I went to Ariano's on a Saturday night around 6 pm. We were promptly greeted and seated by the friendly host. We sat upstairs on the 3rd floor which gave us an incredible view of the paintings on the ceiling; such a pretty sight! The food in this restaurant is devine! We were with a party of 5 and ate lots of heavenly food!
I'll start with the appetizers...our group ordered mussels in red sauce. These yummy suckers were served in a delicious bread bowl. The mussels were served hot and they were so tasty. The bread bowl was so good, we started picking at it and wound up eating that, too!
We also ordered two salads. The first one was called the Romangulo. It came with pistachio nuts, sliced granny smith apples, gorgonzola cheese spread throughout the salad with a red raspberry dressing, and red onions sliced nice and thin! The other salad was made with a gorgonzola cheese dressing. They were both fresh, crisp, and the portion was plentiful. We shared with our group since the portions were so big! Another person in our party ordered the Zia Ernesta which is mozzarella with fresh tomatoes and olives...the word fresh does not do the tomato quality justice. These tomatoes were so yummy it was like they were just picked from the vine.
Oh, dear, don't let me forget the meatballs! These were on special the evening we went and we were told they may go on the late night menu as a permanent food choice. We told our waiter they should be put on the regular menu --- yes, they are that good! These meatballs were seriously the size of softballs. We had ordered two plates of these. They have cheese on the inside of the meatballs, and there is also melted cheese draped on the top of them. The red sauce on top of the meatballs complemented this appetizer. One person at my table made a comment about how he could eat 10 of thee things. He's right! They were incredible!
I'm a big carb person, so found the fresh bread they served us to be heaven! The bread was hearty, and fresh from the oven! A carb queen's dream come true! Pass the butter, please!
We wound up sharing all of the entrees since there were so many of us. Two people in my party had the filet...out of this world and cooked to perfection! The filets were covered in a glaze with gorgonzola cheese on top.
Another person had a seafood medley type of dish which was called Otino Cioppino. This dish had snapper, shrimp, bay scallops, calamari, mussels, clams, and hot sausage served over risotto. The dish was HUGE and delicious, to say the least. It was served with a red sauce that was to die for!
Another person had the Pazzo Marco which is Panko Crusted Lobster Risotto balls stuffed with lump crab meat...and lots of it! It was covered in a basil pesto sauce with and fontina cheese. This dish was in my top 2 favorite of the evening. It was amazingly delicious!
I ordered the Esperanza entree. This was my other favorite entree of the evening. It's spinach and ricotta cheese layered between lightly breaded eggplant served with a vodka. Again, a huge hit at my table! The bread crumb layers were just the right amount and the eggplant was super delish! The sauce served on top of this entree was a homerun hit!
Many of the entrees we ordered came with a baked potato and vegetables. The veggies looked like they were grilled. They were fresh and cooked just right!
Now....onto the improtant part...dessert! Our group shared a thin crusted pizza dessert that was covered in nutella. If you're a fan of this hazelnut chocolate spread, this is the dish for you! Each slice had a fresh strawberry on it and a sprinkling of powdered sugar. We ordered a bunch of gelato and athey brought us a bunch of sppons so we could share it. My favorite of the evening was the cinnamon, which tasted like a yummy for your tummy cinnamon cookie! We also tried lemon...the taste was very refreshing! There was also a hazelnut gelato which was decadent, and a vanilla that had chocolate swirled through it. Is there any better way to end your evneing of good food? Yes! With the dessert they served us! It was unreal!
Our waiter was funny, kind and most importantly attentive. He met our ever need throughout our dining experience at this restaurant. He made sure we were happy and had everything we needed throughout the evening. What more could a girl want?
The owner of the restaurant came around to each table to chat and find out how everyone's meals were. What good customer service! He was friendly, attentive, and made sure our dining experience was the best on possible! We let him know how happy we were with our food and overall dining experience. Really, it doesn't get any better than this restaurant!
I highly recommend this Ariano's --- it was a huge hit for everyone at our table. We will definitley be returning back for one of the best dining experiences we ever had ! Cheers to Ariano's! read more