Olive Garden, Rt 6, Dickson City, PA

Olive Garden is an upscale chain restaurant, which is very well-appointed with a number of rooms. It has a look of expense, but the wait-staff is very friendly and helpful, and the clientele is middle class.
The bread was a garlic bread stick - about 8” long and 1” in diameter with a soft crust. No butter provided, but it doesn’t need it. A Caesar salad included, which was excellent with croutons, tomato and onion - a very large portion.
The pasta was al dente and excellent. It wasn’t an overly large portion, but came on a large, very hot plate. The sauce was tasty - not a great deal of it, but extra on the side, According to the menu, the meat sauce was made with pan-grilled beans and sausage. But it was not a heavy sauce, and it didn’t smother the pasta. They grate the cheese for you, so presumably it is fresh. The meatballs were excellent - firm & meaty & tasty and didn’t fall apart and were not real bready.
The wine was your usual Chianti, with a little tang to it - not the best.
Price – $8.95 for the spaghetti, $15.50 wwith the wine.
Style/ambience ****
Food ****

La Faccia Luna, Main St, West Scranton, PA

La Faccia Luna is housed in a former bank built in the 19th century. It is imaginatively and tastefully decorated, with a two story atrium, tables in the balcony and booths and a bar on the first floor. It has understated lighting, and avant garde photos on the walls. A great place, well done.
The main attraction is the pizza, but there are a number of other Italian attractions on the menu. Spaghetti and meatballs are not on the menu, but they do offer homemade meatballs with angelhair and their special Napolitan sauce. I opted to substitute fettucine for the angel hair. The pasta was pretty good, but the sauce was outstanding. I’m not sure what went into it, but it had a real spicy bite. The meatballs were another treat. Advertised as homemade, they were tightly packed and very meaty – the way I like them. The salad was just three types of lettuce and crotons – minimalistically great. The price = $11.95 for the pasta, $4.75 for the Chianti for a total of $16.70.
Style/ambience ****
Food ****

Jhon’s, Main St., Old Forge, PA

Jhon’s used to be in an old house on Prospect Ave. in South Scranton. It was very popular, and always seemed to be expanding. I ate there regularly, and it had a great upscale Italian menu, but I hadn’t been there in a while. Somehow in the interim they moved to Old Forge. This seems to be a daunting move – moving an Italian restaurant into the Italian town of Old Forge. The new place is quite different. Instead of an old house which was always crowded and intimate, it is now a large room with rows of about 15 booths and a fifty foot bar, with small tables in an alcove around the corner. And it is new – lots of formica and paneling, high ceilings, and not at all intimate. It didn’t help that I was there on a weeknight and just about the only person in the place – but there were three helpful and friendly waitresses. The menu seemed identical to the one at the old place – and it all looked good – and 100% Italian.
The extra was a carry over from the old place – an hors d’oeurve of cold pasta swirls, with some spinach and white beans and who knows what else – very tasty. The salad was great. Three kinds of fresh lettuce and olives - but that’s all - and the house dressing was a balsamic vinaigrette – very spicy with a real bite. The highlight was the bread. It was just Italian, sliced pretty thick. The delight was when you tasted it. It couldn’t have been fresher and more tender and softer – like just out of the oven. It reminded me of a French restaurant I was once at in Quebec. We had to wait in line by the door in front of where they kept the bread. They would bring loaves of French bread from the oven, and the waitresses would deliver them to the tables as needed. After about twenty minutes, they would remove all the unused bread and bring a new load from the oven, and start over. Apparently, anything over 20 minutes was stale. Now that is fresh bread!
Jhon's didn’t offer spaghetti and meatballs on the menu, but instead pasta and meatballs. I asked for spaghetti (without making a point of it), but what I got was a flat fettucini, I think. However it was good and appropriately cooked – but not as good as spaghetti. The sauce was thick - but not too thick - and very tomato-ish and flavorful. The meatballs were the disappointing part. They were medium-sized, but soft and doughy, and no real spicy bite to them.
The price $10.50 plus $5.00 for the wine, for a total of $15.50.

Style/ambience ****
Food ****

Brutico’s, Main St., Old Forge, PA

Brutico’s is a venerable restaurant in the Italian village of Old Forge, carrying with it not only a reputation for fine Italian food, but also a reputation for being the favorite watering hole of some of the leading members of prominent Italian ‘families’. However, that was years ago. Today, Brutico’s has changed hands from the Brutico family; has remodeled extensively; and is attracting a wide variety of folks. The new décor features a granite-topped bar; funeral home-like window drapes; and original paintings of Italian scenes that look like they were painted in a Chinese painting factory.
The food started favorably. A complimentary offering of pizza was great. A side salad with house dressing of oil and vinegar with a touch of garlic was okay. A foot-long toasted Italian roll was wonderful. Although the extensive menu did not feature spaghetti and meatballs, they offered a choice of at least half-dozen pastas – I chose homemade macaroni to go with my red sauce and meatballs. The macaroni was a bit overdone – but okay – and the sauce was fine. But the meatballs were undercooked. When the waitress asked me how everything was, I told her the meatballs were undercooked. She told me not to eat them, and offered me new meatballs. I declined. When the bill came, I was charged $14 for the pasta, $3 for the meatballs and $6 for the Chianti – not a customer-friendly move on their part, I felt.
Style/ambience ****
Food ***

Two Brothers, Blakely St., Dunmore, PA

Two Brothers is one step-up from a diner. It has a formica-covered bar (with two televisions blaring) and twelve stools, adjoining by the pizza take-out counter. Behind the bar are such things as a plastic American flag; Pitt and Penn State emblems; a NASCAR/Bud light sign; a plastic Harley Davidson model; a cartoon of a guy with a big beer belly; and lots of beer signs. Behind a divider is a separate wood-paneled room with about twelve tables. The place is a step below blue-collar (red-neck?). It is filled with a wide range of ages, and everyone seemed to know one another and they all seemed to be related, perhaps distantly.
I passed on the Special of the night – spaghetti with one meatball and a salad for $7.95. I just ordered the standard spaghetti and meatballs, which came with a salad and which gave me two meatballs instead of one. The pasta was good – well-cooked, firm and lots of it. The homemade meat sauce was unexceptional – it had ketchup consistency with no particular flavor, other than tomatoes. The meatballs were good – firm and meaty, but with no great taste.
The salad had lots of stuff in it – purple onion rings, cucumbers, an olive, a tomato triangle, some lettuce, some croutons, probably some more stuff, all in an olive oil dressing. It was eminently edible. The wine was Chianti – I’m not so sure the the waitress had ever had poured wine before – it was right to the brim. But it was OK.
The price was $7.50 for the pasta, $2.50 for the meatballs and $4.25 for the wine.
Style/Ambience *
Food **

Marino’s, Church St., Jessup, PA

Marino’s Cucina is an Italian family restaurant on the main drag in Jessup in the upper valley. It has a pleasant, well-appointed dining room with a separate bar. It has daily specials – mostly Italian – and a wide ranging menu. I had spaghetti & meatballs, even though not on the menu. Instead, on the menu was homemade macaroni with meatballs, obviously a house specialty. The spaghetti was fine - buttery even - and I loved the sauce. It was a marinara, and the combination caused me to forget to add the Parmesan cheese. The meatballs weren’t quite as good – a little tasteless and a bit bready. The salad was good, nice and crisp and a few Tuscan beans thrown in with the croutons. The bread was nice and soft. The Chianti was disappointing – it tasted okay, but I saw it come out of a jug, even though I saw a nice open bottle of Chianti Classico behind the bar. Price - $9.95 for the pasta, $2.50 for the meatballs and $4.50 for the wine.
Style/ambience ***
Food ***

Dante’s, Main St., Dickson City, PA

Dante’s is located in a mall just off Main St in Dickson City, stuck between a Dollar Store and a tanning salon –or was it a nail salon? It seems to feature pizza, but has about a dozen booths and tables. It is definitely a strip-mall kind of place, with TV blaring and carnival-type machines ready to take your coins and give you a furry animal, if you can get it out with those tongs. The spaghetti came in a goodly portion and was perfectly cooked. It was nice and firm - not soggy and not sticky - but just right. The sauce was a meat sauce, I think, with lots of taste. It was orange rather than red, and had little flecks – I noted some bits of olive, and I’m sure some meat. I can’t remember another bowl of spaghetti where I kept wanting to come back for another forkful. When I finally got around to the meatballs, they were just as good. They were nice and firm, tasty, evenly cooked – and just comfortable to eat. The salad, on the other hand, was strange – it came in what appeared to be a cereal bowl which was too small for all that was in it. It was filled with olive slices, carrots, red onion, lettuce, tomatoes. I added my own oil and vinegar. The bread was oddly sliced, French style, and a bit crumbly – not stale or hard, and reasonably tasty. The waitress paused a little at the request for Chianti, even though it was on the menu. I think it is more of a beer place. But it was fine, and the price was a bargain - $7.95, plus $3.50 for the wine.
Style/ambience *
Food ***

Luigi’s, Lackawanna Ave, Olyphant, PA

Luigi’s is a family restaurant in downtown Olyphant which serves as a local bar, a pizza place and a family restaurant, all-in-one. The décor is middle-class, with young enthusiastic waitresses, pictures of Italy on the walls and Italian music wafting between the rooms. The spaghetti and meatballs were down the middle, quality-wise. The menu announced that all pasta is imported and all sauce is homemade. The pasta was well-cooked, and the sauce was hot, if without a distinctive taste. The biggest disappointment was in the meatballs – they melted in your mouth (I don’t think they are supposed to do that). Soft and mushy aren’t the words – the meatballs just disappeared.
The house salad was nice and crisp, particularly the croutons. The bread consisted of 8” bread sticks, soft and warm – a real treat. And a middle-of-the-road Chianti topped it off.
The price was $9.25 for the pasta and $4.50 for the wine
Style/ambience ***
Food **

Bazil, Nothern Boulevard, Chinchilla, PA

Bazil is part of the Nichols Village Complex. It is definitely high-end in every respect. The décor is modern and exquisite; the clientele is professional; and the service is attentive and friendly. The spaghetti and meatballs are listed deep in the menu in Italian. They arrived hot in a hot bowl. They were perfectly done – very al dente. The tomato sauce was minimal, but well done. The parmesan cheese was professionally added by the waiter. The disappointment was in the meatballs - tasty, but soft and mushy – not up to the standards of the rest of the place. No salad was provided as a part of the pasta offering, so I borrowed half of the Caesar salad of my partner – and it was exquisite. Just some very cold lettuce, a couple of croutons, crumbled cheese and a little oil – very minimalistic. There was no butter for the bread, so I had to make do with extra virgin olive oil out of the can on the table – classy. The Chianti, by the glass, was also very good. The price reflected the style - $14.00 for the pasta, $8.00 for the wine.
Style/ambience *****
Food ****

Villa Maria II, Washburn St., West Scranton, PA

Villa Maria II is one of two Italian restaurants under the same ownership in residential neighborhoods of West Side. It is a cross between a small, informal family restaurant and a neighborhood bar and a catering facility with banquet facilities. The restaurant on Washburn St. is small, with about eight tables and lots of flowers (all plastic). The pasta was called spaghetti, but it was very thin, but not quite angel hair. But like thin pastas like angel hair, it came close to being over-boiled - a little soggy and soft. It arrived on a huge plate - actually the whole portion was huge, enough for 2 1/2 people. The sauce was okay, a tomato sauce of no particular distinction. There were two relatively small meatballs, which looked lost on that huge plate of spaghetti. They were of the preserved variety - a little bready and a little mushy (indication of microwave heating?). The salad was a real disappointment. It was house, with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing with parmesan. The first bite led me to think I had grabbed a leaf of cabbage soaked in too much vinegar. It didn't really go up from there. The Chianti was okay, at least until I got near the bottom of the glass. Then there seemed to be a sweet aftertaste. I don't think the oenologists would say that is a good thing. The price was fair - $7.95 for the pasta, $5.00 for the wine.
Style/Ambience **
Food **

Arcaro & Genell’s , South Main St., Old Forge, PA

Arcaro and Genell’s is famous not only locally, but also nationally, for Old Forge Style pizza, for which it seems to be the primary example. But it has a fine restaurant as well. Anchored by a bar on the right as you enter and a dozen booths and tables - plus another small room in the back - it serves a good, stable menu of Italian food in an Italian town. It seems to be always busy with a regular clientele of middle- to older folks, often with families. The ambience is warm, and the waitresses are efficient and friendly.
Spaghetti wasn’t offered on the menu, but there were five other choices of pasta (foreign & domestic) to go with the meatballs. I chose a type from Italy I had never heard of. They turned out to be like little springs, about 5/8” long, and very tasty. The shape sort of held the sauce in it. The sauce was the most amazing thing. It was a tomato sauce, and had lots of tomato in it, but it also had a real hot bite. I finally had to add some cheese to cool it off. The most amazing spaghetti sauce I have ever had! The meatballs were fine and complimented the pasta well. The bread, Chianti, & salad were normal, and they had a very good complementary Tuscan bean salad.
The price $10.50 for the pasta and $5.00 for the wine
Style/ambience ***
Food ****

Pietro’s, Church St., Jessup, PA

Pietro’s is located on the hilly side of Jessup, in the middle of a residential district. Although off the beaten track, it is a true find. It is in an older house, and apparently has been run by the same family for some time. You enter the bar, where there are a half dozen tables, and there is a separate dining room. The clientele consists of folks who know each other and who appreciate the fine cuisine. Among all the choices and daily specials, there is spaghetti – with a choice of red or marinara sauce. The spaghetti at first looked to be overcooked, but turned out to be fine fine. The red sauce was wonderfully flavorful. The meatballs (three of them) were served separately and were firm, tight (if that is an appropriate term for meatballs) and tasty. Salad and bread were included. The big addition was the complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Because we were special, we got the homemade gnocchi in a special cream sauce, and it was to die for. You also shouldn’t skip the dessert. The price was $10.95 for the pasta, $2.95 for the meatballs and $5.00 for the Chianti.
Style/ambience ****
Food ****

Rinaldi Café, S. Main St, Old Forge, PA

The Rinaldi Cafe has a small dining room and a large bar, both rooms with lots of booths and a few tables. The bar is large and square and dominates the room. The Christmas lights were still up – I think they might be up all year round. This is a middle-class Italian restaurant in an Italian town, ready to serve lots of people. The wait-staff is friendly and helpful. There are small, unobtrusive TVs and music (Dean Martin-type stuff, not too loud). The customers are older, white-collar folks, and it was mid-week, so not too many folks.
You have a choice of pasta with your meatballs – spaghetti was not a choice, so I chose linguini. It was fine – not too hard, not too soft. The most interesting thing was the plate. It was large, with about a 2” lip all around, with little, tiny specks everywhere, presumably basil. I assumed they are for looks only. Anyhow, even though the sauce looked like ketchup, it actually had a good, strong tomato taste. The meatballs – two large ones – were good. They were nice and firm, not too bready, slightly tasty and consistent all the way through.
The salad was a garden salad, cold and crisp with a cherry tomato cut in half and one slice of onion – all in the house dressing, a creamy balsamic. Actually, it was very good.
The glass of Chianti was ok, but nothing that my mother would be interested in (except the quantity was great - a big glass, filled full).
The price was $11.00 for the pasta, $5.00 for the wine, plus tip.
Style/ambience ***
Food ***