Posts Tagged ‘Italian’

Pizza Di Roma

Sunday, August 13th, 2017

20170731_121605New York-style pizza-by-the-slice is available outside of downtown, now that Pizza Di Roma has opened a location where Legends used to be.

The space is much brighter than Legends ever was but has an awkward set-up, primarily because it’s a counter-service restaurant integrated into a former sports bar.

In all the years I’ve eaten at the downtown location of Pizza Di Roma, I’ve never ordered anything but pizza, so in recent visits to the west side location, I explored the rest of the menu, which turned out to be bigger than expected.

A few appetizers lead off. The breaded cheese ravioli ($6.95) is massively breaded, but at least a lot of ricotta cheese greets you inside. You also can order chicken wings ($8.95) and fried calamari ($9.95).

You have lots of pasta dishes, including staples such as lasagna and tortellini, from which to choose. Among the more unique was the spaghetti putanesca ($9.95; should be spelled with two Ts). The black olive flavor is most prevalent, while the carrot shavings added an unwelcome texture. There were just a few pieces of anchovies, which were not overly salty.

Similar to the pasta dishes, the entrees will take 5-10 min. to prepare. The chicken arrabbiata ($10.95) sports an assortment of peppers, including jalapenos. The marinara sauce was average, the noodles were similar to sub-par ones found in a diner and the two thin chicken breasts were pretty tough.

20170804_115545Other entrees include shrimp marinara ($12.95) and eggplant parmesan ($11.95).

Among the subs, I got the sausage and peppers ($7.95). The slices of Italian sausage and strips of green peppers are topped with marinara sauce and cheese, then stuffed inside a huge roll. It’s a lot of bread, which turned out to be necessary to hold all the ingredients together.

The west side location of Pizza Di Roma is open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday.

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See more photos in our Pizza Di Roma Flickr album.

Pizza Di Roma Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano

Sunday, June 1st, 2014

At the end of 2013, the owners of Cancun Mexican Restaurant shut down the operation and opened Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano in its place on the highly visible corner of Whitney Way and Odana Road. I like the menu and the decor, and other than a few glitches in service I experienced, I’d say it’s worth dining here.

This being an Italian restaurant, I had to try the spaghetti alle polpette (spaghetti and meatballs, $10), which turned out to be my favorite dish. The noodles were perfectly al dente, the meatballs had a nice, soft texture and the marinara sauce wasn’t overly liquidy like so many bad sauces.

From spaghetti and meatballs I moved onto another classic, pizza. The capricciosa ($10) is topped with mushrooms, black olives, artichoke hearts (too many), prosciutto, anchovies (too few) and oregano. Not surprisingly, the taste leans on the salty side, but nonetheless it’s a well-crafted pie for two to share. Note that the crust is actually closer to hand-tossed instead of thin as written on the menu.

Let’s look at some of the other entrees, of which there are many. I don’t recommend the penne e pollo alla genovese ($10), only because there was barely any chicken in it. On the flip side, I enjoyed the big portions of flaky fish in the tilapia al limone ($12).

I did try one salad, the innamorate ($8), which comes with strawberries, feta and toasted almonds; however, it was the fennel that gave this salad its signature flavor. I also enjoyed the golden brown calamari fritti ($8) with the spicy marinara, which is just marinara and crushed red pepper.

While the dark-toned restaurant has a small bar, it unfortunately under-utilizes it. I could see a strong happy hour being done here, but alas, the bar is an after-thought to the owners. Another area that could use some improvement is staffing; on my visits, I’ve felt it’s been under-staffed. I’ve had good servers, but they’ve been so busy that they’ve failed at simple things, like bringing menus (even upon request) and bringing the check in a timely manner (one time took nine min.).

Nonno’s serves lunch, dinner and carryout every day.

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See more photos in our Nonno’s Ristorante Italiano Flickr album.

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Pasta Nuovo

Sunday, January 5th, 2014

I was sort of surprised that Tutto Pasta in Middleton didn’t survive, but I’m more hopeful for its successor, Pasta Nuovo, which opened in September. Inside is a warm atmosphere with cozy booths in alcoves, an open kitchen and some wonderful menu items. Speaking of the menu, don’t trust the one online, as the restaurant ended lunch service and consolidated the lunch and dinner menus.

On a Saturday night visit, three of the six appetizers were unavailable–the restaurant was out of the mussels and the calamari, both of which I would have ordered, and it no longer serves the cod, even though it’s still on the menu–so my fourth choice was the bruschetta ($8). I can’t speak highly enough of it, as the heirloom tomatoes were delicious and just sweet enough, and the flatbread (instead of the standard French bread) had a delightful garlic flavor. In fact, it’s disappointing that the flatbreads are otherwise gone from the menu, as the wood-fired pizza I tried was surprisingly dull.

The soup of the day ($8) that same night was a creamy garlic and tomato soup, perfectly balanced in flavor but really thin (not at all creamy). What was creamy and savory was the lobster risotto ($21), filled generously with lobster tail pieces, making for a hearty dish. I also liked the shaved truffle on top.

I didn’t feel the same about the veal parmigiano ($23). The veal itself was seasoned well, and I did like the cheese on top, but the meat was rubbery, making it difficult to chew. Meanwhile, the accompanying pasta was a bit too al dente, as in, I think it should have been cooked about one more minute, and some of the vegetables were undercooked.

Looking for a stiff drink? You’ll find it here. I would recommend the Hirsch Old Fashioned ($8) or Manhattan ($8) to get you going. If you want something stronger, get the well-crafted Sazerac ($8), and if you want something sweet, try the  Limoncello ($7). You’ll of course find a nice wine selection as well.

Pasta Nuovo is open every day for dinner. It has a side room that you can rent for private events, and the bar area has daily happy hour specials.

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See more photos on our Flickr set.

Pasta Nuovo on Urbanspoon

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