Venti Tre Modern Italian

Venti Tre, you sucked me in with a coupon for free polenta fries, Italian soda or your sweet yummy Italian donuts and you never let me go. I’ve been hooked!
Here’s the scenario:
I’ve got several coupons, I’m hungry, don’t want to spend any money, got my kiddos with me and hey, let’s stop at Venti Tre and get some treats. I had my plan, my two older ones will get out of the car, run inside get what they want and then come back out and sit in the car with the wee ones while I go inside and get my free polenta fries. They did as they were told, one getting a soda and the other the fries. My turn. I go inside accompanied by one of my girls and hand over my coupon for my free, freshly made and obviously hot polenta fries. I wait. Oh well, may as well look around, ask some questions, look at the menu, right?! Right! I do this and lo and behold my mouth begins to water, my tummy begins to slowly rumble like the beginnings of a volcanic explosion. Why body do you betray me and my wallet? We had a plan by golly! A plan! Next thing you know I was ordering a pasta bowl, spaghetti please and then the toppings fiesta or should I say, FESTA started. I can’t remember all the deliciousness I put on there but this is what I do remember; broccoli, mushrooms, cheese sauce, hot peppers, pancetta, olives, artichokes, oh my goodness, I’m drawing a blank! But you get the idea. I basically put everything I liked and thought might work together on there. You can get more than one scoop of something at no extra cost and so next time I think I might double up on the broccoli and mushroom scoop. After you’re done you can choose from the finishing menu with things like cheese, basil and more.
So, I have my hot polenta fries, my newly assembled pasta dish with all my fixings and I head to the car, open my food, take a picture and dig in. First, the polenta fries were hot, crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, seasoned nicely and a dip in the tomato sauce gives it a great final touch. I really enjoyed these and would certainly purchase them again and again. The ‘ghetti got a good old mix and twirl and found it’s way in my mouth and yum, yum, yum… I’m good, I know how to pick toppings, patting myself on the back and doing the happy dance! I handed the bowl over to daughter #1 and daughter #2, Houston, we have a problem! Am I going to get it back?! Will by tummy ever forgive me for sharing? Should I have ordered two?! And then it returns to my lap that is still in the parking space and parked in the drivers seat. We ate and ate and still had a tad left over. Our bellies were filled and we felt the gentle calling of the food coma spirits beckoning us home. Mission accomplished for $ 8.46 after taxes)
In ending, I’m glad I tried it and the reason for one star being taken off is…
1. I wish they had more pasta options. When I went, there were only 3. Spaghetti, Lasagna or whole wheat penne.
2. It would be really great if once you added all your toppings you could somehow heat it up. If my dish were not just lukewarm it would have been even better. You can, of course, wait until you get home and throw it in the ‘nuker.‘
3. Ummm, uhhhh, can’t think of anything soooooo, no 3.
Friendly service, fast service, yummy ingredients and if you don’t want to spend too much, get the pasta only, no meat, pancetta is an option included if you need just a bit of meatiness, load up on your favorites toppings and walk out spending under $ 8.50 for a good solid meal that you are likely to have leftovers with. And if you’re with a friend, split an order of polenta fries. Thank you for reading. This my experience and I’m sticking to it. Now let me see if I have any more coupons!
That is all!

$ 10 for a rosemary steak pasta is pricey for me. I can’t complain too much though as the steak was pretty good, but the portion could have been a little bigger. I was told the place had happy hour, so we went excitedly on a Friday. But alas, we found out happy hour is only Monday through Thursday for all the house specialities. We’ll know better for next time!

First time visiting this place. Clean, neat but pricey! For the pasta quality. Go somewhere else for good pasta. I was very dissapointed! Small portions serve in huge disposable plates/​bowls. I could of gone to Maccaroni Grill and for 5 more dollars get better quality pasta ! Place was empty. Friendly staff but super slow at the cash register.

In a word, awful. If I could give zero stars, I would. I was there with my family for an early dinner, and only one of the dishes we ordered was edible. I had the whole wheat penne with lemon chicken, my wife had penne with marinated vegetables, and my kids had spaghetti with cheese sauce. And we got bread sticks and polenta fries. The kids’ spaghetti wasn’t half bad. The rest was barely edible.
The bread sticks were incredibly greasy (actually soaked in grease), made worse by the fact that they were cold. The polenta fries were actually crispy, which was befuddling given the fact they were that they were soaked in oil when you bit into them. As for the penne dishes, the pasta was not completely cooked but was somehow still mushy. In addition, I think they don’t salt the pasta water. The pasta was flavorless. The marinated vegetables were undercooked; the eggplant was actually hard to chew. Also, they just did not taste good. But the worst dish by far was the one with the chicken with «lemon wine» sauce. The chicken itself was passable, though too lemony and sweet. But the sauce has a nauseatingly sweet aftertaste (really, the main taste). We did not finish our food, and we will not be back.

Chipotle/​subway style assembly line Italian food.
The good :
Nice selection of vegetables
Meats are flavorful
Large portion size considering the price.
Can have Quick meal to go or stay and dine in.
The bad :
Limited pasta and sauce selections
Veggies are placed on top of the pasta instead of cooked into it.
Bottom line:
If you are looking for quick pasta at a reasonable price this is great, especially for the picky eater who wants only certain veggies/​meats.

Everything was so salty! The sausage in the pesto sausage was like eating a spoonful of salt. Steak was ok. Polenta fries were salty. Need to go drink a gallon of water. I hated their paper disposable bowls. I will choose Noodles and company over here in a heartbeat. Better food, better serveware. Staff were friendly and place was clean. Amazing location but the food was ehh.

Decided to try this place in a pinch. No one was in there on a Friday night which should have told us to go else where. Walked in and found a limited menu of dishes with few healthy choices. Decided we could do the build your pasta but we had a few questions about the sauces and needed to clear the usual allergy related question too. We ordered off the menu for the kids and indicated we were going to build our own pasta. At this point the staff said we shouldn’t do that and suggested one of the menu items. Uhhhh… no thanks. Build your own is on the menu.
We then asked two questions about their sauces: specifically which one is red and how hot is the pepper sauce. When we asked the allergy question the staff all began laughing and giggling behind the counter. This really upset the wife and we pointed out that life threatening allergies were not really a laughing matter. We asked for a red sauce w meatballs… apparently this was a faux pas BC the staff indicated that we wanted pasta with meatballs that already have the (same) red sauce and gave us attitude. Ummmm… OK. Didn’t realize building your own pasta was this difficult.
At this point I wasn’t interested in eating hers any more but the wife and kids needed to eat. I paid for their meals. Our teenage boy, who was hungry and already eats anything in mass quantities, did not enjoy the food or come close to finishing. Neither did the little girl. The wife took two bites and said it tasted like canned spaghetti-o’s and did not touch the rest.
I did take my wife’s food back and got it refunded and relayed the staff’s rudeness to the manager who seemed genuinely concerned. Unfortunately that was too little, too late for us. The place does not have good food and the staff is rude. No reason to go back.

Had the rosemary steak salad. It was great! The steak was tender and flavorful and the portion seemed fair.
I wanted the «pizza» side that someone else showed but found out that it is just focaccia (some with cheese/​sauce). It looked dry and at $ 1.4 per thin slice it seemed pricey. It should come with my $ 11 salad, or at least keep it under a buck.
There was only one pepper grinder for the entire restaurant and it didn’t work. There should be a set on every table! Or at least put a lot of them out like Noodles&Co does. I asked and was handed some standard pepper, though.
Will definitely try it again, though. All the food looked good and service was friendly.

Staff was very nice. Place was very clean.
Our food was ok, nothing special. It was a little on the salty side … couldn’t drink enough water. The rest of the food was ok, nothing special but again, somewhat fast food but better quality. The price was right but we’ve just had better quality in the same category/​price range.
Kind of odd that they ran out of lasagna.
My entrée (Sausage Pesto Fonduta), despite being salty, was very good but the tomato soup was ok.

We went there on a Saturday evening and all the other restaurants we were interested in were too busy in the Crown. It was not busy there and they had lots of people working in the small kitchen area. I got the spaghetti with Italian meatballs and pancetta. Yes there was lots of red sauce and pasta but extremely small portion of the meatballs and pancetta. It was not balanced whatsoever. The breadsticks were served cold and had a greasy congealed sogginess. Not pleasant.
I don’t really know that I would return. I do think it could be a good concept and the people seemed friendly enough.

4.5 Stars… Everyone is calling this an Italian version of Chipotle, and I have to agree.
I’ve had pasta, a piada, salad, polenta fries, bombolini, the Italian sodas, etc… All are very well prepared and the mix and match of ingredients pretty much allows you to customize anything. The food is simply very good!
It’s also a decent value for the amount of food that you get. Two entrees are probably enough for three people. Or at least you’ll have some leftovers.
In the end, a great, very casual, Italian option for any meal!

So I might be the biggest Italian/​pasta lover out there. So naturally when I passed this place, I had to try it. Love the décor of this place, very pretty. It has a chipotle style of dining, you get to pick everything you want in your pasta. I really wanted to like this place but sadly it wasn’t what I hoped it would be. The food just wasn’t that great, it tasted almost like those frozen pastas you get from the grocery store. The Alfredo sauce isn’t great. Just wasn’t worth the $ 11 I spent. Also, there was a lot of staff just hanging around and talking.

I stumbled upon this place on Unilocal and the photos looked good so I decided to try it out. I tried the steak piata and my boyfriend had the chicken piata. We also tried their polenta fries and their Italian soda.
The steak was absolutely delicious, so were the polenta fries. It’s a great alternative to Chipotle if you’re in the mood for something different.
Highly recommend. Affordable and delicious!

Lucky for me I live right above this place and can grab something here when I feel too lazy to cook dinner. Oh come on… we all get like that sometimes. I love the layout of this place and the mix of table and booth seating. I did find at first the menu seemed quite overwhelming. I couldn’t decide how I wanted my food in… pasta, flat bread, salad!!! Which one do I choose??? The girl asked if I was ready and I explained to her that it was my first time and was not sure what I wanted. So she gave me some time but I think this would have been an opportune time for her to market the products and even offer to help me decide or guide me through the menu. The staff seemed to be all new or in training, wish they were all a bit more personable but all kind of stood there awkwardly, which I completely understand.
I wound up getting the lemon chicken piada off their menu which included some kind of tomato sauce, crispy pancetta, cheese, and other goodness. I also ordered the polenta fries and two orders of the bombolonis (cinnamon donut balls). I had a coupon on my phone for free polenta fries or bombolonis. The manager ringing me up said normally they would not take it since they need a copy but she said she would do it this time. I got all of this to go by the way. When I got home the piada was delicious it had all the right flavors and blended well together. My only drawback is the girl rolling my piada did not roll it very tight so when I was eating it was falling apart and unraveling. So I found myself trying to take a bite but holding it together with sauce trickling down. Not so much fun but glad I was in the comfort of my home instead of a public place. The polenta fries were yummy and hot, I would ask in the future for light salt and no rosemary. I think they tasted food without the marinara sauce. Now to my favorite part: the bombolonis (you will enjoy saying it once you have tried these little bites of heaven.) This little cinnamon balls are so good, I am kinda bummed they aren’t open in the morning because these are a hit. I had to fight with my son over the last bite… neither one of us wanted to split down the middle. He ended up winning because the guilt that would have come over me was not worth it.
All in all… I would come back to Venti Tre. Picking a meal at random next time.

Great new restaurant added to the list at crown.
It’s like Italian chipotle, you can build your own and add all the toppings you want. They also have premodded selections to choose from if you don’t want to pick. They load up the bowls and its a lot of food!
Definitely will return to try some of their other items. The meat portion was weighed out so there’s no skimping you like they do at chipotle with the spoons. They have 23 different toppings you can add onto your bowl that’s why their called venti tre!
They have lots of seating and even some tables outside, I think you can order online and have your bowl ready and waiting for you

Venti Tre is (well, was – ends today) doing a Montgomery County Public Schools educator deal where you buy a drink and get a free entrée so my teacher friend and I went to try the place out!
The girl behind the counter was friendly and explained what everything was. She had to lift up all the lids which were a little inconvenient for her so maybe I suggest pictures of the food on the outside? I’m guessing that most people in the area have never been to a Venti Tre and so it’s common to explain what the sauces are, or just what’s under the lids in general.
The food all tasted very fresh. I got the penne with pomodoro, meatballs, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, red peppers, Parmesan and Asiago cheese. The portion is HUGE! It always makes me happy when I have leftovers for lunch the next day!

Located at Downtown Crown by the Smashburger, this is another fast casual («Chipotle») style restaurant. At first, the menu was a little confusing but the nice girls at the pass guided us through the menu and was very patient. It doesn’t hurt they hired really cute girls! I had the creamy parmesan and pesto steak piada flat bread. They indicated it’s their number one seller and I can see why. The Grilled Rosemary Garlic Steak was good and the flatbread had a nice texture. The other top seller was their Lasagna Bianca– Lasagna with Vino Bianco Sauce, which my brother had. It tasted pretty good. We also got the Polenta Fries with Dipping Sauce and I really liked it — it was hot and crispy.
I saw a lot of customers getting the pasta bowl and the portion size looked huge. You can get all the toppings you want on it. I think the next time I come back I will get this and hopefully the same cute girls will be there :)

Chipotle-​style customization seems to be the new «it» concept in town, and I’m totally on the bandwagon. Venti Tre serves up pastas, salads, and piadas (wraps) with 23 different (FREE) toppings available. It’s perfect for people know exactly what they want and aren’t as concerned with sophistication or perfectly crafted dishes. You can choose the easy (and boring) way out and order a pre-​set menu item… OR you can make the decisions and throw together your own dish (Hint: no matter what you add or don’t add, you’ll have a hard time creating something bad).
I’ve gotten a piada and a pasta bowl and prefer the pasta bowl solely because the bowl is huge and can fit more of those delicious toppings. I would get the steak over the chicken, although the meat is a little pricey so I prefer to skip the meat and throw in more of the toppings.
The workers were incredibly patient and courteous in helping me put my orders together. Each topping scoop they add is pretty small, but it worked out in the end because I got so many toppings.
My only concern is that quality and service might drop once the restaurant loses its «newness.» I hope Venti Tre can keep dishing out generous portion sizes at cheap prices ($ 7 a meal without meat) so that I can be proven wrong!

Our first time trying this new restaurant. Interesting concept and great food. I had the creamy Parmesan and pesto steak piada, so very yummy. My wife enjoyed the rosemary bruschetta steak salad. The manager stopped by to check on us, will return!

Review based on salad and flatbread.
When ordering the salad i would recommend asking for dressing on the side. The salad was good but nothing special, probably a more healthier alternative. I don’t remember what salad my sister got. I would definitely recommend the flatbread. I like the texture and taste of the flatbread/​wrap. It was filling and tasty. I got the creamy parmesan and pesto steak piada flat bread. The steak was juicy. Polenta fries were good (salty but good), came out hot and crispy! They give you dipping marinara sauce but I personally thing it’s better without the marinara sauce. I think another thing they could try is instead of seasoning the polenta fries with salt and rosemary it would be cool to add sprinkled cheese to it because I’ve tried polenta and cheese and it was good!
They offer Italian Soda, Wine by the glass (Cute wine pouring machine behind the register), Coca-​Cola soft drinks (the cool computer machine)
Food is a little on the salty side
Service: GREAT service! Really friendly and helpful staff! Great service will definitely have me coming back because food is also pretty good.
Parking: street parking or there are many different garages to park in. The roads can get a little hectic but I think they should put a four way stop sign in the huge intersection cus it can get dangerous.
Location: Downtown Crown Shopping Center (Across Rio and Taco Bar (Washingtonian Gas) and Ziki) Near the back and not near Harris Teeter. Closer to Smashburgers, Chopt, and La Madeleine. Also some other restaurants and stores nearby are Coastal Flats, Paladar Kitchen, Pour House (opening soon), Harris Teeter, LA Fitness, etc.