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....

Pizza Saves the Meal

Monday, February 20, 2012

Piccola Italia

I am now fifth week of my Italian food blog, and I started to run out of options for restaurants in downtown. Thankfully, my roommate Alexandria, told me about an Italian place in Cameron Village called Piccola Italia.

The restaurant is located at 423 Woodburn Rd.

After hearing about their great lunch menu from Alex, I thought it would be a great date night for my boyfriend, Daniel and I since the prices where cheap and stayed in our poor college budget.

As we are pulling in, I noticed the nice set up they had outside....

If it was not for the weather, I would have loved to sit and enjoy the fresh air.

Walking inside, It seemed cozy and romantic because they had the lights all around dimmed. The first thing I saw when we got to the hostess table was a sign that said, "After January, 2012, there will be a $5.00 charge if you use a debit/credit card." My only thought was, "This food better be worth it."

Once we were seated, we opened our menu and my jaws literally dropped. Since I love seafood in my pasta, I went straight to the Seafood Entrées and everything was around $20.00-22.00. My thought again, "This food better be worth it."

Since we are broke college students, I decided to stick with an original cheese pizza with bacon on top because even if we split, we would get another $5.00 charge to our bill ... ridiculous.

It was yummy. It was light on the sauce (which I loved), the cheese was stringy and the bacon was crispy.

As for Daniel’s meal, it was horrible.

It had no flavor or seasoning, the chicken was dry and the sauce tasted like it was something bought in the grocery store and out of the can and this meal was almost $18.00.

As for our service, the man was incredibly nice. He was very helpful and quick.

When I asked Daniel if he would ever come back or try something different, he said, "I would come back, but I would come during lunch hour and get something different besides pasta. Hopefully their lunch menu will be under $35.00."

As the search continues, I hope it stays within my budget and taste completely different from something I could make in my own kitchen.

Caffé Luna, Under the Stars

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Caffé Luna

Want a tasty lunch or dinner for a reasonable price and great service? Choosing Caffé Luna was the best decision I made for an Italian restaurant.

It is located at 136 East Hargett Street.

Never thought that 518 West would be booted off my number one list, but after trying this restaurant, there was a new number one in town.

My mother and I went to during lunch time, and along with us there were about 10 other people waiting outside the door as well. As we were seated, more walked in. Probably the most popular place I have been during a lunch hour and it was only even 11:30.

As we were looking over the menu, our waitress asked if we had any questions and as I informed her about doing an Italian food blog on restaurants in downtown Raleigh, she instantly named an item that were their most popular.

The dish was called Fiocchi, which is a fresh pasta stuffed with four Italian cheeses and pear saute in cream with tomatoes. When she described that, I could feel the drool rolling down my mouth. I only wished that it was dinner time ….

After looking at the menu for about twenty minutes, I finally made my decision and went with Faralle al Salmon which is bowtie pasta with fresh salmon in a pink cream sauce.

The way it looks, is exactly how it taste, incredible and delicious along with the fresh salmon and a smooth cream sauce.

Before, eating my lunch, we ate my favorite appetizer, Calamari. It was the best Calamari I have ever eaten in my entire life. It was fresh, lightly breaded with just little seasoning to give it flavor and topped with lemon juice.

Not only was our meal incredible, but the prices were unbelievable too! Especially for a college student! My meal was only $7.95 along with the Calamari being $5.95. A cheap and amazing meal.

After eating our meal, this man came up to our table and asked our names and where we were from. I noticed before how he was going around to every table and after he left, my mother informed me that it was the owner, Mr. Kennedy.

I have never been to a restaurant where the owner would walk around and make a friendly conversation and get to know who you were instead of asking, "Is your meal okay?"

I fell in love. I fell in love with the food, with my waitress and of course Mr. Kennedy. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. I even asked him if I could make a reservation for dinner tonight, he simply replied back, "Of course. I'll put you right on there."

When we were walking out, I noticed a picture frame that held an article from the Southern Living about Caffé Luna. It talked about the food and the paintings that hung on the walls that Mr. Kennedy's wife, Nicole had painted.

There was a lot of history behind this place and the owners, I only wish I had time to read the entire article.

Not only was the food delicious, but the atmosphere and history behind it made it even more remarkable. I think coming here once or even twice a week would be beyond perfect. I am that addicted after my first time going.

Wine and Dine

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

518 West

This Italian Restaurant is probably my favorite place to eat in downtown Raleigh. I love the atmosphere and the cozy feeling it gives you as soon as you walk through the door.

The restaurant is located at 518 W. Jones St. - Raleigh, NC 27603. This place is great for any occasion. Whether it is for celebrations, lunch and dinner or maybe even a place for a little romance, 518 is the place to go!

I celebrated my 21st birthday here with great friends and family and when selecting my topic for my blog, 518 West was the only place on my mind for some fantastic Italian food. Their wine/beer list is very reasonable and comes with a variety of selections.

Just like my last two blogs, my mother has tagged along once again. Not that I can complain, because I get a free meal, great company and also great advice when choosing my meals.

We started off by sitting at the bar and having a nice soothing glass of wine called Reich Graf von Kesselstat - Josephhofer - Riesling Kabinett '10 Germany. For just two glasses of wine, it was a little less than 20 dollars, which I thought was not bad considering the bottle itself was $37.00.

Since I forgot to take pictures, compliments of their Facebook page, this is just a little glance of the bar.

While waiting for our table to get ready, I interviewed a lady who was sitting next to us at the bar and she said, "518 is amazing, period. Just amazing. There isn't too many places where you can find an Italian restaurant for cheap and with great service. I try and come here about once a week and the food and company never gets old" and she was absolutely correct!

  

After our glass of wine, we went upstairs and ate dinner looking over the lower level scenery. It was so peaceful and romantic because they had the lights dim that reflected on our table. I even wished my boyfriend was there with me, but mother will just have to do!

How amazing does that look? And it only gets better from here....

For my meal, I had The Crab which is red pepper papardelle pasta tossed with a dill cream sauce along with mixed of wild mushrooms, with scallions and bacon topped with fresh crab meat.

It was heaven to my mouth. The spices brought out the cream sauce and the bacon was crispy. As for the fresh crab meat, I could have just eaten it by itself and would have been perfectly okay.

Not only was this meal incredible, but also if you come during their lunchtime from 11:30 a.m. till 4:00 p.m. you will not walk away disappointed and the price for this delicious meal was only $10.95.

I am starting to enjoy these free, cheap meals once a week and everything going to my thins, but thankfully 518 West did not let me down like last weeks spot at Vic's did.

Read on as the journey continues....

Linguine or Pooguine?

Vic's Italian Restaurant

January 31, 2012

After eating that yummy meal at Gravy last week it was hard for me to decide which restaurant to choose next. I was suppose to be going to Caffe Luna but as I walked up I realized they were not open until 11:30 and since I had a class at 12:30, my mother insisted on Vic's Italian Restaurant. I was highly upset!

Vic's is located at 331 Blake Street, Raleigh North Carolina. I have never heard of this place before so I was a little worried about trying it. When we walked in the first thing I notice was the beautiful paintings on the wall. I honestly felt like I was having lunch on the streets of Italy.

What I loved most about these paintings were the colors and how they make the picture come alive.

For this one, I loved the view that it gave from the buildings and how peaceful the water is.

I love seafood. I think it is my weakness and it seems that even when I cook or go to restaurants, seafood must be the main ingredient. With that said, I decided to try the Linguine alla Mario which is a Linguine pasta with shrimp and broccoli smothered in garlic and olive oil sauce. Can we say yum?

Though it sounds and looks delicious, as I ate the noodles, all I could taste was the olive oil. I felt like I was drinking it right out of the drainer. Besides the noodles, the flavor of the garlic did not even exist and the shrimp was very plain and cold.

Disappointment was not even the word to describe how my food tasted and usually if I do not like something I will try and at least eat half of it but my stomach was just screaming "DO NOT DO IT!" So I listened.

As we finished our meal, I asked my mother what she thought about the restaurant and if she would come back and she said, "I enjoyed my meal and the environment made it feel cozy, but if you really want a nice Italian meal I would choose another location that has more to offer."

Walking out dissatisfied and a horrible stomach ache was not the answer I was looking for but searching for Italian restaurants obviously is a challenge. Hopefully the next one I try will be a winner!

Not Your Typical Gravy

Tuesday, January 21, 2012

Gravy 

I have always loved Italian food, especially chicken Alfredo, but when I chose to write about different Italian restaurants in Downtown Raleigh, I wanted to explore my options and try new meals.

While searching for which restaurant to choose first, I asked Misty McClure which Italian restaurant was her favorite. As she began to name some, she spoke highly of Gravy and how great their Ravioli was. Her husband, Heath also made a comment saying, "It is a wonderful place. Great for date night and they have a bar as well. Reasonable price and great service!"

After hearing how great Gravy was, my mother and I went on Friday during her lunch break. For anyone who might be new to Raleigh or may not know the location, Gravy is at 135 South Wilmington Street Downtown, Raleigh, NC.

As we walked in, we were not greeted with just your average "Hello! Just two for lunch?" The hostess made a conversation with us that made my mother and I feel welcome and right at home. 

When we were seated I felt overwhelmed with all the different options they had. Everything sounded so delicious. It was a very hard decision.

Our waitress approached and the first thing I asked her was, "What is your favorite meal on the menu?" As she leaned back along with a laugh she replied, "There is nothing on that menu that you will not like, everything on there is wonderful." With that said, I went with my first option, the Lobster Ravioli. 

I was so excited to try it, I took a bite out before I could get a picture!

Before we got our meal, my mother insisted on trying the Risotto Cakes. Now, if it was not for branching out on new Italian food, I probably would have not tried this since I have never heard of a Risotto Cake before. But those five little cakes were gone in a blink of an eye. Needless to say, they were amazing!

Obviously, we could not wait to dig in, but here is a little something to drool about.

After we demolished our meal, I sadly got up from our table and walked away. If it was not for my mother having to go back to work, I probably would have kept eating. 

As the search for the next Italian restaurant continues, I hope that they are just as amazing as Gravy!