Bring a big appetite to Calabria.Byline: Christine E. Thompson On a recent Monday evening, we easily found Calabria Ristorante right on Main Street in Millbury. The restaurant is owned by the Ritacco family who used to operate Calabria restaurant in Worcester. The ambience is warm and inviting, with earthy gold and brown colors, copper-colored paint on the vents overhead, and soft light coming from beautiful spiral-shaped lamps overhead and on the walls. A server greeted us from behind the bar, stepped out to pick up a couple of menus along with the wine list and immediately showed us to a table. Taking our drink order, she described a couple of specials and left us to peruse pe·ruse tr.v. pe·rused, pe·rus·ing, pe·rus·es To read or examine, typically with great care. [Middle English perusen, to use up : Latin per-, per- the menu. For the most part, it was pretty predictable - chicken and veal piccata pic·ca·ta adj. Sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter, and spices. Used of meat or fish. [Italian, feminine of piccato, larded, past participle of piccarsi , marsala, parmigiana par·mi·gia·na adj. Made or covered with Parmesan cheese: eggplant parmigiana. [Italian, feminine of parmigiano, of Parma, after Parma, Italy.] , shrimp scampi, calamari - you know the rest. There were a couple of items I don't usually see on this list, tripe tripe the scalded and cleaned rumen and reticulum. The omasum is discarded because of the difficulty in cleaning between the leaves. in red sauce red sauce Nutrition Any low-fat, low-calorie tomato-based sauce. Cf White sauce. , prepared "the Calabrese way (spicy)," and Calabrese lasagna, with mini meatballs, hard-boiled eggs and calabrese sopresata. I inquired about one ingredient listed as part of the orechiette pasta, cimi di rapi; our server didn't know what that was and explained that they were out of this dish and, in fact, had not been serving it for a long time. To start we ordered the sausage antipasto salad ($10.50). Be prepared to eat big. While a few appetizers and salads carry a note "4 persons," the menu does not mention the extra large portions for others. This salad was extremely generous even for two to share. Thin lengthwise length·wise adv. & adj. Of, along, or in reference to the direction of the length; longitudinally. Adj. 1. lengthwise slices of grilled sausage, mildly spicy, crowned a very large bowl of romaine lettuce with tomatoes, cucumber and roasted red pepper red pepper: see pepper. strips. I loved the smoky flavor of the grilled sausage, the rich meatiness, next to the crisp lettuce that had been very lightly dressed with olive oil. Expect large portions for the entrees as well. One of the evening's specials was sauteed seafood in a white wine-garlic sauce served over linguine ($18.50). The dish included mussels, shrimp, bay scallops, swordfish swordfish, large food and game fish, Xiphias gladius, of the warmer Atlantic and Pacific waters, related to the sailfish. It is named for its sharp, broad, elongated upper jaw, which it uses to flail and pierce its prey of smaller fish, rising beneath a school and salmon. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce was very flavorful, but unfortunately the seafood was overcooked. The shrimp and mussels were quite firm, but the scallops and swordfish had reached the rubbery stage. The other entree was homemade and delicious manicotti man·i·cot·ti n. 1. Pasta in large-sized tubes. 2. A dish consisting of such tubes stuffed with meat or cheese, usually served hot with a tomato sauce. [Italian, pl. ($14.50). Two impressive manicotti rolls filled the large dinner plate. A light, fresh red sauce and melted mozzarella moz·za·rel·la n. A mild white Italian cheese that has a rubbery texture and is often eaten melted, as on pizza. [Italian, diminutive of mozza, a cut, mozzarella, from mozzare, and Parmesan cheese topped the pasta. Cutting into it, I found a well-seasoned filling of ricotta ri·cot·ta n. 1. A soft Italian cheese that resembles cottage cheese. 2. A similar soft cheese made in the United States. and fresh spinach. This dish was simply made and well-executed, best of the evening. To go with dinner I ordered a glass of Maso Canali Pinot Grigio ($8) that I liked very much. Compared to other pinot grigios I've tried, it has a bit more body and a ripe fruit aroma. Looking to top off our meal with dessert, we were disappointed to hear that no desserts were available, not even ice cream. We had come on Calabria's first day back from a 10-day vacation. Our server raved about the usual offerings supplied to the restaurant by Wholly Cannoli in Worcester. I settled for a cappuccino cap·puc·ci·no n. pl. cap·puc·ci·nos Espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream. [Italian, ($3.50), perhaps better than dessert as an ending to the abundant portions we had just consumed. The strong coffee was topped with thick, glossy foam and a dusting of chocolate. Dinner for two, including salad, entrees, wine and coffee came to $63.26. Overall, Calabria offers a pleasant dining experience: a warm and welcoming atmosphere, a traditional Italian-American menu and a friendly staff. Calabria Ristorante 7 South Main St. Millbury * *-1/2 Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily Not open on Sundays Reservations: needed for parties of six or more Phone: (508) 581-9700 Parking: On nearby streets Credit Cards accepted: Visa, MasterCard, American Express Prices: Moderate, entrees $10 to $22 Pluses: Inviting ambience, friendly service Minuses: Overcooked seafood was a disappointment. About the Stars Perfection: * * * * Very Good: * * * Good: * * Below Par: * Serious Flaws: No stars Etc. restaurant reviews are the opinions of reviewers based upon at least one visit to the restaurant. The reviewer is accompanied by at least one companion. Recommendations from readers about restaurants they would like to have reviewed are welcome. |
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