When I first heard word about a first-of-its-kind Indian and Italian fusion restaurant opening in Madison, Zafferano Ristorante — specifically in the suburb of Fitchburg, of all places — I was obviously inclined to try it out.

Myself and a few friends ventured down to Fitchburg on a Tuesday evening hoping for a nice fusion dinner.

Upon arrival at this restaurant, we pulled into what was reminiscent of a hotel parking lot — except it was, in fact, a parking lot of the Wyndham Garden Madison in Fitchburg.

We continue onward to enter this restaurant, only to be greeted by slot machines from a casino. Things weren’t looking the brightest, but who am I to judge a book — or in this case, a restaurant — by its cover?

We were seated right away and decided to order different dishes to try a little bit of everything. We put in our order of burrata with masala chutney as an appetizer, butter chicken pizza, cauliflower steak, masala eggplant parmesan, lamb lasagna and paneer ravioli piccata for entrées.

Leading with the burrata, it arrived looking promising. Burrata, laid atop a green chutney sauce, served with bread and topped with oil and balsamic vinegar.

Unfortunately, the burrata was overpowered by the balsamic vinegar. Aside from that, can you really mess up cheese and bread?

Moving on to our main entrées, I think it is best if we review them beginning with our favorites.

Starting off with the best bite of the night was the butter chicken pizza.

It was exactly what you would imagine — a buttery pizza crust topped with butter chicken, a creamy sauce and mozzarella cheese. Though, if I’m going to be critical about this, I think I have every right to be — I’m a born New Yorker, so knowing good pizza is in my blood.

Next, the cauliflower steak. To be frank, if I were to go back to this restaurant, this is most likely what I would order.

I really do not have anything bad to say about this dish. The basmati rice was fluffy, while the cauliflower steak had a nice bite to it without gaining any sogginess from the sauce it was dressed with. The addition of the pomegranate seeds on top was a great idea as well, in my opinion.

Onto the masala eggplant parmesan — it was exactly what you would expect it to be. A creamy tomato sauce atop a fried slice of eggplant.

Overall, nothing spectacular — but it was certainly good to eat.

Now, here comes the not-so-good parts. I mean, how bad can a lasagna really be, you ask? This was bad. A mouthful of lamb flavor took over my attention, making it hard to look past the dish as a whole.

Between the overly soft texture of the lamb and the pasta, I have to say this dish should certainly be a skip.

In fact, I had to remind myself that this was a pasta dish, that it should have had the taste of pasta to it, not just lamb.

So, if by the end of this review you still feel inclined to check out this restaurant, be forewarned to avoid the lamb lasagna at all costs.

Now, the dish taking home the crown as worst dish of the evening goes to the paneer ravioli piccata.

Upon arrival, this dish looked decently promising. But after the first bite, I was immediately transported to a place of my childhood — the Olive Garden.

Overwhelmed with a mouthful of salt, I could barely taste the paneer, let alone the picatta sauce.

I really wanted to give this dish a decent chance, but the salt was becoming unbearable after multiple bites. I’m not sure what went wrong here — maybe it was the paneer filling, or maybe it was the picatta sauce.

While not every dish hit its mark, Zafferano Ristorante’s ambitious and unique approach make it a worthwhile visit for those looking to broaden their dining horizons.