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 ***
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