I have another general thread going on this topic but thought I would start another with specifics in the title. I am looking on hosting a small "special" dinner to celebrate by dad's 80th birthday. What is the atmosphere in this restaurant like? How is the food? Interested in comments on dinner menu, as well as buffet on Saturday nights. Would you recommend this for a special dinner over Mama Della's?

have you checked the disboards? they also have a section on Universal.

We've stayed at Portofino (and love it), but never eaten there.

Are you staying at Portofino ? If so, there are some great hints and tips how to get upgrades for rooms Loews First) etc.

here was a posting on the disboards.
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Trattoria del Porto at Portofina Bay Hotel

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My husband and I ate here on our honeymood. We went to both Disney and Universal, but we spent the majority of our time at Disney. We loved Cali Grille, Hollywood Brown Derby, Narcoosee's, but hands down this was THE MOST ROMANTIC restaurant. We so enjoyed walking around and hotel and adiring the very Italian atmosphere. The dinner was so much more authentic then our experience at the Disney Italy restaurant. We truly felt like we were at Portofino Bay in Italy. The resort is just gorgeous! The restaurant was are only affordable way to enjoy visiting the resort, but we were really thrilled with our dinner and dining experience. Give it a try --you won't be disappointed!

The colorful festivals celebrated in the Italian countryside are the backdrop for Trattoria del Porto. Families will enjoy the boisterous, friendly service, diverse regional offerings, delicious antipasti, and tempting desserts. Character dining available on select evenings.

Call 407/503-DINE for reservations at Mama Della’s or Trattoria del Porto!

here are more reviews:

We did the buffet last July 5th. For the July 4th holiday they had a special buffet but onthe 5th it was their regular buffet and it was $20 which was very reasonable for WDW/Universal resort restaurants. As to quality, I would have to day average. I can't say there was a single item that stuck out as being memorable but they did have a nice variety of tasty desserts. DS 15 did not want the buffet and ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. Our server was so sweet - she told DS to go grab a dessert and she won't charge for it.
As to the spaghetti, it was the best spaghetti I can recall. DS still talks about it. He could not eat the whole dish and took it in his carryon the next day to eat it for dinner. Hope this helps!
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My DH and DD13 did the NYEve buffet at $46 per meal. All kinds seafood with crablegs that were already cracked/split for the diner. Prime rib, pasta, cheese, salads. Tons of desserts--they both said it was the best buffet they had ever had
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We tried the Italian buffet on Sunday, July 6th. I think our buffet was scaled down from the weekend buffet. Our's cost $20 pp. Our buffet was OK. Not great and not bad for $20. The creme brulee and cheesecake was very good. DS ordered spaghetti off the menu. I have eaten at many great Italian restaurants but I must say that spaghetti was one of the best I have tasted. We wanted to try the buffet because others at the resort raved about it (the weekend buffet).
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Thanks everyone! okay... our next meal was at Trattoria del Porto, which is right next to Mama Della's. This restaurant is a little more casual and you can order from the menu or take the buffet for 29.99.

We enjoyed the food, and there was plenty of selections
- The left hand item is large cheese raviolis, and the right side item is roasted vegetables (carrots, mushooms, tomatoes)
- The left hand item is a spicy corn salad that was really tasty, the right item was a cold chicken dish with marinated vegetables, also very good.
- This is the pasta station, there is a Chef with several kinds of pasta (no whole wheat ) and several sauces and toppings to choose from, they make your custom pasta dish, right there in front of you.
- Carving Station - with Roast beef & gravy or horseradish and they also had baked monkfish that they were slicing up

They had a dessert chef preparing mixed berries with a sabayon sauce
- the chef also had a blow torch and was making creme brule'
- I am missing pics of all kinds of other things - there were several more salads & vegetable choices, there was also a hot soup (Chicken with Barley)

Woody Woodpecker stopped by to molest my daughter and Marmaduke (as my Sister called him!) I had to tell her he was Scooby Doo.

Character interaction was just okay, honestly Woody & Scooby are just not as fun a character as say Pluto and Donald Duck, they tried but fell short. I think Spiderman would have been a lot more interesting, and in fact once at the RPR Shaggy and Scooby came through and were lots of fun - Shaggy sat with us and ate our french fries LOL.

All and all this was a very good dinner, good quality food and many choices, my DD loved her pasta and went back a few times. I had loads of fruit and veggies and left feeling satisfied. Fay enjoyed the desserts and had a few different ones! I would recommend the Trattoria del Porto.

I posted a link to a site with menus to ALL the restaurant menus in Universal in reply to your other post.
It lists every type of restaurant at the parks, hotels and City Walk. Just scroll down to the section for the Portofino and you'll find the menu:

http://allears.net/uni/menu/menus.htm

My husband & I really enjoyed Mama Della's; it was a little over 2 years ago when we ate there, while spending a couple of nights at the Portifino Bay Hotel. If you like red wine, they did have a great Amarone (Fabiano) available by the glass (very reasonable); our server suggested it in lieu of a Chianti.
Also, at that time, there was a group of 2 or 3 singers that would visit tables & take song requests.

Thank you for all of your helpful comments. Would those of you who commented on atmosphere at Trattoria del Porto and Mamma Della's be more specific, please? How are the tables set -- with linen? How is the lighting -- dim/candlelit or regular lighting? I don't mean to sound crazy but I would like this to be a memorable dinner....from excellent food to elegant atmosphere. Someone mentioned singers at Mama Della's...is there any music at TDP? Also, does anyone know if birthday cakes are available?

We would be going on a Saturday night. Does anyone know if the weekend buffet is different than the Friday night buffet? Or are the special crab legs, etc...reserved for holidays like NYears and July 4th?

I think it would be easiest to call these restaurants directly and ask some of these questions. So you can get the correct answers regarding bday cakes, the buffet, etc.

surfmom -- you mentioned that TDP was more casual than Mama Della's. How would you describe the atmosphere of Mama Della's?

surfmom -- no, we are staying at the Hard Rock -- what are your pointers for getting upgrades? Will they work at any of the Loew's hotels?

those aren't my reviews... I got them from the disboards by doing a search.

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=75

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1396528

read thru those threads and there is good information.

here is the upgrade thread:
http://www.disboards.com/showthread....1#post19072671

One thing I learned is that we got a complimentary upgrade to Loews First Platinum because my husband was Marriott Platinum. I had to fax them a copy of his statement and it took a few weeks, but it happened.

Yes..join LOews First. YOu can do that on line and you get certain perks if you belong. YOu can always ask for an upgrade when you register. Tell them you are there for a special occassion.