After 25 years of living in New York City, I've become a little difficult when it comes to Italian food. Not impossible -- just difficult. When you've spent decades surrounded by excellent Italian restaurants, your tolerance for average red sauce gets pretty low.
So, back in Western Pennsylvania visiting family, I wanted to take some elderly relatives out for a good meal. These are people who have been cooking, eating and arguing about Italian food for more than 80 years, so I figured they were qualified consultants. I asked my aunt where she wanted to go, and without hesitation she picked Falsetti's Villa.
First observation: by NYC standards, this place is in BFE. Keep driving and trust the process.
Once you get there, though, you realize this is no little roadside trattoria. The Villa is huge, busy and obviously has a very loyal following. The restaurant was packed, loud and lively when we arrived. Seating was a little tight, and conversation occasionally required the volume normally reserved for yelling across a construction site.
Our server was excellent -- polite, professional and efficient.
Then came the menu.
It is enormous.
Italian dishes, steaks, seafood, fried food, sandwiches, meatloaf and seemingly everything short of sushi. I'm always a little suspicious of a restaurant trying to be good at that many things. A kitchen can only juggle so many balls before one hits the floor.
That said, there were some genuine winners.
The stuffed banana peppers were fantastic -- easily the standout of the meal and something I would absolutely order again. The side salad was huge and fresh. The table bread was very good, although serving it warm would take it up another notch. The pasta had the texture and appearance of something possibly made in-house, and the sauces we sampled were flavorful and well executed.
And then there are the portions.
These are not normal portions. These are Western Pennsylvania "you look too skinny, eat something" portions.
Some entrées could honestly be labeled family-style. Someone at our table ordered the small meatloaf, and it was still enough food to feed a healthy adult with leftovers.
The biggest issue for me was pacing. Courses came out extremely fast, with the next round arriving before we had finished what was already on the table. Slow down. Dinner should have some rhythm. Give people time to finish a course, talk, clear the plates and maybe take a sip of wine before another mountain of food arrives.
If I were advising the restaurant, I'd take a red pen to the menu and cut about a third of it. Focus on what the kitchen does best -- traditional Italian dishes, pasta, veal, steaks and a handful of signature specialties. Lose some of the generic fried-food options and let the restaurant have a stronger identity.
One less pleasant note: shortly after dinner, my stomach decided it was time for an emergency meeting with the nearest restroom. I obviously cannot say the restaurant caused it, but the timing was hard to ignore. At a restaurant this busy and producing this much food, consistent attention to food handling, temperature control, storage and kitchen sanitation is always important.
Overall, I understand why Falsetti's Villa has such a loyal following. It's generous, old-school, unpretentious and clearly rooted in the community. There were some very good dishes, particularly those stuffed banana peppers, and the service was solid.
Trim the menu, slow the kitchen down a little and concentrate on the dishes that really shine, and this could easily move up another half-star. read more