I had high expectations because I love Flower Chil...

I had high expectations because I love Flower Child and True Foods, same owner. We arrived on a weekend for their brunch- lunch menu. They have a covered outdoor front patio area in front, but we opted to be inside. North Italia is a beautiful restaurant,inviting one in.

We were seated in the far corner, which I liked because it gave us a good view of the entire restaurant. However, it took a long time for a server to come to our table. I think the front hostess folks need to have better communication with the wait staff.

Khalid, our server was attentive, informative and gracious. I ordered an ice tea and later my friend and I decided on a glass of prosecco or two!

Food: we shared the Arancini,: crispy mushroom risotto stuffed with scamorza cheese, which look like meatballs, but these are made with risotto, deep fried and presented in a hot iron skillet with a very tasty red sauce. Then we shared the deep fried calamari, crispy fried over arugula in a lemon vinaigrette. This was perfectly cooked and paired. The greens and calamari were so delicious! It could be a nice simple salad, but we ate this as one of our starters. However, my friend thought the calamari was over fried. I thought the calamari was perfect!

Next, the main courses. I ordered the Short Rib Hash. The meat was so tender and flavorful. The Hash was crispy and a bit spicy with the red pepper flakes. If you do not like hot spices, then beware. I loved it. The two fried eggs were perfectly fried over easy with grilled toast with sprinkled parmasan cheese. My friend ordered the fungi pizza. It looked delicious and she told me it was really yummy. She took the rest home and her daughter ate it later and said it was yummy too.

We finished our meal with another glass of prosecco and shared the strawberry tart! This was such a beautiful presentation, we had to photograph it!

Overall, Khalid was an excellent server!

I told my friends to come here and they also had a great time, but they also encountered a lag time between when they were seated and when someone came over to serve them. Their server was Nikki and once Nikki apologized, and the manager came over to their table, the service was great. My friends loved Nikki and loved the food!