Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
Gemelli Italian restaurant opened in 2022, so, unfortunately for them, they can’t blame their mediocrity on “growing pains.” On that note, it pains me to publish my first less-than-glowing review of a local eatery. I was never a big fan of Strada (its parent establishment) or family-style Italian on the whole, but my partner and I thought we’d give it a shot.
Upon entering, it took me a minute to recognize that I felt like I was in a hotel bar, or even a hastily designed airport restaurant, complete with an awkward array of mismatched furniture and lighting sconces. The place was nearly empty, but they sat us dead center in the middle of the room at a two-top that would eventually be far too small for the amount of food we ordered.
We started with a decent glass of Corvina and a hibiscus rose Moscow mule that had no hibiscus and not much more vodka.
The summer squash antipasto sounded like a good idea, but was not … the result was more akin to a chunky goulash of sorts, but with undercooked squash. I’m still rather confused by that one.
The smoked cheddar pimento cheese had no acids to balance its richness. I’m perplexed by a pimento cheese that I was not excited to continue eating. That’s certainly a first.
The mussels were acceptable, but too salty, and the white wine base could’ve been more forward. The accompanying bread was incredibly bland.
The veal, pork and beef ragu was pretty good, but the tomato sauce was nothing special.
The shrimp scampi was solid for a traditional dish. We enjoyed that, and I must say, the housemade noodles really were quite delicious, but even that wasn’t enough to ease our disappointment.
There was a wonderful pistachio cheesecake dessert, but I hate to admit that it was the only memorable taste of the evening … well, the only positively memorable taste.
This is not the place for a date, but it is a place for the palettes of undiscriminating tourists, so it will probably stick around. It would also be where to take the extended family when they’re in town, assuming you want something a step up from never-ending salad and breadsticks.
