While driving through the un-salted snow covered interstates (I-85 and I-77), all I could think about was a piping hot Italian meal. Pasta, meats, succulent sauces, and LOTS of melted cheese. I then remembered a lunch I had a few weeks ago that I didn't review. So, since I can't head out for lunch today -- I'll review Open Kitchen now.
Open Kitchen is arguably the oldest restaurant in Charlotte. Since 1952, this place has been serving up heaping plates of pasta from the same building to generations of customers. In fact, the friend whom I met for lunch, had his prom dinner there.
Upon entering I immediately got the feeling that this place was family owned and operated. The generic stale feeling that you get from the Italian chain restaurants, just wasn't there. On the walls, and ceiling you'll see photos, and newspaper articles from those celebrities who have visited (if I recall correctly, Burt Reynolds was just one of the many celebrities who have been there). The tables have the mandatory red-checkered table cloth, and photos and nick-knacks line the walls. This place screams Italian restaurant. And it reminded me of my favorite Italian restaurant, Lanza's at Lake Tahoe.
Once we sat down, we were greeted by a friendly waitress, who quickly took our order. After I ordered the Veal Parmigiana, he shook his head and said, "you should have ordered what I'm having." He was right.
My Veal Parmigiana came in a deep, hot dish and covered with sauce and melted cheese. The meat was OK, but had a processed feel to it. In addition, it was the first veal parmigiana that I'd had that wasn't breaded and fried. My meal was good, but only average.
By my friend ordered the Veal Juliano -- it looked and smelled amazing. The veal was layered with provolone, then breaded and fried. Then served with a mushroom wine sauce. Though I don't like mushrooms, he was correct, I should have ordered his.
Though I wasn't happy with my meal, I think I just ordered the wrong thing. They have an extensive menu, and I'm sure that one of their pasta dishes would be just the thing to warm me up on a cold and snowy day.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5 (casual / family feel)
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/5
Price: $$ (Many entrees just over $10)
Conclusion: This casual Italian restaurant has a real family feel to it. From the packed parking lot during lunch, I get the feeling that most meals there are better than the one I had. I'll be heading back to try another dish, then I'll pass my final verdict.
Restaurant Info:
Open Kitchen
1318 W. Morehead Street
Charlotte, NC 28208
704-375-7449
Showing posts with label veal parmesean. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veal parmesean. Show all posts
Monday, March 2, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Mama Mia Too
About a month after a bad experience at another italian restaurant, my wife and I decided to go out and try to find a good local italian restaurant, again. We settled on Mama Mia Too, located in Downtown Huntersville. Honestly, I had no desire to go there -- the name reminded me of the Abba play which I truly despise. Despite this initial reservation, I'm quite happy we went.
We entered the house (yes, the restaurant is in an old home), and we were promptly seated in a room that appeared to be the outside patio at one time. The room was decorated in an older style, reminiscent of something a grandmother would do. It should be noted however, the several other dining rooms (and there are many) in the home had a nicer and more elegant feel.
After scanning the menu, I ordered the Veal Parmesan -- one of my favorite italian dishes. The salad, which was included in the price of the entree, consisted of fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and some shredded carrots. Though the salad appeared small in a large bowl, there was plenty to eat. In addition, they have a large array of dressings to choose from, and I chose the Parmesan Pepper Cream. This was an excellent choice.
The bread which came to our table was fresh, warm, and quite tasty. And the Veal Parmesean entree was huge. The veal, which was pounded flat, breaded, and topped with a health portion of cheese and sauce, was accompanied with a side of potatoes au gratin, and a small bowl of thin spaghetti noodles topped with tomato sauce that appeared to be homemade. This meal was so large, it could have easily been two.
In addition, the service was great. If our waiter was taking care of another table, the other staff at the restaurant dealt with our needs quickly. One incident, in particular, stands out in my mind. My wife and I both like large portions of parmesean on our entrees. While the waiter was sprinkling parmesean on the meals, he noticed this, and after he had finished he returned to the table with a bowl of parmesean for us to use at our discretion! This man quickly became my favorite waiter in the area!
After our meals, we made some extra room in our stomachs for dessert. The New York Style Cheesecake was good -- but not great. However, the flavorful (and somewhat strong) decaf coffee was a nice surprise. If it weren't for the fact that I was yawning during the drive back home, I would've thought it was regular coffee.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Total: 12/15
Price: $$ (Most entrees between $10-$20)
Conclusion: The meal was quite good, and it's the best italian food that I've had yet in the area. In addition, the service was fantastic. To quote Abba, "Mama Mia... how can I resist you?"
Restaurant Info:
Mama Mia Too
101 Maxwell Ave.
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 875-0575
http://mamamiatoo.com/
We entered the house (yes, the restaurant is in an old home), and we were promptly seated in a room that appeared to be the outside patio at one time. The room was decorated in an older style, reminiscent of something a grandmother would do. It should be noted however, the several other dining rooms (and there are many) in the home had a nicer and more elegant feel.
After scanning the menu, I ordered the Veal Parmesan -- one of my favorite italian dishes. The salad, which was included in the price of the entree, consisted of fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and some shredded carrots. Though the salad appeared small in a large bowl, there was plenty to eat. In addition, they have a large array of dressings to choose from, and I chose the Parmesan Pepper Cream. This was an excellent choice.
The bread which came to our table was fresh, warm, and quite tasty. And the Veal Parmesean entree was huge. The veal, which was pounded flat, breaded, and topped with a health portion of cheese and sauce, was accompanied with a side of potatoes au gratin, and a small bowl of thin spaghetti noodles topped with tomato sauce that appeared to be homemade. This meal was so large, it could have easily been two.
In addition, the service was great. If our waiter was taking care of another table, the other staff at the restaurant dealt with our needs quickly. One incident, in particular, stands out in my mind. My wife and I both like large portions of parmesean on our entrees. While the waiter was sprinkling parmesean on the meals, he noticed this, and after he had finished he returned to the table with a bowl of parmesean for us to use at our discretion! This man quickly became my favorite waiter in the area!
After our meals, we made some extra room in our stomachs for dessert. The New York Style Cheesecake was good -- but not great. However, the flavorful (and somewhat strong) decaf coffee was a nice surprise. If it weren't for the fact that I was yawning during the drive back home, I would've thought it was regular coffee.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Total: 12/15
Price: $$ (Most entrees between $10-$20)
Conclusion: The meal was quite good, and it's the best italian food that I've had yet in the area. In addition, the service was fantastic. To quote Abba, "Mama Mia... how can I resist you?"
Restaurant Info:
Mama Mia Too
101 Maxwell Ave.
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 875-0575
http://mamamiatoo.com/
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
I Bambini
A couple of weeks ago I had a serious craving for really good, homemade-tasting, italian food. And I'm not talking about the chains like Olive Garden or Carrabbas. They'll do in a pinch, but I was looking for a restaurant that looked and smelled like an Italian restaurant, and had delicious flavorful food. Unfortunately, I Bambini did not fill this need.
Upon entering, I was quickly seated to a booth along the wall. The inside had a generic restaurant feel -- it almost felt like a cafeteria. Though there were photos along the wall, all my eye could see were an endless sea of white walls. The booth was spacious, and our table had a white table cloth (perhaps accentuating the white in the room).
The menu was huge. I was almost overwhelmed with the choices. About 30 different types of sauces on the first page alone. After a long time of reading the menu, I settled on the veal parmesean -- one of my favorites.
The salad that arrived was decent, but not extraordinary. In fact, it seemed very ordinary. And the italian dressing, had another flavor that I wasn't expecting -- I think it was ginger. Needless to say, I didn't finish my salad.
The bread that was brought to the table was warm, but slightly over-cooked, which left the bread with a hard and crunchy under-side.
Finally, the veal arrived, and again I was underwhelmed. The veal was tough, and the tomato sauce lacked flavor. And it just wasn't my dinner that had problems, my wife ordered a Special chicken dish, which was also bland. The food felt as if it came from a cafeteria -- food that was mass produced to the point where it lacked any flavor or character. This was not the type of food that I was expecting from a locally owned restaurant. In fact, I wouldn't expect this from a chain either -- the food was just too poor quality for the chains to produce.
Score:
Atmosphere: 2/5
Food: 1/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 6/15
Conclusion:
I cannot recommend this restaurant. I can honestly get more flavorful food with a bottle of sauce and a box of noodles from the grocery store.
Restaurant Info:
I Bambini
2785 Charlotte Hwy.
Mooresville, NC 28117
704-799-9522
Upon entering, I was quickly seated to a booth along the wall. The inside had a generic restaurant feel -- it almost felt like a cafeteria. Though there were photos along the wall, all my eye could see were an endless sea of white walls. The booth was spacious, and our table had a white table cloth (perhaps accentuating the white in the room).
The menu was huge. I was almost overwhelmed with the choices. About 30 different types of sauces on the first page alone. After a long time of reading the menu, I settled on the veal parmesean -- one of my favorites.
The salad that arrived was decent, but not extraordinary. In fact, it seemed very ordinary. And the italian dressing, had another flavor that I wasn't expecting -- I think it was ginger. Needless to say, I didn't finish my salad.
The bread that was brought to the table was warm, but slightly over-cooked, which left the bread with a hard and crunchy under-side.
Finally, the veal arrived, and again I was underwhelmed. The veal was tough, and the tomato sauce lacked flavor. And it just wasn't my dinner that had problems, my wife ordered a Special chicken dish, which was also bland. The food felt as if it came from a cafeteria -- food that was mass produced to the point where it lacked any flavor or character. This was not the type of food that I was expecting from a locally owned restaurant. In fact, I wouldn't expect this from a chain either -- the food was just too poor quality for the chains to produce.
Score:
Atmosphere: 2/5
Food: 1/5
Service: 3/5
Total: 6/15
Conclusion:
I cannot recommend this restaurant. I can honestly get more flavorful food with a bottle of sauce and a box of noodles from the grocery store.
Restaurant Info:
I Bambini
2785 Charlotte Hwy.
Mooresville, NC 28117
704-799-9522
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)