Il Falcone - Courtenay

You know the major problem with this place? The flavors simply do not pop. The food was good, but frankly it was bland. Even the lemon tiramisu had no lemon punch I mean if you are going to make a variant or analogous spoof so to speak, it better be good, I mean really good. The other dishes were similar. The salumi platter was decent, the pickled items quite good but the terrine was flat, even some salt would have helped. My halibut was just a hair mushy, and had no flavor and the pea sauce weak. The chicken tortellini were made near perfect and that sauce was good, chicken filling was toothsome and tasty, but needed some flavor. All that said, I'm not sure this really is an Italian restaurant, even northern. More of a Canadian fusion with French influences. The setting and ambiance, a street away from the town part are great, outdoors in the shade perfect. The waiter, the matre di was good, in his own way. I mean he alone hightened my expectations. He did his job and did it well, maybe too well. But I cannot in any way fault the excellent service.

Checks all the boxes. Highly recommend. Tons of attention to detail that shines through in all the dishes, drinks, friendly knowledgeable staff, as well as the atmosphere. Can't say enough good things about every aspect of our dinner here. Will be sending everyone I know.

We left a message requesting a reservation. When we had not heard back from them towards the end of the afternoon my husband called again and they had a cancellation and were able to fit us in. Parking is easy to find on the street. It is in a house and you must ascend some steps to reach the front door. The entry area is very small. They have 3 separate rooms and they are all nicely decorated and comfortable. There is no a la carte menu and your options are a choice of 2 different 2 course meals, a 3 course meal or a 5 course chef's menu. The service was very good and so it should be for the prices they charge. They menu choices are very limited with only 4 or 5 options for each category and a couple of daily specials. My husband opted for the 2 course option that consisted of antipasti and pasta and I had the 2 course option of antipasti or 1/2 order of pasta and secondi. My husband's meal consisted of 2 specials of the day a delicately flavoured curried mussel soup and lobster ravioli. They were good but not exceptional. We go to a restaurant in the lower mainland that has served curried mussel soup as part of a 3 course meal for $35.00 and it is far superior to the soup that my husband had. His ravioli was also decent but not noteworthy. For a bowl of soup and pasta it was $49.00. I had a 1/2 order of bucatini all'amatriciana, it was okay but I've had better. For my main course I had Osso buco and it was very good. It was nice and tender and there was plenty of bone marrow. My 2 course meal was $59.00. My husband was still hungry after his 2 course meal so we shared a butterscotch panna cotta. When the bill was presented at the end of the evening my husband noticed that there was an additional charge of 2% on the bill and asked what the charge was for. They offered to take it off the bill but they informed us that it was an additional charge because they have to recover the extra cost of doing business during the covid period. We have had dinner at many fine dining restaurants in the lower mainland area and while a few of the restaurants may be close in pricing to Il Falcone we have usually felt that we have received value for our dollar. We felt that the pricing at I Falcone is exorbitant for what was offered and the additional 2% charge is really ridiculous when they are already charging the prices they do. We would not return. We did not feel we received value for our money.

Great dining experience. Go for the five course meal with wine pairing. Very well sequenced and not rushed like so many places. Great weight staff. Worth every penny.

What a wonderful dining experience! Personable and knowledgeable staff who provided amazing attentive service. Outstanding chef prepared dishes that were highly enjoyed. Looking forward to my next visit so I can sample more of the menu! A quiet Sunday evening overall but excellent Covid protocols in place. A relaxing and enjoyable experience!