Find Your Favorite Taste At A Local Italian Restaurant

By Marissa Velazquez


Many families enjoy the tastes of authentic Italy. Discovering an italian restaurant, which will become everyone's favorite isn't difficult in most cities. Diners and cafes named after pas, mas, pizza or specialty pastas will have the best foods for your money. The instructions for making everything just right came from great-grandmothers to grandmothers on down to the daughters now in charge.

The overall mood visitors want to accompany their dinner visit will be one of subtle starry-eyed tunes and soft lights. Upscale and sophisticated bistros will feature tablecloths, cloth napkins and flowers and candles on each table. Families prefer visiting establishments where they feel as if they're visiting a relative.

Begin your evening with a before meal sampling of tasty tidbits. Many people enjoy a large fresh garden salad with tomatoes, cheeses, olives and various thin meats. Others prefer a heartier start to their main meal. Crostini is bread which is lightly toasted, then drizzled with olive oil and topped with melted mozzarella. Sometimes prosciutto or Sopressata dry salami is added to the top of the cheese.

Regional fair from Italia for starters or lighter meals include ravioli or stuffed pastas. Customarily these little squares are stuffed with a ground beef and seasonings and then placed in a deep fryer until golden brown. They're brought to the table with a side of red sauce and can be joined with a soup or salad for balance. An additional style of ravioli is the seafood stuffed pasta. This small square is filled with scallops, shrimp and lobster then boiled and smothered in a cheese, Alfredo or cream sauce.

For a filling meal, try a calzone or Stromboli. Both are a sandwich style made with rolled pizza or bread dough. Common ingredients include a red or marinara sauce and lots of cheese. The Stromboli's dough is pizza and the calzone, which means stocking or trouser, is similar to a stocking or trouser in the translation. The dough from Stromboli's is salted style bread formed into a moon shaped pocket.

Key dishes will be brought to the table after everyone has finished their before meal tastes. The best way to get what you want is to ask the waiters and waitresses. They have the vocabulary and knowledge to help you discover what you'll really enjoy. Don't hesitate to ask a specific question about your meal, that's what they are there for.

You'll find pasta, chicken or beef and seafood as the most requested for central dinner dishes at such a taste of Italy. Cooks can do wonders with various seafood and pastas, but one can't live on those alone. Individuals should not consume sea food every day and pasta, no matter what your grandparents tell you, is not good for you.

Before departing the italian restaurant, everyone should try a delightful pastry named Cannoli. Some cooks will use a light pastry crust while others use leftover pizza dough to create these cylindrical shaped goodies. They are fried for a few moments in hot oil wrapped around a metal pipe so they can be filled. The empty flaky crust is then packed with either cream cheese or ricotta. The cheese is blended with vanilla, a white wine, chopped pistachios and a light brushing of powdered sugar.




About the Author: