We’re familiar with how eating certain foods can trigger memories, but what happens when a memory triggers eating a certain food? Well, I’ll tell you in my honest Paesano’s Riverwalk review.
Nostalgia is a Dirty Liar
Five years ago, I ate here and was absolutely blown away by the food. The taste was delicious, strong and compelling enough that it wedged itself into a little corner of my brain. The Shrimp Paesano in lemony, garlicky, butter sauce, gently adorning a nest of linguini noodles. The yummy cocktail, the soft bread dipped in peppery oil. *chef’s kiss* I LOVED every bite of food that entered my mouth here.
Flash-forward to Mother’s Day 2023. I’ve hyped this place up to Nathan more than once during our marriage, especially since moving within reasonable driving distance from it. When Mother’s Day plans were being discussed, Paesano’s quickly came to mind. In my memory, Paesano’s Riverwalk stood out as “special occasion” high-quality, and I thought that it would be a nice, fancy date for Nathan and I while Coen babysat.
Maybe it’s not the ristorante, maybe it’s me. Maybe my standards have upped, my tastes have changed, my expectations are higher. It’s possible that nostalgia is a liar.
Paesano’s Riverwalk Now
I’m not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater here. My honest Paesano’s review is that the food is good, but definitely not in the way that I remember, and honestly, not for the prices that they charge. It seems to me that Paesano’s thinks they’re fancy, “special occasion” high-quality, too. My one cocktail (that was more tail than cock) cost $15, and that was one of the cheaper drinks on the menu. And it wasn’t amazing, certainly not $15 amazing anyway.
I get it. Paesano’s is nestled into a cozy little corner of the San Antonio Riverwalk. It’s a perfect tourist trap, complete with tourist trap prices. It definitely did not strike us as fancy.
Sure, for Italian, the food is good. While eating, however, Nathan and I noticed that after a couple of bites of certain things, the taste just kind of got…boring? The spaghetti that came with the Veal Parmigiana? Punchy for the first bite or two, but quickly fell flat. Even the *gasp* “legendary” (it says so on the menu) Shrimp Paesano that came with our Sampler for Two appetizer…not quite so legendary.
It could also be that quality is just down across the board since the Pandemic, and everyone really is trying their best, but it was a let-down. Plain and simple. Two words that would also describe the meal. Nice while we ate it, but even the next day, the memory of the food lacked any luster.
Final Paesano’s Riverwalk Review
I will mention a couple of things that did stand out positively before I wrap this up. The Parmesan Crusted Artichoke Hearts changed my entire perception of artichoke hearts. They were stunning. We also liked the fact that the Lobster Ravioli was cooked al dente and offered a bit of a chew as opposed to a limp, soggy, mushy noodle. And the creme brulee was nice with the thinnest, fragile glass of caramelized sugar encasing it. Our server, Anthony, who has only been working there for about 3 months so far, was also personable and friendly.
None of these pros outweigh the excessive expense of eating here though. My honest Paesano’s review? We won’t be going back.