Note: I had wrong location before. My bad…read more
This is the fourth Italian restaurant I have tried in the area: two in Waynesville and two in Maggie Valley. I still haven't tried the one in Sylva (heard good things), and I think I'll pass on the one in Bryson City.
As for this joint, the outdoor dining area is supreme. Well, maybe it was just supreme on that day thanks to the weather.
I was on my way to poker (it went well again thanks to me designing and applying TNP a year ago), and I wanted to get some good calories under my belt since tourney poker players don't eat much for 7-10 days when WSOPC is in town.
I definitely got the calories! The Chicken Parm and pasta portion here is HUGE!
The salad is also the best salad of the four Italian restaurants I have tried in the area.
For bread, the garlic knots were very high quality, and if you like garlic knots, you will love it. But in the bread category for me, Frankie's wins with ease, simply because it's a large portion of traditional Italian bread with butter. I love butter. In fact, it's one of my favorite things in life. Sometimes when I'm driving and I glance at my rearview mirror, it looks like a stick of butter, especially during sunrise.
For Chicken Parm, I have Frankie's and Bizzaro's tied for the lead over Vale and Bocelli's. But all four are good!
For pasta, Bocelli's is in last. For some reason, that sauce works well with the Chicken Parm but not with the linguine. I give Bizarro's the nod for best pasta of the four.
For service, all four are amazing.
For value, Bizarro's.
For atmosphere, Frankie's.
For outdoor dining, Bocelli's.
For quality red wine, Vale by a mile. Best red wine I have ever tasted!
For storytelling, Vale! He will feel like a good friend within a 15 minutes.
So ... for Bocelli's, solid Chicken Parm, best salad, great garlic knots, didn't love the pasta, and excellent service and outdoor dining.
Definitely recommended! I need to try the pizza at all these places next round.