My date and I dropped in on Baraonda on a last minute decision, and I'm so glad we did. We were instantly pleasantly surprised by the cozy atmosphere. The interior was very dim, but extremely rich and inviting. My only ""complaint"" is that the music was too loud and really didn't quite fit with the atmosphere. It's a great place for a date, except that the music is way too loud to talk over. I loved the way the restaurant was set up, with the bistro style seating and the brick pizza oven in the back. The food was absolutely delicious; all of the dishes are made of simple ingredients but seem to be on the more authentic side (I'm not a huge fan of more ""modern"" Italian food). They have a HUGE selection of pizzas, but fewer pasta and meat/seafood dishes. We were greedy for dinner this night, and each ordered a pasta dish as an entree and shared a pizza. My date ordered the spaghetti with vegetables, which was very good; the veggies had rich and robust flavor. My penne checca was great as well; you can't go wrong with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil! Pasta was all cooked perfectly al dente, which some places get right and some places don't. We also ordered the Cafuncella pizza, which seemed odd at first, with its toppings of pink sauce, mozz, brie, and prosciutto, but it was SO good! I highly recommend it. All in all, I'd definitely go back to Baraonda if I ever have a pizza craving. I just wish they'd turn the music down just a little!
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