And That's A Wrap!

Monday, April 16, 2012

It is sad that this day has come where I conclude my blog by doing a wrap up of my worst experience with Italian food and my best experience throughout this semester.

As you may know, Vic’s Italian Restaurant was by far the worst place I have ever been to. I can still imagine and taste the pasta soaked in olive oil. Even though the waitress and hostess were incredibly nice, their food on the other hand needed a lot of work.

Maybe it was just what I worded or maybe they just did not like me from the get go. But I do know that day was my last visit to Vic’s. I hope for someone else’s sake, they read the reviews, or stick to pizza.

On an exciting note, my favorite Italian restaurant was hands down Café Luna. It has almost been a month and I am still craving their Faralle al Salmon. Yum. Yum. Yum. Drooling as I am writing.

Just by writing this I do believe that I will be eating that for dinner tonight. It is just way too delicious to pass up. And of course, I did. Thanks to my wonderful mother. Oh how I have missed sharing this adventure with her these last few weeks.

After this wrap up, I’m most likely not going to Italian food for a while. Thanks to Alexandria, Sushi is now my weakness!

The History on Italian Food

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I decided to write about the history of Italian food because I was getting a little irritated with trying new restaurants and wasting all my money on bad ones.

Over more than 2,000 years ago, Italy found its mark during the Roman Empire movement dating all the way back to the first century B.C.

What I found interesting in my research was that different regions had different styles of cooking and menus based upon the people living there.

For example, the coastal regions of Italy are all about the fish and seafood recipes (which I love, so of course this was very interesting to me). With Sicily, it is all about the spices and sweets of the pasta and noodles.

From an article I read, the author stated, “Italian cuisine is extremely diverse and rich which and that is why it is considered one of the most unique and amazing cuisines in the world."

Gorgeous picture on the water from Italy. Courtesy of Google.

Talking about all the different types of ingredients and regions of Italy, it makes me wish I could just pack my bags, get on a plane and take off and try all the different pastas.

At the bottom of this article, it gave different links about Italy and the Italian food and recipes, I clicked on pretty much all the cities and I wrote down half of their ingredients. Needless to say, I cannot wait to try them all!

As I start to wrap up my blogs for the semester, read on until next week and be informed about my favorite Italian and worst Italian food throughout this experience.

Get Your Pasta Pronto!

Tuesday, April 3, 2012


Pronto Pasta is located at 404 E Six Forks Rd , in Raleigh, NC.


Walking in I had no idea what to except of this place since the name of the restaurant was called Pronto Pasta. I kept having these thoughts like, "Will it be fresh? Please don't let me get food poisoning".


As I entered, they had signs at the front pointing to the left and giving you directions to where you place your order at. It was almost like going to Moe's Southwest Grill or Armadillo Grill.


What I loved most about the restaurant was the decorations hanging on the wall and the bright colors they chose. It really made the place stand out.

After only having thirty-seconds to make up my mind, I went with the first option on the menu, Shrimp Polenta with chicken broth, bacon, red peppers and green onions sprinkled on top and for everyone who knows about my blog, seafood is my weakness. 


When they brought my food out, I looked at the woman and said, "Is this pasta?" Because instead of it looking like normal pasta that I usually would get, it looked like shrimp and grits in the shape of two squares. But, I will admit, it was very tasty but a little heavy for me. 

The chicken broth smothered the shrimp and red peppers. I could hardly taste the seasonings on them both. The bacon was crispy, but there was not enough for how much food they gave me.


I wish I could have gone back and changed my order but I was running out of time and I was not about to pay another 10 or 11 dollars for another meal. 

Alexandria O'Brien-Player said, "If I went back, I would definitely order something different. But all in all it was okay".


All in all, Pronto Pasta was very welcoming and a small bright cheerful restaurant. If I get the chance to go back, I would definitely order something different. Maybe this is a sign to stop ordering pasta that has anything to do with seafood.


Read on as the search continues... 

Brunch, Lunch Vivace!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Vivace is an Italian that is located at 4209 Lassiter Mill Road, Suite 115 in Raleigh, NC at North Hills Mall.

The restaurant is a nice, romantic place for brunch, lunch and dinner with incredible deals and delicious meals.

With a patio on the outside and plenty of seating on the inside, there is always room for big parties or a girl’s night out along with great music.

I started off with a couple of pieces of bread with their homemade cream sauce called Purcc. It was so delicious that I even asked the waiter to give me the recipe so I could make it on my own.

As for my meal, I ordered the shrimp fradiavolo bucatini pancetta which is san marzano tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella. Even though it was 11 dollars, it was more than enough for at least two or three leftovers.

I guess my boyfriend, Daniel enjoyed it too because I got home and it is nowhere to be found in my refrigerator and the box is in the trash. When I confronted him he said, “It was staring at me. And my stomach was calling its name.” After he devoured it, he says “This is the only pasta I’ve ever tried from an Italian restaurant that had any taste to it. It was dank.”

The sauce was original spaghetti along with green peppers, onions and a little pinch of red pepper just to give it that burst of spiciness. The shrimp was grilled also with a little kick to it but combined together, tasted amazing.

The noodles were probably my most favorite. They were extremely thick and the inside was stuffed with cheese. Almost reminded me of ravioli but they were skinny.

Vivace was definitely a great experience with great service and food. After three weeks of bashing other restaurants, I was thankful not having any disappointments.

Tuscan Blu, Gets A Bad Review

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tuscan Blu

This Italian restaurant is located at 327 W Davie St Raleigh, NC in the backside of the building on a brick stone pathway.

From the outside looking in, Tuscan Blu looked like a cozy place to have a date night or a glass of wine or two. But my view of this place was all about to change.

As I walked in, instead of being greeted like a normal hostesses would do, the manager started snapping his fingers at me (while on his cell phone) and held up an employee application. I did not even know what to say, I just looked at him with my confused face and said the first thing on my mind, “Um, I just want a takeout menu…”

After all that was said and done, I ordered the lobster ravioli in cream fresh sauce with cherry tomatoes on top.

When I was leaving I asked the hostess if I could have a cup of ice water to go along with my meal, she said “of course” and walked back with a foam coffee cup half way filled up with no ice. Apparently getting a cup of water is also hard to do.

With all that behind me walking out of the door, I could not wait to try my pasta. I got back to William Peace and opened my to go tray and immediately smelled red pepper flakes and other spices mixed in.

I took my first bite and I felt my heart beat start to race and burn. I took my second bite and I could seriously hear my heart screaming “No more, no more!” And since my water had no ice and was lukewarm, it was impossible to stop the fire coming out of my mouth.

I did not take another bite, I wrapped it up and threw it right in the trash and did not even care that I wasted 9 dollars on this meal.

Disappointed is not even a word to describe this meal or my experience at Tuscan Blu. I would have much rather gone back to Vic’s and drank my oil with my pasta.

Amedeo's, Famous Since 1963!

Wednesday, March, 13, 2012

Amedeo’s Italian Restaurant

This restaurant is located at 3905 Western Boulevard in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Just by searching Italian restaurants on Google, I never thought I would find a place with so much history behind it.

Amedeo’s was founded in 1963 by one of the North Carolina State’s football star, Amedeo “Dick” DeAngelis.

Walking in, I noticed there was a huge portrait hanging in the center of the wall. I went to the hostess counter and a woman named Jill gave me a menu and as we made a conversation I told her I was doing a blog on Italian food for my class. She simply replied, “I’m the right person you need to be speaking too.”

Above is Mr. DeAngelis himself and his father.

She began by introducing herself once again, then mentioned that she was the daughter of Amedeo DeAngelis and began telling their story.

DeAngelis, was from Reading, PA and came to NC State in 1954. He missed his mothers and grandmothers home cooked Italian meals so much he decided to open up his own restaurant.

Only seating 12, DeAngelis settled right in and has been famous ever since.

Trying to decide what I wanted to eat, I asked Mrs. Jill what she thought would be a great choice. She said, “The spaghetti with meat sauce was what they were famous for.” So with that in mind, I trusted her judgment and went with that.

Along with the spaghetti, it included a medium house salad with three slices of bread and a drink all for $8.95. I could not believe it! This was the first restaurant where I felt like I got my money’s worth that came with a large amount of food.

As I am waiting, Jill also mentioned that everything that they cooked was homemade from the sauces to the bread everything was fresh. I started to become overly excited.

The sauce was sweet and not as heavy as most of the spaghetti sauces that I have ate before. I loved how there was not a lot of tomatoes chopped up because that is a disappointment to me. It had just the right amount of spices mixed in with their homemade meatballs.

The salad tasted fresh and I have never tried homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette before, but goodness gracious it was delicious.

Before I left, I walked around and took some pictures of the man who started it all and some of the famous athletes and coaches that came through NC State.

Head Football Coach, Tom O'Brien!

Even one of NC States finest, Zach Galifianakis has visited.

Amedeo’s was so welcoming and delicious; I told Jill I would be back very soon. It was a great experience and learning about the history behind this place made my visit even more enjoyable.

Lovin' La Volta

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

La Volta Ristorante Italiano

This restaurant is located in downtown Raleigh at 411 Fayetteville Street.

Knowing that the same owners of Vic's Restaurant was the same as La Volta's made me a little nervous about trying this place. But I sucked it up and dove right in.

La Volta is a cozy, romantic place that has lights hanging down from the ceilings and the lights dimmed low. They even had sculptures throughout the restaurant.

As my mother and I were seated, I opened there lunch menu and to my surprise, it was completely different from Vic's and I was overly excited because of all the options I had to choose from.

Not only did they offer more food, but their prices were incredible. Exactly in my poor college budget, this made me one happy girl!

For my meal, I started off with a side salad with their homemade balsamic vinaigrette and ended with the special of the day, Orcehiette pasta with sausage, broccoli, garlic and olive oil. And this time I did not feel like I was drinking the oil. Also, their noodles were homemade.

My meal was only $4.95. Now that is a special!

The sausage was a little plain, but the spices they had mixed in the broccoli brought out the flavors in both. It was a little salty with a hint of pepper, which I love.

As for my mother, she went with the Mediterranean salad with grilled shrimp on top. There were about five or six shrimps and she only had one. I devoured it. The best shrimp I have ever put into my mouth. It was so fresh tasting and the spices made it complete. Needless to say, she only got the veggies and spinach leafs.

This meal was only $5.75 for lunch. For dinner it was almost $7

The next time I go, I might just ask my waitress to bring out a plate of just the shrimp and I would more than satisfied. Just by writing this, I am drooling.

When I asked my mother what she thought about this place and their food she said, "Simply amazing. Their salads were fresh and had lots of flavor. Cheapest lunch date we've ever had along with great service. Most definitely blows Vic's right out of the water."
Read on as the search continues....