Quanto Basta

 Located at 680 West 4^th Street in Downtown Winston-Salem, Quanto Basta offers Italian cuisine from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday (closed Sunday-Tuesday). There are nightly food and drink specials. Online ordering and family takeout meals are available.

 

Classier and pricier than a neighborhood red sauce joint but more modestly priced than Cibo, Quanto Basta is a solid option that unfortunately falls into the “looks better than it is” category. The downtown location is convenient, and the restaurant offers an attractive, intimate space. However, the acoustics and table placement are such that it can get loud when it’s near capacity. As Quanto Basta doesn’t do reservations, your best bet is to arrive early.

 

The menu here is short but well-rounded. It features salads, antipasti/appetizers, pasta dishes, entrees, and pizzas. Your classics (caprese, spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant parm, etc.) are accounted for, but you can also opt for the less expected such as parmesan and pork belly crab dip or short ribs with gnocchi, charred carrots, and tomato jam. The wine and drink offerings are similarly versatile.

 

Our group of four went with caprese and focaccia al forno starters and then shared stuffed peppers parmesan, eggplant parmesan, sausage & clams, and baked ziti with meatballs, followed by a tiramisu trifle for dessert.



We didn’t have long to wait for the food – service here is attentive and efficient – and the caprese was beautifully plated. However, it could have benefitted from salt. Flavors in general were understated even in dishes that were otherwise well-composed and satisfying. The sausage & clams came with a delicious hunk of herby focaccia, which QB would do well to offer as a side. Tiramisu in trifle form (layered inside a mason jar) is a concept whose novelty exceeds its practicality. It tasted great (if you like mocha), but by the time we got toward the bottom, everything was soggy.

 

Quanto Basta’s menu and décor are winners, but the food itself was a mixed bag. I wouldn’t rule out a return here though it wouldn’t be at the top of my list.

Amalfi's Pizza Italian Restaurant

 

Located at 503 Nelson Street in Kernersville, Amalfi’s serves pizza and Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Food specials change regularly, and catering is available.

 

Amalfi’s is Kernersville’s iteration of a type of restaurant every town should have: the classic, midrange red sauce Italian eatery. True to form, it looks dated inside (latticework, brick accents, and a big wall painting are at least pleasant if familiar) and out. However, beneath the tired aesthetics lurks surprisingly competent execution.

 

Having been previously impressed with the pizza (it’s not Mario’s, but it’s legitimate New York style that reminded me of what I grew up with in New Jersey), my wife and I decided to give Amalfi’s a try for a Valentine’s Day dinner. We called in a pick-up order and hoped that the wait wouldn’t be horrendous. We arrived to find a long pick-up line, which, thankfully, moved fairly quickly: kudos to the hard-working staff for being able to handle the evening’s considerable demand. Our food was ready and still hot when we reached the front of the line, and it survived the drive back to High Point without any issues.

 

We ended up going with mozzarella sticks, linguine aglio y olio, fettuccini a modo mio, and tiramisu, and there wasn’t a dud in the bunch. The mozzarella sticks had a nice bit of crunch and paired well with the housemade marinara. The aglio y olio, surprisingly hard to find elsewhere, packed a garlicky punch while the fettuccini offered well-cooked shrimp in a slightly sweet pink crab sauce, another rarity. While tiramisu is a whole lot more ubiquitous, Amalfi’s rendition held up well.

 

None of Amalfi’s food is cheap, but it isn’t a poor value, either. The two entrees were $13 and $21, respectively, but both came with a choice of soup or salad as well as bread. Portions were generous, too. Only the mozzarella sticks, at $9.49, felt like a reach.

 

Amalfi’s is unlikely to be the best Italian food you’ve ever had, but if you’re looking for reliably tasty pizza or pasta, keep them in mind (especially if it happens to be a Sunday and you’re anywhere near Kernersville).

Lulu and Blu

Located at 2140 North Main Street in High Point, Lulu and Blu offers upscale Italian-inspired fare for lunch (weekdays) and dinner (every day except Sunday). There is a patio, a full bar, and risotto/soup/beef specials that rotate daily.

Like its former corporate cousin Magnolia Blue, Lulu and Blu takes on a well-known and well-loved cuisine, adds its own flourishes, and wraps everything in a classy package. A classic red sauce joint this is not, but if your palate permits a touch of gentrification, this is a damn good place to have an Italianish meal.

Though smaller than expected inside, Lulu and Blu is a comfortable and well-appointed space. Both the wine room and the long bar stand out albeit not ostentatiously so.

Lulu and Blu’s menu runs the gamut from apps, salads, and flatbreads to entrees, filled pastas, and Italian classics. You can go as simple as linguine and meatballs here or as indulgent as cioppino.

For our early Valentine’s Day meal, my wife and I split an order of fried fungus (portabellos, shitake caps, and oyster mushrooms with marinara) and went with pasta primavera (cavatappi, mushrooms, yellow squash, spinach, artichokes, vodka sauce, and grana Padano cheese) and duck cacciatore (cavatappi, guanciale, cremini mushrooms, tomatoes, peas, and red sauce), respectively. The fried fungus offered an interesting play on the typical breaded mushrooms, presenting earthier and more varied flavors. Both pasta dishes were excellent. The cavatappi was perfectly cooked, ingredients were fresh and flavorful, and the sauces were present enough to act as complements without overwhelming either dish. An order of bread pudding (taken to go) wasn’t on the same level, but it was still satisfying in its own right.

Neither pricing nor service left room for complaint. You know going in that this isn’t going to be a cheap meal, but nothing here felt like a reach. While the $21 paid for the cacciatore would have raised eyebrows were it the traditional chicken, duck – prepared well – made it worthwhile. Service was pleasant, and we didn’t have long to wait for our food.

With risotto, cioppino, and an intriguing sweet potato ravioli (with duck, blueberries, and kale) left unexplored, Lulu and Blu commands a return visit. From food to service to atmosphere, this place has everything needed for a great meal.

Lubrano's Pizza & Italian Restaurant

Located at 2431 Eastchester Drive in High Point, Lubrano’s offers pizza and Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Food specials change regularly, and lunch specials are available on weekdays. Delivery and online ordering are supported.

Housed toward the end of a somewhat dodgy plaza, Lubrano’s looks like the classic, hasn’t changed in thirty years, good for a slice neighborhood pizza joint, the kind of place the locals swear makes the best ______ but first-timers think looks like a dump. There may be shades of truth in this description, but it does not fully do Lubrano’s justice. Get past the dated aesthetics, and you’ll find a higher-than-expected caliber of red sauce fare.

My wife and I stopped by around 12:30 on a Saturday to find Lubrano’s mostly empty. The lone server on duty was new to the job, but he handled himself well. Lubrano’s menu offers pizzas (regular and Sicilian), calzones, and strombolis as well as some promising-sounding chicken dishes, but we were craving pasta. Thus came an order of a fried calamari starter followed by a shared (no split plate charge) Merone’s combination (lasagna, eggplant, and manicotti with sauce and cheese).

The food came out quickly, and there were more hits than misses. The calamari was nicely breaded and neither tough nor greasy albeit fairly bland. A few squeezes of lemon, however, made a big difference. The entrée came with a side salad that was very basic and mostly greens. Complimentary bread, on the other hand, was a lot better: fresh, hot, and seemingly homemade. The tomato sauce (basil notes and no cloying sweetness) and manicotti filling were similarly above average. One thing that wasn’t well above average was the price: our app was $9 and our entrée was $15, and neither portion was small.

Lubrano’s may be a takeout rather than a dine-in option in the future, but no matter what the form, a return is in our future.

Giannos Stone Oven Pizzaria

Located at 114 Eastchester Drive in High Point, Giannos serves pizza and Italian cuisine (with a few Greek offerings) for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday and lunch on Sundays. The restaurant offers a pizza and salad buffet from 11-2 on weekdays. Group dining and catering (via a mobile oven) are available.

There is something comforting in the familiarity of a local mid-range Italian place, and while Giannos is hardly the pinnacle thereof, it does fit the bill nicely, offering a good assortment of pizzas and pastas at fairly reasonable prices.

Should you go, timing can make a big difference in how your meal turns out. The lunch menu keeps most offerings under $10 and features the pizza/salad bar whereas the dinner menu bumps prices entrée pricing into the teens (salad included), but there’s a tradeoff. My wife and I stopped by between 12 and 1 on a Tuesday, which ended up being the thick of the lunch rush. It was very loud, and staff seemed beleaguered (though our server, Faith, did an excellent job despite the calamity). Once the crowd thinned out and conversation actually became possible, the environment was reasonably comfortable.

My wife opted for the pizza/salad buffet while I went with shrimp scampi and a Caesar salad. At $8.29 and $9.59 ($8.59 + $1 for the salad), both were quite affordable. Of course, “you get what you pay for” is in effect here, but at that price point, things could have turned out a lot worse. While bowtie pasta was a puzzling choice (theirs, not mine) for the scampi, the dish was otherwise very enjoyable: creamy and generously portioned with a nice lemon note in the sauce. A basket of fresh, warm rolls hit the spot as well. On the other hand, the dressing that accompanied the salad was closer to a ranch than a Caesar, and my wife found the pizza to be nothing special.

Given the type of cuisine and the quality of the service, Giannos merits a return visit when a pasta craving hits. But if the parking lot is ever three-quarters full, come back another time.

Positano Italian Family Restaurant & Pizzeria

Located at 2605 Lawndale Dr. in Greensboro (with a second location in Asheboro), Positano serves Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. There is a full bar and a wine list featuring Italian whites and reds.

Greensboro has quite a few restaurants that are frustrating not because they are terrible but because they have the potential to be so much better. Some look great on paper, but their exciting concepts are offset by mismanagement or inconsistent execution. Some have impeccable service but only mediocre food. In the case of Positano, the food is tasty and the ambiance is appealing, but the other aspects of the dining experience leave room for improvement.

Housed toward the end of a shopping plaza, Positano is fairly spacious. The brick and wood décor add touches of old-world class, and the restaurant is well-lit. This is a comfortable place to settle in for a meal.

The menu features much of what you would expect, which is to say pasta dishes (baked or create your own), pizza, veal, seafood, soups, salads, and apps. Positano also offers half or whole rotisserie chickens, but that is about the biggest departure from convention that you will find.

Of course, there is no shame in sticking to the tried and true if you can do it well, and for the most part, Positano’s kitchen is on top of its game. My wife and I shared a fried zucchini starter followed by lasagna and seafood alla positano, respectively. The zucchini was cut like shoestring fries, and the batter did not cling very well, but the taste left no complaint. Positano’s lasagna adds salami, ham, and eggs to the standard beef/mozzarella/ricotta/tomato sauce composition. The sauce is a bit on the sweet side, but the dense dish is satisfying. The seafood alla positano was billed as shrimp, clams, mussels, calamari, and scallops in a pink sauce over your choice of noodle (I went with linguini), and it came as advertised. The sauce was savory without overwhelming the palate, and the ratio of seafood to pasta left no complaint.

Unfortunately, not everything here is up to the standards of the food. Our server was not rude, but he definitely seemed to just be going through the motions. Wait times for food were moderate, and that was with the restaurant far from capacity. Perhaps the biggest gripe here is the relative lack of value. On its face, Positano’s pricing is reasonable: $10 for our app, $14 for the lasagna, and $20 for the seafood dish. However, the lasagna ran on the small side, and neither entree came with salads (a $3 addition, if you are so inclined).

Even with these annoyances, Positano is a solid mid-tier Italian option. If you want to be blown away, save up for Osteria. If you don’t mind overpaying for competently executed renditions of classics, you could do worse than here.

7.5/10

Antonia's

Located at 101 N. Churton Street in downtown Hillsborough, Antonia’s serves Italian cuisine for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. There is a full bar, drink specials on Wednesdays (half-priced wine) and Thursdays ($5 martinis), and occasional live music. Food specials change regularly, and private dining for events is available, as is limited outdoor seating.

Antonia’s is a charming eatery that checks most of the boxes for a great dining experience. The food is delicious, the service is attentive, and the pricing, while not cheap, does not instill regret. It is, however, both a small (albeit handsomely appointed) space and a popular one, so you may find yourself nearly elbow-to-elbow with a neighboring table (if you are able to get a table). Fortunately, this is the only real blemish.

The menu here pays homage to the classics while still offering a few departures. Bruschetta, an antipasto platter, and lasagna Bolognese can all be found here, but you can also build your own pasta dish, go vegetarian or gluten-free, or treat yourself to a steak. Many of the ingredients are sourced locally, including meats from Greensboro’s sainted Giacomo’s.

For our first visit, my wife and I opted for a starter of pork meatballs in a parmesan truffle cream sauce, sausage with polenta, and a squash cannelloni (on special). The meatballs were quite tasty, and the sauce, while rich and buttery, was not as heavy as expected. The polenta was cooked perfectly and paired well with slightly sweet sauce and fresh-tasting vegetables (not to mention nice spicy sausage). The pasta’s sauce was creamy, and the dish was not overwhelmingly sweet. We followed up with an order of tiramisu – decadent – and my wife raved profusely about the Lady Godiva, a chocolate liquor-infused coffee.

Carrie provided friendly and attentive service throughout the meal, and one of the owners (presumably) could be found making her rounds and chatting with her regulars. Our total came out to $60 pre-tip, which for an appetizer, two entrees, a dessert, and a spiked coffee, was certainly fair.  

Italian restaurants are not a rarity by any means, but those that execute as well as Antonia’s does seem to be headed that way.

8.25/10

WP Kitchen + Bar

Located at 607 Green Valley Road at the Friendly Center in Greensboro, WP Kitchen + Bar specializes in upscale pizzas, pastas, and cocktails. There is a full bar, and patio seating is available.

I gave this establishment a try a few years ago when it was Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar and walked away unimpressed. In the hopes that more had changed here than just the name, I decided to give WP another chance. For the most part, I’m glad that I did so.

As with before, this restaurant makes the most of its somewhat limited space. Low lighting and classy wall art make for an inviting atmosphere, and there is more seating than one might think. The acoustics are such that it can get a bit loud in here at capacity but not uncomfortably so.

Excluding specials, WP’s menu leans toward the traditional, combining familiar Italian fare with Southern staples. Spaghetti with marinara, pizza margherita, and shrimp and grits are among the classics represented here. While there is nothing wrong with keeping things simple per say, the specials, thankfully, seemed to offer a bit more variety (such as a stuffed trout or the previous concept’s duck sausage pizza). My wife and I tried a mix of old and new, opting for an app on special (toasted feta with speck and fruit compote), a pepperoni pizza, and an orecchiette dish.

All of our dishes were executed fairly well and provided good depth-of-flavor. Toasted feta is no warmed brie, but it’s quite enjoyable in its own right, and the accompanying prosciutto (salty) and berry compote (sweet) balanced each other nicely. The small ear-shaped pasta came with broccolini and tomato for a burst of freshness, and the savory, brothy sauce was the perfect accompaniment. WP sourced the pepperoni for its pizza from Giacomo’s, which went a long way toward elevating such a simple dish. The sausage (standard in the pasta, an add-on for the pizza) was full of fennel flavor.

Though the food did not disappoint this time around, pricing and portion size remain points of contention. Our app ran north of $10, the pasta was $15, and the personal-sized pepperoni pizza was $13 before any add-ons. While WP does use quality ingredients, this price point is unfortunately coupled with small portions, rendering it a poor value.

To the establishment’s credit, service was on-point. Our server was knowledgeable and attentive, and the kitchen had certainly picked up its pace since my last visit. Even still, one should count on a leisurely meal here, especially if dining during peak hours.

All told, WP Kitchen + Bar does a number of things well, but it doesn’t do anything well enough to avoid seeming overpriced.

7.75/10

Spring Break Northern Excursion

Spring Break Northern Excursion

My “Spring” Break rarely comes in spring, but I’ll take time off when I can get it. As I had not set foot in my home state in several years, my wife and I ventured north to New Jersey for a few days in early March, stopping along the way in Delaware to visit some friends. Here are but a few places we took in along the way.

Marchese Italian Market

Located at 1700 Pleasure House Road in Virginia Beach, Marchese Italian Market serves appetizers, salads, coffee drinks, panini, and pasta dishes from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day except Sunday. Sliced meats, cheeses, and baked goods are also available for purchase.

The last time we passed through Virginia Beach, we got a good laugh from the dueling Baptist churches on Pleasure House Road. This time, we decided to actually explore said thoroughfare. Marchese Italian Market made us glad that we did.

Though not a large space, Marchese feels cozy rather than cramped. Signed soccer jerseys and other memorabilia cover the walls, and wines, meats, and cakes are prominently displayed. The owner made us feel welcome and told us she had made some fresh minestrone soup, making a tough decision (everything on the menu sounded good) even tougher.

In the end, my wife and I split an order of rice balls and went with the minestrone with meatballs and the Parma (prosciutto, sweet red peppers, parmesan, and pesto) panini respectively. The food was neither cheap (panini are $8.20 and soup with meatballs ran north of $5) nor quick to arrive, but it was worth it. The rice balls were very cheesy, the generously sized panini balanced salty (the prosciutto) and sweet (the pepper) well, and the soup was the best minestrone I’ve ever had, rich and hearty with perfectly fluffy meatballs. An order of cannoli drizzled with chocolate sauce did not disappoint either.

Giacomo’s in Greensboro remains my gold standard for Italian markets, but for a lunch stop in northern Virginia, Marchese exceeded expectations. If you don’t mind paying and waiting a bit, you’ll walk away full and satisfied.

8/10

Yukon Korean BBQ and Sushi Bar

Located at 865 North Dupont Highway in Dover, Yukon Korean BBQ and Sushi Bar offers sushi, Japanese, and Korean fare. There is a full bar, and food and drink specials are available.

It would be unfair to categorize the whole of Delaware as a culinary wasteland, but on a Saturday night in Dover, dine-in options for a group of four were few and far between. After being quoted wait times of forty minutes to an hour at a few destinations, we decided to give Yukon a try. Though the name (an Americanization, perhaps?) suggests the Alaskan wilderness far more than pan-Asian cuisine, it made for a solid choice.

First, a few caveats. Yukon is not a traditional Korean BBQ restaurant. Though banchan (small side dishes like kim chee) are served and several Korean entrees (such as bulgogi and bimimbap) are available, they are not sizzled tableside, and a good chunk of the menu is dedicated to sushi and Japanese offerings. Next, Yukon is not cheap for what it offers. While the teriyaki and tempura offerings provided an acceptable value ($15-$16 with miso and salad included), the BBQ entrees went for $16-$20 with no such accompaniments.

Beyond that, however, Yukon offers a varied menu with plenty of options: meat or vegetarian, Japanese or Korean, hot or cold. The beef teriyaki featured thinly sliced steak with a nice char while the galbi (marinated boneless ribs) were tender, sweet, and smoky. The tempura offerings held their batter well, and the flavored martinis were a hit with those who tried them. Though things got a bit hectic as Yukon filled up, our server made a good effort to be attentive.

Were there more restaurants of its type in the vicinity, Yukon would rate as strictly an average eatery, a hit-or-miss, take-it-or-leave-it affair. However, the dearth of similar options in the area and the variety the menu affords elevates it to a must-try for Dover-area denizens on the hunt for something different.

7.5/10

Lindt Chocolate Shop

Located at 68 Palmer Square West in Princeton, Lindt sells chocolates by the bar or by the bag as well as chocolate beverages. Free samples are usually available.

If you have even the slightest appreciation for chocolate, this place is hard to pass up. The selection includes truffle flavors not usually found in stores (or not year-round, anyway), and you can cobble together your own custom bag. Yes, it can be pricy, but taking advantage of sales can take some of the sting away. Moreover, the staff at this location were welcoming and free of snobbery.

Obviously, becoming a regular here would be detrimental to wallet and health alike, but for those who visit Princeton every once in a while, this should be a regular stop.

8.25/10

D’Angelo Italian Market

Located at 35 Spring Street in Princeton, D’Angelo Italian Market offers sandwiches, salads, pizzas, pasta dishes, desserts, and more. Catering is available, and there is a full-service butcher.

D’Angelo is an indecisive person’s nightmare, which is to say that it offers many, many delicious-sounding options. I’ve enjoyed their sandwiches in the past, but during a recent visit, my wife and I decided to try pizza. The Parmense (red sauce, prosciutto, arugula, mozzarella, and parmesan) was savory and salty while the Parmigiana (red sauce, eggplant, basil, mozzarella, and parmesan) was refreshing and not the least bit soggy. This isn’t cheap pizza ($3-plus a slice for the Parmense), but you get what you pay for.

For as good as the food and the selection are here, D’Angelo has some definite drawbacks. Seating is limited and inadequate given the volume of dine-in customers. The pizzamaker on duty also seemed surly, and I’ve gotten a brusque vibe from sandwich staff in the past.

If you know what you want and take-out is an option, D’Angelo is a blessing. But if you have to eat in, be prepared for some trade-offs along with your likely-to-be very tasty food.

7.75/10

Chen’s 22

Located at 901 Mountain Avenue in Springfield, NJ, Chen’s 22 offers pan-Asian cuisine for lunch and dinner seven days per week. Sushi is offered (including an all you can eat option on select nights), and lunch specials are available.

Years ago, one of the first jobs I ever held was located a few doors down from this longstanding Springfield institution, and I would sometimes head over on lunch breaks. Since then, Chen’s has added Japanese and Thai offerings to its repertoire, but its Chinese dishes remain satisfying if unspectacular.

Chen’s is not a big restaurant, but it is more spacious than its narrow storefront suggests. Go when it isn’t busy, and service is generally on-point. Our group of five hadn’t long to wait for hot tea or any of our food.

Speaking of the food, they execute competently here (nothing over or undercooked, no missing components, no excesses of grease or salt), but the flavors tend to be a bit muted. Our group went with sweet and sour pork, General Tsao’s chicken, a Szechuan beef dish, a Cantonese seafood dish, and New Year’s coins (coin-shaped pasta). Everything was several notches better than the run-of-the-mill takeout that is so ubiquitous down south, and the coins were something I haven’t encountered elsewhere. Just the same, several of the dishes that were supposed to be spicy definitely could have used more heat.

Since Hunan Spring’s unfortunate decline, Chen’s 22 has emerged by default as a go-to Chinese destination for return visits to New Jersey. The prompt service, balanced menu, and tasty (if toned-down) offerings make that far from a bad thing.

7.75/10

Osteria

Located at 1310 Westover Terrace in Greensboro, Osteria offers Northern Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Specials change regularly, the wine menu features Italian grapes, and private dining is available.

Though Greensboro has no shortage of Italian eateries, few can boast what Osteria has to offer. More upscale fare with spot-on execution, efficient service, and higher prices to match make this a departure from the classic red sauce joint, but rest assured, you’ll be glad you went down this divergent road.

My fiancée and I made this our New Year’s Eve destination and put in a reservation well in advance. Since others had the same idea, this proved to be a prudent maneuver: Osteria was mostly full upon arrival. The inside of the restaurant is well-appointed with red leather booths and wine bottles on the walls. It is, however, rather small, and the fact that I was nearly elbow-to-elbow with a gentleman at an adjacent table crosses the line from “cozy” to “crowded.”

Spacing issues aside, the rest of our experience was very enjoyable. Travis, our server, was knowledgeable, confident, and poised, and the wait for the food was reasonable-to-quick given the aforementioned volume. Osteria’s standard menu is somewhat limited – a few salads, a few pastas, a few entrees – but the specials at the time of our visit made for some tough decisions. Everything from chicken Florentine to stuffed fish got our attention, but in the end, we went with a calamari arrabbiata starter and two pasta dishes: maltagliati (wide noodles with a wild boar ragu) and pappardelle (with salmon, spinach, and sundried tomatoes).

The food was consistently excellent. The calamari was among the best I’ve ever had: there was no chewiness, and the sauce had just enough heat to complement it without drowning out the flavor. The salmon was also well-prepared, as were the house-made pastas. The boar ragu was sweeter than expected but still hearty and satisfying. We wrapped everything up with a scoop of tiramisu gelato that captured the richness and cocoa notes the dish is known for.

Given the quality and portion size – the pastas were plated generously – pricing leaves little room for complaint. Our starter, which fed two, was $10 while our pastas were $18 and $16. Granted, several of the entrees are priced higher, but they include a side of pasta, among other things. Only the $5 for a scoop-sized portion of gelato seemed like a stretch, but the tastiness made up for it.

With so many eateries plagued by mismanagement or inconsistent execution, it is a relief to find one that has both the front of the house and the back of the house in order. What Osteria lacks in size, it more than makes up for in both food quality and service.

8.75/10

Antonio's Italian Pizza Kitchen (CLOSED)

NOTE: Antonio's closed in 2016.

Located at 4648 West Market Street in Greensboro, Antonio’s Italian Pizza Kitchen offers pizza, subs, pasta and more for lunch and dinner. There are pizza, pasta, and wine deals on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays respectively.

I’ll always have a soft spot for classic red sauce Italian, and Antonio’s certainly fits the bill. Everything from the name to the copious usage of Italian flag colors to the red checkered tablecloths is predictable, but there are actually quite a few surprises here.

To start, the menu is surprisingly varied. You’ll find all the usual suspects (mozzarella sticks, New York-style pizza, spaghetti and meatballs, etc.) here, but Antonio’s also offers everything from salmon and veal dishes to lite and gluten-free fare to sandwiches that will make you look twice. Case-in-point: the Turkey Holiday (roast turkey, turkey bacon, and provolone with cranberry aioli) lets you experience Thanksgiving year-round.

Antonio’s also has two separate entrances. One leads to the dining room, the other to a counter for takeout orders. I opted for the latter for my first visit, which gave me a glance of the kitchen. If nothing else, Antonio’s appears adequately staffed.

The food, however, proved to be uneven. The Boom Boom Porchetta (roasted pork, sautéed spinach, and provolone with pesto mayo) sounded great on paper, and indeed the well-herbed meat delivered on flavor, but the bread was slightly burned and the sandwich was on the greasy side. An order of fried calamari was fair. While they did well to avoid overcooking (rubbery squid is a friend to no one), the breading could have been crispier.

These inconsistencies aside, it is hard to argue with the pricing here. My sandwich was $8 and included a salad, and many lunch-sized pastas run about the same. There are also $7.77 lunch combos that include drinks.

I’ve yet to try the pizza here, and that alone is worth a return visit. So far, however, Antonio’s has all the makings of a once-in-a-while spot: too uneven to rely on regularly but too interesting and affordable to dismiss entirely.

7.5/10

Nostra Pizza and Italian

NOTE: Nostra's non-pizza offerings have been quite uneven. The 8 rating stands for pizza, but pasta and sandwiches are in the 6.5 - 7.25 range.


Located at 3900 West Market Street in Greensboro, Nostra Pizza and Italian offers pizza, stromboli, calzones, sandwiches, pasta dishes, and more. Lunch specials are available as is delivery.

As a native of northern New Jersey, I’ve always had a soft spot for Italian-American cuisine. There is something comforting in the familiar pasta-and-red sauce, and it’s all the better when it’s in walking distance. So when Nostra opened at the former Elizabeth’s Pizza location, I had reason to be satisfied. Two visits later, and much of that satisfaction is still there.

Inside, Nostra isn’t particularly large, but it doesn’t feel at all cramped. Comfortable booths and wall art elevate the décor above that of a standard pizza parlor. There was one waitress during my first visit, and though a bit distracted, she was unfailingly polite.

Nostra’s menu offers everything you’d expect, plus a few perks like lobster ravioli. Pricing is quite reasonable: every entrée runs between $10 and $13 and includes bread and soup or salad. Many of the entrees can be had with bread and a drink during weekday lunch hours for a mere $8 to $9.

The execution has room for improvement, but it hits more than it misses. An order of gnocchi Bolognese came with a so-so salad, an abundance of melted cheese, and a sauce that was a touch too sweet for my liking, but the bread was excellent and the gnocchi were cooked well. The regular stromboli featured a crust that some may find too crisp, but the meats (ham, salami, and pepperoni) were quality, and the well-herbed marinara sauce tasted homemade.

I’ve yet to try Nostra’s New York-style pizza, and how well they pull that off could be a significant difference-maker. Right now, Nostra shows enough promise to rate as a convenient takeout option and a welcome addition to the immediate vicinity.

UPDATE

My girlfriend was kind enough to procure me a slice of sausage pizza, and it did not disappoint. The slice was huge (comparable to Mario's) and a good value at $3 or so. The pizza sauce, like the marinara, tasted fresh with distinct herb notes, and the sausage was above par. The crust, while thin and crisp, could have used more flavor (some garlic, perhaps?).

8/10 

Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar

NOTE: After a rebranding Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar is now WP Kitchen + Bar.

Located at 607 Green Valley Road in the Friendly Center, Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar specializes in gourmet pizza. Pasta, entrees, apps, and salads are also available. There is a full-service bar and daily specials.

This fiefdom in Wolfgang Puck’s corporate empire offers plenty of sizzle but little steak (the flatiron steak presumably notwithstanding). At first glance, there is a lot to like. The Friendly Center location is easily accessible, the hostesses friendly, and the atmosphere dark, modern, and inviting. The menu, though somewhat concise, holds plenty of appeal. In addition to Puck’s signature salmon pizza, pies here come topped with everything from duck sausage to spicy shrimp to more traditional (pomodoro, margherita, etc.) permutations. Should you opt to go another direction, braised short ribs and a few of the pasta preparations tantalize as well.

Once you are comfortably ensconced, however, it does not take long for the bloom to wear off. Though the servers are polite and attentive, order-to-table time is slow. When your food does arrive, you will be confronted with the knowledge that you almost certainly overpaid for whatever you happened to order. The pizzas are personal pan sized (about four slices) and mostly run $11-$15, a poor value for the quantity. The pasta dishes ($13 for a meatless ravioli) are similarly wallet-unfriendly.

Further, while the food is competently prepared, nothing reaches the level of must-have. The duck sausage on my pizza was mild, a good complement to the tangy onions, but a letdown in and of itself. A dessert sampling of donut bites inspired a similar reaction: they were warm and satisfying but still very much just donuts.

For a certain segment of diners, Wolfgang Puck Pizza Bar offers tasty food and appealing ambiance, and that alone is enough. But for food-savvy Greensboroians, it’s a sucker’s bet. Innovative pizza can be found at a better value elsewhere.

7/10