Italian dining (coffee, soup, garden, chicken)

[clawson26]

The only chain I like for Italian is Macaroni Grill. They have Arrabbiata that is fantastic. I like their "make your own pasta" options because everything is fresher and you can get things like real garlic cloves, fresh mushrooms etc.

[unknown stuntman]

I'm not a big Italian food fan, but I LOVE Rigatonis in Warwick, RI. Long standing tradition in the Providence-metro area, a region which is reknowned for its Italian cuisine. Never heard of a Johnny Carino's chain, so I doubt there are too many of them spread across the country.

[GCSTroop]

Growing up down south with parents from New Jersey I was able to realize at a very early age that you just can't beat the food in the New York/New Jersey area. Traveling up there to visit family every summer was the best because I knew I would eat well. Especially Italian! Anyway, I have a funny story about a friend of mine who I met in the military. He was a die hard Texan thru and thru and had never left the south. He told me his brother (also a Die Hard Texan) was going to go to NYC for a business trip. I told him to tell his brother to make sure he ate a pizza in NYC. A few weeks later I asked my friend about it and he said his brother thought the pizza was the same. I asked him where he went and he replied "Dominos"!!!!!! I thought I was going to drop dead. LOL.

[dreamofmonterey]

I don't really like Johnny Carino's. The sauce is bland. We have something called Johnny Brusco's- awful pizza. Then again its hard to find NY or NJ style pizza anywhere in the south!

[WallStreetWarrior]

I have never eaten at Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill and have never even heard of Johnny Carinos. Being Italian, I grew up with my mother and father creating the basis of what Italian food should taste like. The only place to find this taste is a private, Italian-owned restaurant.

I'm not saying that OG or MG serves bad food, or that they are a discrace to Italian food, but just that what they serve is far from authentic Italian. That being said, the average American person probably would not like authentic Italian food as much as the Olive Garden, simply because the OG, as well as any chain restaurant which serves "Italian" specifically serves dishes that have been treated to appeal to the taste buds of Americans.

For great authentic Italian in Connecticut, I like Luca's in Wilton, and if you're feeling very adventurous, and want seriously authentic Italian, try Applausi Osteria Toscana in Greenwich. I have to tell you though, Applausi is about as authentic as Italy itself, so be careful.

I haven't found a great Italian place where I live now, but if you're in NYC, you've got a whole bunch to chose from. i Trulli is a personal favorite, and Felidia's is very nice as well. With Felidia's though, you will get authentic food, but not the small "old-country" feel.

[ellie]

I think I had some good Italian food last night in Savannah. The majority of the staff were Italian, the owner's wife wandered around the dining room checking on everyone, a touch I appreciate, the food was carefully prepared, and the service was excellent.

I'd been reluctant to check it out since the restaurant had recently changed hands and the name changed to "Corleones" . Outside they had a photo of Marlon Brando. I was afraid the food would be equally corny. But no, everything was so much better than I expected.

I wish the South had a larger and better established Italian community. One of my best friends, who is from Boston, often describes the food his mother, sisters, and aunts prepare for special family occasions. It sounds amazingly complex and time-consuming and can only be made with the greatest love and devotion to the old ways. I want to try that kind of food.

[Northwoods Voyager]

Originally Posted by WallStreetWarrior

I have never eaten at Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill and have never even heard of Johnny Carinos. Being Italian, I grew up with my mother and father creating the basis of what Italian food should taste like. The only place to find this taste is a private, Italian-owned restaurant.

I'm not saying that OG or MG serves bad food, or that they are a discrace to Italian food, but just that what they serve is far from authentic Italian. That being said, the average American person probably would not like authentic Italian food as much as the Olive Garden, simply because the OG, as well as any chain restaurant which serves "Italian" specifically serves dishes that have been treated to appeal to the taste buds of Americans.

For great authentic Italian in Connecticut, I like Luca's in Wilton, and if you're feeling very adventurous, and want seriously authentic Italian, try Applausi Osteria Toscana in Greenwich. I have to tell you though, Applausi is about as authentic as Italy itself, so be careful.

I haven't found a great Italian place where I live now, but if you're in NYC, you've got a whole bunch to chose from. i Trulli is a personal favorite, and Felidia's is very nice as well. With Felidia's though, you will get authentic food, but not the small "old-country" feel.

As I stated in another thread, nothing as good as 'real Italian'. My mother's family is German and her sister married an Italian. I spent many summers at their home and talk about good food. Wow. To have the hunk of parmesan cheese in a dish in the middle of the table and the grater nearby was normal. And the sauces, hmmm, seemed as if she cooked them all day.

Everything had a different taste, meaning no two dishes ever tasted like the other one. as in some restaurants that seem to use the same ingredients for different dishes. But then again, isn't MOST home cooking the best. I said most, I know, not everyone of us is a good cook. But we try.

[NCN]

I don't have an Italian bone in my body, but my husband and I can make a meal out of the Olive Garden Salad and breadsticks.

[exhdo1]

Originally Posted by WallStreetWarrior

I have never eaten at Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill and have never even heard of Johnny Carinos. Being Italian, I grew up with my mother and father creating the basis of what Italian food should taste like. The only place to find this taste is a private, Italian-owned restaurant.

I'm not saying that OG or MG serves bad food, or that they are a discrace to Italian food, but just that what they serve is far from authentic Italian. That being said, the average American person probably would not like authentic Italian food as much as the Olive Garden, simply because the OG, as well as any chain restaurant which serves "Italian" specifically serves dishes that have been treated to appeal to the taste buds of Americans.

For great authentic Italian in Connecticut, I like Luca's in Wilton, and if you're feeling very adventurous, and want seriously authentic Italian, try Applausi Osteria Toscana in Greenwich. I have to tell you though, Applausi is about as authentic as Italy itself, so be careful.

I haven't found a great Italian place where I live now, but if you're in NYC, you've got a whole bunch to chose from. i Trulli is a personal favorite, and Felidia's is very nice as well. With Felidia's though, you will get authentic food, but not the small "old-country" feel.

I agree with you that chain restaurants are not "true Italian" food. Having grown up in an Italian family (a big Italian family) I can also say that I've experienced true authentic Italian food (my grandparents were born in Italy and came to the U.S. when they were teens). By the way my grandmothers family side of the family calls it "gravy" not sauce . My mothers brothers and sisters and cousins all pretty much married Italians and many are from different regions within Italy. I think I've experienced every different type of Italian cooking during my lifetime, and no I did not eat any of the goats head . I've eaten at i Trulli and enjoyed it very much. I don't know if you've ever been to Villa Mosconi (on Macdougal between Bleecker and Houston) but they serve excellent Northern Italian dishes at reasonable prices (for N.Y.C.) with great ambiance. Bon appetit.

[mikenbacismama]

Having lived in NY, the best mom & pop Italian restaurant that I ever ate at was Dominick's in the Bronx. Now that I've lived in the land of chains for the last 8 yrs (Las Vegas and now the Tampa area in Florida), my favorite chain Italian is at Maggiano's.