It's a stupid name for a restaurant, but the same family owns a diner called the Talk of the Town, so when they decided to open a sit down Italian restaurant they went with 'The Talk,'

Steve and I started with the mussels in garlic, white wine and lemon ($13). The mussels were listed on the menu as fresh, but they definitely tasted like frozen, but the lemon, butter, and wine sauce was delicious. I just don't understand why people insist on serving mussels in a shallow plate and not a bowl.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the warm Italian bread. It was delicious for sopping up the great sauce with the mussels.

The Isabella pizza ($13) was an absolute disaster. It was reminiscent of a high school Home Ec project. The crust was awful – flavorless with a mealy texture. I cannot believe someone actually thinks this is appropriate to serve.

The eggplant Parmesan ($19) redeemed the restaurant a bit; the eggplant slices were seasoned well and fried correctly. Steve didn't like the sauce nor the cheese, but I did not have a problem with either. The ziti that it was served with was bland. Hasn't anyone told the chef to salt the pasta water?

There were definitely some high points in the meal, but the pizza was so bad it was offensive. We certainly will not be back.

http://www.thetalkrestaurant.com/