Ciccanti Ristorante

User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My daughter and I dined at Ciccanti's last night. Visiting from Virginia and a pasta aficionado, she invariably answers "Ciccanti's" when I ask her where she would like to go to eat. The zucchini, as always, was tremendous - a vegetarian could make an entire meal of it and leave with a satisfied smile on his face! We each had bowls of minestrone which was delicate and and nonetheless provided a full flavor. The tossed salad was taste bud enhanced by the exquisite house dressing. I had the lemon sole stuffed with crabmeat which sinfully deliquesed within the mouth. My side of pasta was great due in no small part to the flavorful, perfectly balanced sauce. As for my daughter's gnocchi, when I asked her how it was she rolled her eyes to the heavens and responded, "Delicious!". A culinary ^5 for Ciccanti Ristoranti!!

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I must say that my family and I have been going to Ciccanti's for years. It truly is one of my favorites. There's definitely nothing like the old-fashioned, home-cooked meals, the old "Italian" decor, and, of course, the unique serving staff. There's NEVER a day that you won't see the owner and master chef cooking or entertaining the guests. It's also really nice to be remembered and recognized when walking through the doors. I would definitely recommend ANY special of the day (by the way, there are usually 10 special additions to the menu every day) and dessert! YUMM-O! I will definitely be back soon! ;)

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My family and friends have been enjoying ourselves at Ciccanti's for years. We are never disappointed. We have visitors throughout the year from out of state and the country. It's to the point that our visitors must go to Ciccanti's before their visit is over. It's become a tradition for them. We have booked a number of parties in the party room and our guests are always so pleased when they see our party is being held there. We have hosted both sit down dinners and buffets. At one larger sit down dinner, I ordered either the pork or chicken parm and everyone thought they were eating veal and were quite surprised when I told them it wasn't veal.

If I go to another restaurant and order zuchinni, I am so disappointed since none compare to Ciccanti's. They have a variety of different appetizers as well. The soups are wonderful. We have had practically every entree on the menu and have never been disappointed. If someone asked me to recommend a dish, I honestly would have a very difficult time since I like so many. For a first timer, I would probably recommend one of the many veal dishes. I often order the Chicken Marcella and the lamb. Last night though, we ordered the broiled seafood platter, linguini with shrimp and scallops, and steak. All three of us were pleased. All of my family likes our steaks medium rare... even the kids. One thing about Ciccanti's, if you order it medium rare you get it done medium rare. Too many other restaurants do a medium rare as a medium. Of course, they cook it anyway you like. If you like roasted chicken done the real Italian way, you can get it there. Roasted chicken does take a little longer since nothing is precooked. I forget what they call the real Italian roasted chicken, but just ask the server to point it out on the menu. All of the pastas are excellent as well. The sauces are quite good. A tip... few people don't recognize it but some restaurants have an underlying burned taste to their sauce. That's because they probably let the bottom of the pan burn. I never noticed a burned touch to Ciccanti's sauce. We buy their sauce in jar that they sell at the restaurant too.

The restaurant doesn't always have it, but if the vegetable of the day is escarole and you like greens, order it! The dinner salads are huge. The house dressing is nice but I prefer the bleu cheese. It's not the creamy kind but real chunks of cheese with an Italian dressing, I believe.

I seldom order my own dessert since I'm just too full. But, we often order a dessert and share a taste. The tiramisu is made by the wife and I believe one of the sons or the owner makes the homemade cheesecake. The lemon gelato is a nice refreshing taste for after the meal.

I could go on and on but I won't. LOL Don't expect to be in and out like you are at the chain restaurants since your food will be cooked to order. I and my family are ones that like not to be rushed. We don't like restaurants that seat you, serve the courses too quickly and can't wait for you to get out so they can turn over the table. Don't get me wrong... they are not too slow unless they get a sudden rush or it's a holiday. Remember, it is cooked to order. You may have to wait at times but it is well worth it!

BTW, we are not easily pleased diners. My husband was in the restaurant business at a number of fine restaurants in the area for many years. He can pick a dinner apart and tell you everything that was not done properly or to standard. There are times when a bit of creativity works well but there are times when the cook/chief doesn't know how to do it properly. He can spot an artificially tenderized cut of meat as compared to a good quality cut of meat right away.

The best advice... go and judge it yourself.

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