Restaurants near South Towne Plaza Shopping Center

We do Charlie Gitto's every Christmas Eve...late seating. This year the knocked out of of the park. Wine Steward have excellent advice for our tastes and the Filet Nunzio was simply the best... with the added sautéed mushrooms. Service was friendly and attentive and having fun on Christmas Eve. A real treat.

Cocktails were superb. Dinners were served as surprisingly large portions. Dessert was decadent. Service was excellent. Overall, a very pleasant experience.

Being an executive chef in the past, I’m usually not all that impressed with restaurants. I’m frugal. I figure if I’m going to spend money on someone else to prepare my food, I’d better be making yummy noises with every bite… RARELY does that happen. For our 34th anniversary, my wife and I decided to give Russel’s a go. The atmosphere was quiet and charming, intimate. The wine selection was well suited to the menu. We started with the baked ricotta… Simple, delicious, unctuous. Main course: I ordered the pork chops, my wife ordered the pot roast. Two simple, humble, basic entrées readily found in any home kitchen. THIS was not home cooking. Both meals were visually stunning. The pot roast was melt in your mouth, delicious. The hint of sweetness form the braising reduction, paired with the light bite of the horseradish, along the the creaminess of the potatoes was a perfect bite. My meal, the pork chops, ummm… WOW! A thick double chop, that I honestly thought would be on the bland side. However, the chef was able to pull flavor all the way through the chop. Cooked to a perfect med-rare center, without the exterior becoming even a little dry and chewy is a feat, but they did it. The depth of flavor was amazing, tasting different nuances in every bite. Yes, I made yummy noises with every bite, my apologies to the table next to us. As a chef, I’m usually left searching for that “extra something” in my food… it’s called “love”. The back of the house staff is obviously very skilled, producing an incredible plate, but they also put their heart into their craft, giving that “extra something” that we crave. Hat’s off, knives down to you Russel’s on Macklind. You’ve made this chef very happy.

Top notch as expected. Beautiful place, staff and servings. I had the escargot, cassoulet, and floating island, my husband had the braised beef, and profiteroles. Everything was amazing. I drank a le crusta and something excellent off the seasonal, don’t recall the name, and he scotch. Nothing was any less than expected and I had high expectations. We will be back.

Bob always offers a genuine warm welcome. The specials change regularly enough to keep provide a nice array of options from salads to pasta. I opted for the cioppino & house salad today which did not disappoint. John was an award-winning server.