Or when there’s somebody you feel you absolutely recognize, but just can’t put a name to the face; when all the pieces seem to be there as they should be, but it’s simply lacking in that final element that puts it all together. In those more fortunate times, the final piece reveals itself in your mind, and the “Aha!” moment graciously arrives with a momentous feeling of personal satisfaction. Then there are those other times, when the moment stubbornly remains hidden, and we are left in a state of awkward aggravation. It’s the sort of emotional experience that says a lot yet is difficult to describe, and at the same time, it is very accurate way of describing my dinner experience at “Scalini.”
“Scalini” is located on the roof of the Habitat Hotel on Madinah Road, a nice enough spot for a casual dining experience. It sits beside the hotel pool, contributing to the sort of “holiday within the city” atmosphere it tries to create. While effective in achieving a relaxed atmosphere, there are also times when you can’t help but feel as though you are simply on a rooftop. The indoor section is nicely decorated with an Italy in the springtime vibe to it. Green and whites abound, with colorful ceramic plates and quaint pictures of vegetables and farm animals hung on the walls. To complete the scene, the likes of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin play in the background. Such character is contrasted with the plain outdoor section, which can easily and accurately be described as chairs and tables on a roof. In the center of the indoor section was a very well equipped salad bar. The creativity and beauty of many of the dishes on the table cannot truly be captured within the title “salad bar,” but that was what they called it. It strongly seemed like it would be the perfect lunch for a day by the pool. However, as it was nighttime and we were ready for dinner, we decided to skip the temptation and dive directly into the menu.
To start, we ordered the Bresaola di Manzo and the Caprese Salad. Our server fell upon the weight of his ethics and informed us that there was no sweet melon to accompany the bresaola, and that it would instead be served with Ruccola Salad. While I had no idea that the dish would be served with melons, I did appreciate his honesty while secretly preferring it with ruccola. The bresaola itself was flavorful, but did contain a certain spiciness suspiciously similar to basturma. The caprese salad was adequate, but the flavor of the mozzarella seemed to fall short of authentically Italian.
For the main course, we had the Linguine with Pesto Sauce, the Pizza Capricciosa, and the Osso Bucco Gremolada. All three were honestly quite pleasant. The linguine was done well, except the pine nuts were ground to an almost unnoticeable state, when I prefer them a bit more hefty so I can feel the crunch. Otherwise, the sauce was nice and smooth, with a nice shiny glare. The Pizza Capricciosa was done with tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms, turkey ham, and cheese. It was an excellent combination of toppings that made for a refreshing pizza. The veal of the Osso Bucco Gremolada was well prepared, tasty and tender. The risotto it was served with, however, was really just basmati rice with saffron. I always love a good basmati, but when one is expecting risotto, one can’t help but feel a tinge of heartbreak.
While the three entrees were satisfactory, they each lacked a certain something that truly could have made them memorable. The linguine could have used a bit of salt and garlic to give it a kick and really bring out the flavor of the pesto. The dough of the pizza was slightly underdone so that our fingers constantly came out dusty with flour. Calling basmati rice made with saffron “risotto” is simply nothing more than an unfair tease. These are small complaints, but at the same time, they prevented a decent meal from being great and memorable. It’s the fact that these setbacks are so small that was most aggravating, that with the slightest of additions one could have the sort of Italian meal that we all hope for. They simply lacked that final touch that truly brings a dish together. 
We dined at “Scalini” on its opening night, and that makes me optimistic. All the dishes had a good and solid foundation. As the establishment ages I believe the food will evolve in a positive way. It’s natural to play things safe on your first day, but as the chef gets more comfortable I hope that he will become a bit more adventurous with his ingredients.