Also, there is a huge map of Italy with pictures of all the tourist sights surrounding it. There is also a huge print of a painting of Florence s Ponte Vecchio. To further the learning experience, the place mats are chock-full of common Italian sayings, trivia and another map, in case you possibly missed the one almost covering the wall. As customers walk in, a few smile gently and wait to be seated, but the majority of people shout some phrase of acknowledgement back towards the kitchen and take a seat, making this little restaurant take on a new level of comfort. Seated facing the door, you can t see the kitchen, but you can hear the tiny voice of an Italian woman preparing meals and talking with the employees.
Nothing is rushed but the comfort level is too high to care.
It gives new, deepened meaning to the term family restaurant. The portions are large enough for a small country, but once you get started, you d be surprised how much food you can eat. What was especially interesting about the food was that the menu wasn t overridden by Americanized versions of Italian food. Too often, food from varying regions of the world is altered to appeal to American tastes, making substitutions and combinations of food that are not representative of a true cultural area. Needless to say, there was a considerable amount of pastas and pizzas, but there were also dishes probably foreign to Sbarros or The Olive Garden that are true of Italian foods of which many college students are deprived.