As much as I love Italian food, I rarely go out to eat it as most of the restaurants just don’t hit the spot.

The Tailor’s Son opened a year ago and it’s still extremely popular as it’s located on Fillmore Street. The vibe is lively and inviting and the restaurant focuses on Northern Italian cuisine so I was excited to see what they had to offer.

We started off with a few appetizers. Their focaccia was good, not the best I’ve ever had but it was fine.

The Tailor’s Son.

Yellowfin Tuna Carpaccio with Meyer Lemon, Fresno Chili, and Fried Shallot (7.5/10).

A little on the skimpy side but the carpaccio was tasty with crispy shallots and a touch of spice and acid.

Spinach Sformato with Truffled Pecorino and Hazelnuts (7.5-8/10).

This was one of the stronger dishes of the night. The sformato was creamy and I liked the shavings of Pecorino cheese and cheese sauce. The toasted hazelnuts added a nice crunch too.

Fritto Misto with Tarragon Aioli (6.5/10).

Broccolini, fennel, and delicata squash were deep fried but not as crunchy and light as I would have liked. The aioli was a little dull in tarragon flavor.

Rotolo with Braised Duck (5.5/10) and Risotto alla Milanese (8/10).

I wanted to like the rotolo (pasta shaped as a spiral stuffed with duck) with béchamel and Fontina cheese but the burnt flavor of the crust was overpowering. The only flavor we could taste was burnt cheese and the duck stuffing was one noted. They’re known for their risotto and I was apprehensive to try it as risotto is extremely difficult to nail (al dente rice but creamy rice at the same time). While they nailed the flavor of the risotto alla milanese (saffron flavor with ossobuco), the texture wasn’t perfect. It was creamy which I appreciated but the rice was overcooked.

Tagliolini with Hopper Shrimp, Mussels, Clams, Bottarga in Bagna Càuda (3/10).

This was the worst dish of the night by far. Bagna càuda is a delicious Northern Italian warm dip made of garlic and anchovies and their version to make it into a pasta sauce was terrible. It lacked any depth of flavor or creaminess and was overly fishy. Even the pieces of seafood didn’t seem fresh. If you want to try an anchovy pasta dish that is executed perfectly, go to Belotti Ristorante E Bottega and you will not be disappointed.

I always order dessert after dinner but after a few disappointing dishes, we opted to skip it. Maybe I’m overly critical when it comes to Italian cuisine but The Tailor’s Son missed the mark for me. Either dishes lacked flavor or were executed poorly. Therefore, my rating is a 5.5-6/10.