Anthony’s is a high-end place, with a long, granite-topped bar at the entrance with some tables, and a dining room behind. It has an elegant, extensive menu, with not only Italian specialties, but lots of other daily specials, including steak and seafood. The place is very well-appointed, with cloth table cloths and cloth mats, and beautiful glass stemware.
Spaghetti and meatballs were not offered on the menu, so I had to make do with linguini and a side order of meatballs. When it came, it was very hot but the pasta was somewhat disappointing - it was soggy. My theory is that the linguini was cooked the same amount of time as you would spaghetti, but since it is thinner, it came out overcooked.
The sauce was tasty, however. The big surprise was the meatball – there was only one, and it was served on the side in its own, lonely little dish. It was good, but not enough to overcome the disappointment with the pasta.
There were other good things, however, including the salad. The waitress thoughtfully offered some crumbly bleu cheese to complement the house balsamic vinaigrette, which I happily accepted. And the bread was a treat. It looked to be an ordinary Italian loaf, thinly sliced, and not heated – but, when you tasted it, it was wonderful. I am a lover of American white bread because it is so (full of air) soft, and that is the way this bread was – really soft and fresh. The highlight, however, were the extras. One was a complimentary hors d’oeuvre – cold pasta, with olive slices and white beans in an astringent, vinegary sauce – top-notch.
The Chianti was another extra treat. The bartender offered me a choice between the regular house Chianti and another special Chianti they just opened. Guess my choice!
The price was $10.95 for the pasta and my one meatball, $6.50 for the wine (and they slipped in an extra $1.00 for the bleu cheese dressing).
Style/ambience ****
Food ***
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Jilly’s, Court St (off Albright Ave.), Scranton, PA
Jilly’s is in a residential section of Scranton, out of the commercial area. It has been around for awhile, and definitely is a neighborhood place. It has a large, rectangular bar in a separate room, and a dining room with a goodly number of tables, usually filled with families or groups of friends, often celebrating birthdays or other events. The tables are nicely appointed with candles and cloth tablecloths. The waitresses - women of a certain age - are friendly and efficient. Jilly is the name of a friend of Frank Sinatra, and Sinatra seems to be the theme of the place. The walls are filled with pictures of Frank and his friends, and the songs on the jukebox are all Sinatra.
The spaghetti seems to be pretty normal- a full plate, and the spaghetti was of the thin variety. It was cooked normally to a medium firmness, but for some strange reason, even though it arrived hot, the whole plate seemed to lose its heat pretty quickly.
The sauce was certainly edible, but was nothing remarkable – it tasted of tomato but had no other taste I could identify. Instead of the normal two meatballs, they provided five. Of course, they were a little smaller, so I don’t know that I got any more meat. Still, they were pretty good - firm, not too bready and consistent.
The salad had a wide variety of things in it – lettuce, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and two or three other things. The dressing was the house dressing, but I neglected to ask what it was. It was a brown sauce that was sweet and slightly syrupy. It provided the right amount of moisture for the salad, but it wasn’t too exciting.
The bread was a large slice of Italian, pretty firm and tasty, but it was tough to get the butter out of those little plastic tubs.
The Chianti was nice and mellow. The price was $8.95, plus $6.50 for the wine (did she make a mistake on the wine?).
Style/ambience ***
Food ***
The spaghetti seems to be pretty normal- a full plate, and the spaghetti was of the thin variety. It was cooked normally to a medium firmness, but for some strange reason, even though it arrived hot, the whole plate seemed to lose its heat pretty quickly.
The sauce was certainly edible, but was nothing remarkable – it tasted of tomato but had no other taste I could identify. Instead of the normal two meatballs, they provided five. Of course, they were a little smaller, so I don’t know that I got any more meat. Still, they were pretty good - firm, not too bready and consistent.
The salad had a wide variety of things in it – lettuce, red onion, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and two or three other things. The dressing was the house dressing, but I neglected to ask what it was. It was a brown sauce that was sweet and slightly syrupy. It provided the right amount of moisture for the salad, but it wasn’t too exciting.
The bread was a large slice of Italian, pretty firm and tasty, but it was tough to get the butter out of those little plastic tubs.
The Chianti was nice and mellow. The price was $8.95, plus $6.50 for the wine (did she make a mistake on the wine?).
Style/ambience ***
Food ***
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sibio’s, Quincy Ave, Dunmore, PA
The style of Sibio’s is older, high-end Italian. There are no little ones here. Everyone seems to know everyone, or at least someone. The waitresses are middle-aged, but friendly, slightly flirty, even with those they really don’t know. The bartender is older, friendly and efficient – little bit of a jock. The design is high-end Rexcraft (have you been around long enough to know that?) - high-back, uncomfortable chairs, overstuffed booths. The whole place is slightly formal, and would be unfriendly if there weren’t so many friendly people exchanging greetings.
Their version of pasta for spaghetti and meatballs is angel hair. The problem with this is that for the pasta to be nice and firm (al dente) it has to be cooked for a relatively short time. And since angel hair is real skinny, that means a real short time, and cooks, I think, are afraid to do that. At least here that appears to be true. As a result the pasta was not too firm, but soft & clingy (not in a nice way).
The meat sauce looked as though it had meat, but I had a hard time finding any flavor in it. As it was mixed with the pasta it seemed to separate, and the clumps of meat went one way and the remaining liquid sunk to the bottom and became as clear as broth. The meatballs were very flavorful. I kept trying to identify the flavors, but couldn’t. As I kept struggling through the pasta, I kept coming back to the meatballs for some flavor. The meatballs weren’t perfect, however. They seemed to be cooked unevenly – half of them firm and meaty, and the other half sort of melted and fell apart in my mouth.
There was no salad – that costs extra. The bread was interesting. It was your normal Italian, cut thick and cold – but the crust had a very interesting, probably garlic-y, flavor. And the other choice in the breadbasket was unique to me. They were thin slices of what seemed to be bagels – 1/8 of an inch thick and toasted, so they were very crisp. For some reason, they worked.
The Chianti was normal – not much to tell my mother about, but serviceable.
And the price was $12.00 for the pasta, $6.00 for the wine, for a total of $18.00, plus tip (this is a high-end restaurant, you know).
Style/ambience ****
Food ***
Their version of pasta for spaghetti and meatballs is angel hair. The problem with this is that for the pasta to be nice and firm (al dente) it has to be cooked for a relatively short time. And since angel hair is real skinny, that means a real short time, and cooks, I think, are afraid to do that. At least here that appears to be true. As a result the pasta was not too firm, but soft & clingy (not in a nice way).
The meat sauce looked as though it had meat, but I had a hard time finding any flavor in it. As it was mixed with the pasta it seemed to separate, and the clumps of meat went one way and the remaining liquid sunk to the bottom and became as clear as broth. The meatballs were very flavorful. I kept trying to identify the flavors, but couldn’t. As I kept struggling through the pasta, I kept coming back to the meatballs for some flavor. The meatballs weren’t perfect, however. They seemed to be cooked unevenly – half of them firm and meaty, and the other half sort of melted and fell apart in my mouth.
There was no salad – that costs extra. The bread was interesting. It was your normal Italian, cut thick and cold – but the crust had a very interesting, probably garlic-y, flavor. And the other choice in the breadbasket was unique to me. They were thin slices of what seemed to be bagels – 1/8 of an inch thick and toasted, so they were very crisp. For some reason, they worked.
The Chianti was normal – not much to tell my mother about, but serviceable.
And the price was $12.00 for the pasta, $6.00 for the wine, for a total of $18.00, plus tip (this is a high-end restaurant, you know).
Style/ambience ****
Food ***
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
La Trattoria, Moosic St., Scranton, PA
La Trattoria is, on most nights, very busy with a mixed crowd, predominantly middle class. On a Friday night it is mostly reservations, but there were seats at the bar. Otherwise, you are on the waiting list.
The room is bright, with half-wood booths and tables, dominated by the brick oven used for baking pizza and other good things. At the tables there are young, uniformed waitresses; but handling the bar for the entire restaurant, and acting as maitre d’, cash register and waitress for those eating at the bar was an older, rude, unfriendly woman . When she said, after bringing a drink, “I’ll be back to take your order in 30-45 minutes”, she was only half kidding.
When it arrived the spaghetti looked very soupy, soft and sticky. When I tasted it, however, it wasn’t all that bad. It wasn’t al dente - but it wasn’t as soggy as it looked. The meat sauce had real meat in it. It wasn’t overly tasty, but, again, it wasn’t bad. The three meatballs were pretty good. They were firm, not too bready, fairly meaty. I would give them a B -.
The opening salad, however, was another story. It had lots of things in it, but I couldn’t tell you what they were, other than lettuce and onions. It was obviously pre-mixed – it was there in two minutes. It had just enough house dressing of oil and vinegar to make the whole thing soggy, and I couldn’t find any taste to it.
The bread was pretty good – two different kind of garlic rolls - both warm - and a butter concoction with avocado, spinach and basil, I think. It had the consistency of butter but I couldn’t find a taste. The glass of Chianti was ordinary – a little bland, not tangy or sharp, but slightly mellow.
Price –$16.15 plus tip.
Style/ambience ***
Food **
The room is bright, with half-wood booths and tables, dominated by the brick oven used for baking pizza and other good things. At the tables there are young, uniformed waitresses; but handling the bar for the entire restaurant, and acting as maitre d’, cash register and waitress for those eating at the bar was an older, rude, unfriendly woman . When she said, after bringing a drink, “I’ll be back to take your order in 30-45 minutes”, she was only half kidding.
When it arrived the spaghetti looked very soupy, soft and sticky. When I tasted it, however, it wasn’t all that bad. It wasn’t al dente - but it wasn’t as soggy as it looked. The meat sauce had real meat in it. It wasn’t overly tasty, but, again, it wasn’t bad. The three meatballs were pretty good. They were firm, not too bready, fairly meaty. I would give them a B -.
The opening salad, however, was another story. It had lots of things in it, but I couldn’t tell you what they were, other than lettuce and onions. It was obviously pre-mixed – it was there in two minutes. It had just enough house dressing of oil and vinegar to make the whole thing soggy, and I couldn’t find any taste to it.
The bread was pretty good – two different kind of garlic rolls - both warm - and a butter concoction with avocado, spinach and basil, I think. It had the consistency of butter but I couldn’t find a taste. The glass of Chianti was ordinary – a little bland, not tangy or sharp, but slightly mellow.
Price –$16.15 plus tip.
Style/ambience ***
Food **
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sal’s, Chestnut St., Dunmore, PA
Sal’s is definitely a neighborhood Italian restaurant in an Italian town – or borough in this case. The walls are plastic-paneled, fake wood. The square tables are covered with table cloths, covered with glass, with paper placemats. It is all perfectly pleasant. The clientele is definitely blue collar, and everyone knows everyone. The single waitress seems like she is 80 years - old and spry – and knows everyone, or you think she does, and she calls everyone ‘honey’.
The spaghetti was pretty firm - what I would call middle of the road - and it was a fair sized portion. In trying to think of a description of the sauce, I kept thinking of ketchup. It had that consistency. Might even win a ketchup race – some watery stuff leaked out the bottom. The taste was – was there a taste? I don’t remember one. It was slightly sweet, and with no signs of meat or any other ingredient.
I got two and a half meatballs. The half fell apart. It was very bready and mushy, and there wasn’t enough firmness to hold itself together. I couldn’t find a taste here either. The next meatball was the same. The third was different. It didn’t have much taste, but it had firmness. It must have come from a different litter.
The side salad had lots of big ingredients – big (hard) piece of tomato, big cucumber slices, big croutons. The croutons I liked. They were, I think, squared bits of Italian bread, dipped quickly into the deep fat fryer – crisp slightly on the outside, but still soft on the inside. The creamy Italian dressing in the paper cup was sweet and syrupy and straight out of a bottle. The bread was Italian, really fresh and soft and sliced thick.
The wine was called Chianti, but the taste made me think it was homemade in someone’s cellar – not really allowed to age, but instead drink it soon.
The price - $9.95 ($7.50 for the entrée) plus tip.
Style/ Ambience **
Food **
The spaghetti was pretty firm - what I would call middle of the road - and it was a fair sized portion. In trying to think of a description of the sauce, I kept thinking of ketchup. It had that consistency. Might even win a ketchup race – some watery stuff leaked out the bottom. The taste was – was there a taste? I don’t remember one. It was slightly sweet, and with no signs of meat or any other ingredient.
I got two and a half meatballs. The half fell apart. It was very bready and mushy, and there wasn’t enough firmness to hold itself together. I couldn’t find a taste here either. The next meatball was the same. The third was different. It didn’t have much taste, but it had firmness. It must have come from a different litter.
The side salad had lots of big ingredients – big (hard) piece of tomato, big cucumber slices, big croutons. The croutons I liked. They were, I think, squared bits of Italian bread, dipped quickly into the deep fat fryer – crisp slightly on the outside, but still soft on the inside. The creamy Italian dressing in the paper cup was sweet and syrupy and straight out of a bottle. The bread was Italian, really fresh and soft and sliced thick.
The wine was called Chianti, but the taste made me think it was homemade in someone’s cellar – not really allowed to age, but instead drink it soon.
The price - $9.95 ($7.50 for the entrée) plus tip.
Style/ Ambience **
Food **
Friday, February 20, 2009
Ragnacci’s, South Blakely St, Dunmore, PA
Ragnacci’s is an old-time Italian place in an Italian town. There is a large, informal dining room in the back filled with families of all ages, and a barroom up front, with seats at the bar and booths behind a divider. The décor is middle class. On a Friday night, the place was packed with people waiting for booths and bar seats. Most folks knew each other, and were middle-aged and friendly. “How are the kids?” “Did you hear about ___________ ?” The bartender knew everyone as well. And people who didn’t know you still spoke to you, asking questions until they found some common ground, a common friend or fellow employee.
The spaghetti was fine – nothing outstanding, but not hard, and not too soft. The sauce was likewise fine, but not remarkable. And so too were the meatballs - definitely edible, and yet nothing to write my mother about. A filling meal, in a pleasant atmosphere, full of people that could be friends or family – but not a gourmet spot.
We also were entitled to soup and salad. I skipped the soup, and the salad was at the salad bar, so I skipped that as well. I was in the middle of heavy conversation, and I didn’t want to lose my bar seat. The bread was just some slices of Italian, with butter in a little plastic dish that gets harder and harder to get the top off as I get older. The Chianti was – well, Chianti.
The price - $9.50 for the spaghetti & meatballs, about $5 for the wine. A deal.
Style/ambience ***
Food ***
The spaghetti was fine – nothing outstanding, but not hard, and not too soft. The sauce was likewise fine, but not remarkable. And so too were the meatballs - definitely edible, and yet nothing to write my mother about. A filling meal, in a pleasant atmosphere, full of people that could be friends or family – but not a gourmet spot.
We also were entitled to soup and salad. I skipped the soup, and the salad was at the salad bar, so I skipped that as well. I was in the middle of heavy conversation, and I didn’t want to lose my bar seat. The bread was just some slices of Italian, with butter in a little plastic dish that gets harder and harder to get the top off as I get older. The Chianti was – well, Chianti.
The price - $9.50 for the spaghetti & meatballs, about $5 for the wine. A deal.
Style/ambience ***
Food ***
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Gubbio’s, Chestnut St., Dunmore, PA
Gubbio’s is located in a residential, hilly section of Dunmore, up Chestnut Street about eight blocks from Drinker St. It is in a large house, with a dining room on the right half and a bar on the left. I never made it into the dining room but ate in the bar, which was packed on a Thursday night. They have music a couple nights a week, and had a DJ that night. This is the ‘in’ place nowadays. Lots of folks - Goths, older guys/younger girls, groups of ‘girls’, lots of players - people & names you would recognize. And smoke. The bar seems to be one of those places you apparently can still legally smoke.
So, on to the food. The spaghetti and meatballs were advertised as a large portion, so I opted not to take the salad that was to come with it. The pasta was what I would call medium quality. It wasn’t real soft, nor was it really al dente – about in the middle, but definitely edible. And it came with a meat sauce. The sauce was liquid, and it made the mixture very edible, but I kept trying to find the flavor - or texture - or meaning - to the sauce, but it wasn’t there. But it didn’t drive me away. But even though I couldn’t find anything to talk about it, it was still middling good.
The meatballs – they were big and round and, at least at the beginning, very hot. They were meaty and tasty, but again, I couldn’t really identify a distinctive taste. The more I ate, the more I kept coming across parts of them that were mushy. That led me to wonder how they were cooked. Since they were moderately tasty, I assumed they had been cooked ahead of time and perhaps refrigerated or frozen, and then perhaps popped into the microwave. That would account for why they were both hot and mushy - but all this is pure speculation.
The Chianti – not your best. It tasted a bit warm, sugary and syrupy.
The food cost $8.95, and I forget the cost of the wine.
Style/ambience **
Food **
So, on to the food. The spaghetti and meatballs were advertised as a large portion, so I opted not to take the salad that was to come with it. The pasta was what I would call medium quality. It wasn’t real soft, nor was it really al dente – about in the middle, but definitely edible. And it came with a meat sauce. The sauce was liquid, and it made the mixture very edible, but I kept trying to find the flavor - or texture - or meaning - to the sauce, but it wasn’t there. But it didn’t drive me away. But even though I couldn’t find anything to talk about it, it was still middling good.
The meatballs – they were big and round and, at least at the beginning, very hot. They were meaty and tasty, but again, I couldn’t really identify a distinctive taste. The more I ate, the more I kept coming across parts of them that were mushy. That led me to wonder how they were cooked. Since they were moderately tasty, I assumed they had been cooked ahead of time and perhaps refrigerated or frozen, and then perhaps popped into the microwave. That would account for why they were both hot and mushy - but all this is pure speculation.
The Chianti – not your best. It tasted a bit warm, sugary and syrupy.
The food cost $8.95, and I forget the cost of the wine.
Style/ambience **
Food **
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Fratelli’s, Providence Rd (Bulls Head), North Scranton, PA
Fratelli’s is a cross between a chain Italian restaurant, a neighborhood restaurant and a sports bar, all set in a former auto showroom (which is what it used to be). Like a chain, it is definitely middle of the road. Pushing pizza at the counter up front, a bar with lots of sports on TV in the middle, and lots of table and booths (with high backs, to break up the space) in back. There were lots of families in the mid-week crowd, but no one seemed to know each other. The waitresses were all young, almost pre-teen, they seemed. And there were big murals on the walls of scenes from Italy – the Coliseum, the Leaning Town of Pisa, etc.
The spaghetti was middle of the road – not too hard, not too soft, but also not just right. The meat sauce (advertised on the menu as homemade) was pretty thick and smelled of tomatoes, but I couldn’t find any other taste. The more I ate of the mixture, the more bland it became. I had to keep adding Parmesan cheese to find some flavor. The meatballs were middle-sized and very firm – was that the reason they delivered a sharp steak knife with the meal? Though well-cooked and meaty, I searched in vain for any distinctive flavor.
The salad was large – big slices of cucumber, big slice of tomato, big croutons, all mixed with Italian dressing (from my little paper container). The dressing gave it a nice texture, but again I searched in vain for flavor. Normally I would say that the hot spaghetti killed my taste buds, but I had the salad first.
The Italian bread looked great. It was toasted, and was covered in garlic. But by the time I ate it, it was cold, and only looked toasted – it really was soft. There was garlic on it, but I think the butter was long since gone.
The glass of Chianti was normal. The price was $10.50 for the pasta, $5 for the Chianti, or a total of $15.50 plus tip.
Style/ambience **
Food **
The spaghetti was middle of the road – not too hard, not too soft, but also not just right. The meat sauce (advertised on the menu as homemade) was pretty thick and smelled of tomatoes, but I couldn’t find any other taste. The more I ate of the mixture, the more bland it became. I had to keep adding Parmesan cheese to find some flavor. The meatballs were middle-sized and very firm – was that the reason they delivered a sharp steak knife with the meal? Though well-cooked and meaty, I searched in vain for any distinctive flavor.
The salad was large – big slices of cucumber, big slice of tomato, big croutons, all mixed with Italian dressing (from my little paper container). The dressing gave it a nice texture, but again I searched in vain for flavor. Normally I would say that the hot spaghetti killed my taste buds, but I had the salad first.
The Italian bread looked great. It was toasted, and was covered in garlic. But by the time I ate it, it was cold, and only looked toasted – it really was soft. There was garlic on it, but I think the butter was long since gone.
The glass of Chianti was normal. The price was $10.50 for the pasta, $5 for the Chianti, or a total of $15.50 plus tip.
Style/ambience **
Food **
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Café Classico, Mulberry St., Scranton, PA
Café Classico is slightly upper middle-class, with a good-sized dining room with exposed brick. It is just off the campus environs of the University of Scranton, which might affect the slightly upscale quality. It is heavily Italian in flavor and decor, but I don’t think anyone there is Italian. The menu is all Italian, though, with English translations. The staff is young and friendly.
You had a choice of five or six kinds of pasta with your meatballs, so I chose spaghetti. It arrived in a pure white plate/bowl with a wide, 2” lip, with a decoration of little green flecks. The pasta was firm, and not overcooked – actually almost a little rubbery, but not too much. The tomato sauce was thin, with a tiny chunk or two of tomato – eminently edible. It tasted tomato-ey, but not too much. The meatballs were big and firm, and very consistent. They were blackened on one side – obviously spent some time in a frying pan. They were meaty, but not overly flavorful.
I chose the house salad, with a Caesar dressing. It arrived in a good-sized plate/bowl. There were two or three different kinds of lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, olives, and a couple of tangerine pieces – strange. When I got it all mixed up with the dressing, each bite tasted of whatever it was that I happened to get a bite of that time, but nothing hung together. Finally I put a little Parmesan cheese on it so I could get a consistent flavor.
The bread consisted of a toasted small loaf of Italian, very flattened. It was very, very crisp, and warm when I got it, but it was almost too flat to put butter on it. So I tried olive oil, and that worked better.
The glass of Chianti was pretty mellow.
The price was more than most – and that didn’t reflect the quality. It was just a higher priced-type place - $11.50 for pasta, $6.00 for the wine plus tip.
Style/Ambience ***
Food ***
You had a choice of five or six kinds of pasta with your meatballs, so I chose spaghetti. It arrived in a pure white plate/bowl with a wide, 2” lip, with a decoration of little green flecks. The pasta was firm, and not overcooked – actually almost a little rubbery, but not too much. The tomato sauce was thin, with a tiny chunk or two of tomato – eminently edible. It tasted tomato-ey, but not too much. The meatballs were big and firm, and very consistent. They were blackened on one side – obviously spent some time in a frying pan. They were meaty, but not overly flavorful.
I chose the house salad, with a Caesar dressing. It arrived in a good-sized plate/bowl. There were two or three different kinds of lettuce, sliced cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, olives, and a couple of tangerine pieces – strange. When I got it all mixed up with the dressing, each bite tasted of whatever it was that I happened to get a bite of that time, but nothing hung together. Finally I put a little Parmesan cheese on it so I could get a consistent flavor.
The bread consisted of a toasted small loaf of Italian, very flattened. It was very, very crisp, and warm when I got it, but it was almost too flat to put butter on it. So I tried olive oil, and that worked better.
The glass of Chianti was pretty mellow.
The price was more than most – and that didn’t reflect the quality. It was just a higher priced-type place - $11.50 for pasta, $6.00 for the wine plus tip.
Style/Ambience ***
Food ***
Casa Bella, Market St, North Scranton, PA
Casa Bella is in a local neighborhood of Scranton with an unprepossessing building and entrance. Once you get inside, that all changes. The place is owned by two Italian brothers, up from the restaurant business in New Jersey, and one of them is that maitre d’. He greets you with an Italian accent. They are putting a lot of effort into the restaurant, and it shows. There are six separate rooms (no bar), all broken up in different sizes – all tables, no booths. The tables are quality, with wooden chairs and double table cloths, white over red, with candles. All well done. The clientele is professional – the neighborhood banker, lawyer, accountant and priest all there, greeting all their friends and neighbors. The menu was all Italian, upper-end and definitely food-oriented (i.e., six different variations of veal on the menu). And they had a half-dozen specials of the day – appetizer, pasta, two versions of fish and another main course.
The spaghetti and meatballs were actually described as linguini and meatballs on the menu. In other words, no spaghetti. But the linguini worked and it was perfectly cooked. And to show you the class of the joint, one of the young waitresses arrived with the pasta and a bowl of Parmesan cheese, and asked if I would like some spread on my pasta – which I did, and it worked. The sauce was flavorful, not overpowering, and very good.
They overdid the meatballs – my bowl of pasta arrived with six (6 – count em!) meatballs. Actually there were three, each cut in half, and laid carefully all around the bowl. They were perfectly made and so firm so that you almost had to cut them with a knife, and evenly cooked and meaty.
The salad was a house salad, with three kinds of lettuce and diced tomatoes – a little hard (but it is winter) - and the house dressing was a vinaigrette with olive oil, and it was tasty.
And the bread. It was Italian, and sliced thick. It was heavy, but when I buttered it and started eating, it was wonderful. The heaviness worked for it. It wasn’t heavy because it was stale, but because it had body.
The Chianti was mellow and filling and it went right down.
The price for the lot was $13 for the pasta & $5 for the wine, for a total of $18 plus tip.
Style/ambience ****
Food ****
The spaghetti and meatballs were actually described as linguini and meatballs on the menu. In other words, no spaghetti. But the linguini worked and it was perfectly cooked. And to show you the class of the joint, one of the young waitresses arrived with the pasta and a bowl of Parmesan cheese, and asked if I would like some spread on my pasta – which I did, and it worked. The sauce was flavorful, not overpowering, and very good.
They overdid the meatballs – my bowl of pasta arrived with six (6 – count em!) meatballs. Actually there were three, each cut in half, and laid carefully all around the bowl. They were perfectly made and so firm so that you almost had to cut them with a knife, and evenly cooked and meaty.
The salad was a house salad, with three kinds of lettuce and diced tomatoes – a little hard (but it is winter) - and the house dressing was a vinaigrette with olive oil, and it was tasty.
And the bread. It was Italian, and sliced thick. It was heavy, but when I buttered it and started eating, it was wonderful. The heaviness worked for it. It wasn’t heavy because it was stale, but because it had body.
The Chianti was mellow and filling and it went right down.
The price for the lot was $13 for the pasta & $5 for the wine, for a total of $18 plus tip.
Style/ambience ****
Food ****
A Taste of Italy, Meadow Ave, Scranton, PA
A Taste of Italy is a relatively new spot, in a mini mall on Meadow Ave in Scranton, hardly a neighborhood-type place. But a surprise. It is a cross between a classy joint and a mall joint. There’s a spot for a maitre d; cloth napkins in a glass; and a leather-bound wine list – and at the same time two TVs, backed up by music; acoustic tile ceilings; and a bunch of booths (to complement the tables and small bar). Another sign of class is the white-bone square plates for everything. An extensive menu, all Italian with a large selection of pasta and homemade sauces, along with pizza. And an excellent wait-staff, male and female, and youngish. Although I was there on an off-night, it is clear that they do a great business, and folks (including some professionals) know each other.
The pasta was great, firm and not overcooked. The homemade sauce was also good – though I wonder why does it separate? At the bottom of your plate why do you have some reddish broth-looking liquid leaking out?
The highlight were the meatballs – two small ones, conjoined. As I ate one-half of one, I marveled and speculated as to whether they had some machine in the back which packed the meatballs so tightly. The flavor was great – I forced myself to alternate bites of meatball with the spaghetti, since the meatball taste carried over to the spaghetti mixture.
The salad was another delight. I think I counted at least four different kinds of lettuce – maybe more – with a balsamic vinaigrette. Just the right amount of moisture, and the fresh freshness just kept you crunching.
What was announced as Italian bread looked like two little twisted rolls, very hot. But when you broke them in half, buttered them and bit into them - yes, indeed, they were Italian bread. The wine was Chianti – they did sell it by the glass and it was wonderful.
The tariff was pricey - $11.95 for the pasta and $2.00 for the meatballs (they are listed separately on the menu) and $6.50 for the wine, for a total of $20.45.
Style/Ambience ****
Food *****
The pasta was great, firm and not overcooked. The homemade sauce was also good – though I wonder why does it separate? At the bottom of your plate why do you have some reddish broth-looking liquid leaking out?
The highlight were the meatballs – two small ones, conjoined. As I ate one-half of one, I marveled and speculated as to whether they had some machine in the back which packed the meatballs so tightly. The flavor was great – I forced myself to alternate bites of meatball with the spaghetti, since the meatball taste carried over to the spaghetti mixture.
The salad was another delight. I think I counted at least four different kinds of lettuce – maybe more – with a balsamic vinaigrette. Just the right amount of moisture, and the fresh freshness just kept you crunching.
What was announced as Italian bread looked like two little twisted rolls, very hot. But when you broke them in half, buttered them and bit into them - yes, indeed, they were Italian bread. The wine was Chianti – they did sell it by the glass and it was wonderful.
The tariff was pricey - $11.95 for the pasta and $2.00 for the meatballs (they are listed separately on the menu) and $6.50 for the wine, for a total of $20.45.
Style/Ambience ****
Food *****
AV, Birney Ave, Moosic, PA
AV is a high-end restaurant, Italian in the sense that the owners are Italian, but really it is just an excellent restaurant . All of the food is exquisite, and supposedly the wine list is the finest in NE PA.
Although physically attached to a low-end motel, the place is architecturally cool. The art on the walls is abstract and elegant. The furniture is modern. There is apparently a 20’ long aquarium, but with no fish, just glass. The lighting is subdued. The wait-staff is young, enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable. And the clientele is upper-class, monied and part of the in-crowd. Interesting menu – from spaghetti & meatballs (see below) to the most gourmet of the gourmet.
It is not called spaghetti and meatballs, but that is what it really is. It is called fermicelli in a ragu sauce with meatballs. The pasta is spaghetti – but the flat kind. It arrived in a large, wide-rimmed bowl with lots what I think was basil on the rim as a visual garnish. The pasta looks as if it was stuck together, so I was worried about sogginess. But it turned out to be good – moderately cooked and still firm. The ragu sauce was complex - it was not thick or overly meaty, and the flavor was not overpowering. It all worked together. The meatballs were middle-sized, nice and firm, cooked throughout with no sogginess and moderately flavorful.
Salad was not included. The bread was half a bun, about 4”” in diameter, not heated. No butter, but virgin olive oil provided.
The wine was the highlight. There was no Chianti by the glass, but they did have a wonderful Nero from Sicily – vibrant, fruity, full-flavored with an aftertaste of earth and tobacco (as they said in the wine menu).
The meal was $10.95 and the wine $11, and everything else costs lots more.
Ambience - *****
Food - *****
Although physically attached to a low-end motel, the place is architecturally cool. The art on the walls is abstract and elegant. The furniture is modern. There is apparently a 20’ long aquarium, but with no fish, just glass. The lighting is subdued. The wait-staff is young, enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable. And the clientele is upper-class, monied and part of the in-crowd. Interesting menu – from spaghetti & meatballs (see below) to the most gourmet of the gourmet.
It is not called spaghetti and meatballs, but that is what it really is. It is called fermicelli in a ragu sauce with meatballs. The pasta is spaghetti – but the flat kind. It arrived in a large, wide-rimmed bowl with lots what I think was basil on the rim as a visual garnish. The pasta looks as if it was stuck together, so I was worried about sogginess. But it turned out to be good – moderately cooked and still firm. The ragu sauce was complex - it was not thick or overly meaty, and the flavor was not overpowering. It all worked together. The meatballs were middle-sized, nice and firm, cooked throughout with no sogginess and moderately flavorful.
Salad was not included. The bread was half a bun, about 4”” in diameter, not heated. No butter, but virgin olive oil provided.
The wine was the highlight. There was no Chianti by the glass, but they did have a wonderful Nero from Sicily – vibrant, fruity, full-flavored with an aftertaste of earth and tobacco (as they said in the wine menu).
The meal was $10.95 and the wine $11, and everything else costs lots more.
Ambience - *****
Food - *****
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