Expectations, Assumptions and Anticipation for Rustica.

My first thought is Oh my gosh this is about to be expensive.  To be honest I am doing this restaurant review specifically at Rustica because Emma is going and we want to have a fancy night out.  Also I have never been here, and we have been talking about going for awhile, so why not?  I am expecting an elegant interior, with people dressed in black dresses and suits, all sipping Italian-crafted, decade-old wine and having deep business conversations.  I am a little intimidated.  When it comes to the food, I am expecting nothing short of fantastic.  I see the menu as having many wine choices as well as many food variations. The only points of reference that I have for its appearance are the few times I have walked past its windows to see it full of people.  I have also seen the circular sign hanging above the entrance, the name "RUSTICA," above it a silhouette image of a bike with wine bottles strapped to a shelf over the back wheel and a basket of baguettes in between the handle bars, and below it the promise of "Rustic European Cuisine."

This wood-burned sign coupled with the few glimpses of wine, dimmed lighting, and smiling faces makes me expect a fine dining experience, with good food, drink, and dessert (they better have killer dessert because honestly that's 50% of the allure for me). 

I am expecting an exceptional wait staff in addition to exceptional food, adding to my overall dining experience.  I am excited but also am unsure of the people who this restaurant most attracts.  I am assuming it is a lot of business dinners, or maybe a place to go to be fancy and dressed up for an occasion in Kalamazoo.  I think overall I just feel like I am not grown0up enough for this place!

I am expecting to spend upwards of $40 on my meal, however I would expect if I were not a college student and on a tight budget, most people are spending upwards of $80 on their meals; this is just a guess.  I am expecting Italian cuisine, but the sign says European, so I don't really know what that means at this point-- I guess I will find out!