My Assumptions, Expectations and Anticipation for Dining at Rustica

Rustica is a restaurant I have wanted to check out for quite some time.  I have avoided it because I can tell just by seeing the small outer front of the restaurant that it isn’t going to be cheap.  But I am a sucker for Italian food (which, apparently, is only a portion of the menu they offer according to people who have gone there) and so I am hoping it will be worth the price.

My expectations are high for this restaurant.  It’s name makes me think it will provide a classic, European, and obviously rustic menu with a variety of pastas, salads, meat selections and more.  I plan on eating minimally before my meal since I predict it will be rich and so wonderful I will eat every last scrap of it.  With Rustica, I anticipate that it will not be a question of is the food good, rather is it worth the price I’m paying.  This is something several of the food reviews mentioned and I think it is important to consider.

In terms of ambiance, I predict a very small, dimly lit, intimate restaurant probably more suited for couples than families or friends, which could be a good or bad thing.  From the outside, Rustica appears uncomfortably small for such a fancy place.  Every time I have walked past, it was so dim I couldn’t see anything.  This may create more of an intimate feel but I like my space so if it is as packed and dim as it appears to be this may have a very negative effect on my experience.

The reason I am choosing Rustica is not because I do not have experience with fine European dining but because I do not have much experience with the combination of European and local food Rustica appears to offer according to those I have talked to about the restaurant.  When my family goes out for a nice meal, we like to go places that are specifically Italian or serve specifically seafood, etc.  We never say “I am in the mood for something rich,” we say “I am in the mood for something French.”  We do not pay very much attention to locally grown foods (although I think we should) and so I am excited and curious to see these elements come together.  Our family meals also typically occur at very large, open, family style restaurants.  This may be based on my assumptions of the restaurant, but as I have mentioned I think that Rustica will provide a much more intimate feel.  My few experiences going to smaller, café style restaurants in America have been a little strange and almost too intimate for me.  My family goes out to eat a lot so finding a place that is out of my element is a bit of a challenge for me.  But my food eating experience in Kalamazoo thus far has already been a bit strange for me and the way I grew up considering the fact that an emphasis on locally grown foods seems to be prominent here.  So while I think this dining experience will be a bit different for me, I don’t anticipate that being a bad thing.