter, Ruben was unable to open it and offered to decant it, which he did at the bar. We feel like we are victims of a pricing scam that totally ruined our vacation and our budget for the remainder of the week. So if you must eat there order wisely and had someone else confirm the price on the presented wine list.