5 out of 5 stars

Dominic’s was just what the hungry work lunch crowd needed on a sunny Friday. Once we eyed the cheesy white pizza with ribbons of spinach and chunks of tomato, all three of us had to try a slice as part of the lunch special. Despite that already tasty combination of toppings, it was really the fresh garlic, mozzarella and feta which put it over the top for me. I also had a slice of pepperoni – the special was $6 or so for two slices and a soda. Both pieces of pizza were thin crust, with that nicely crunchy NY style pizza bottom, but the peices are flappy so you can fold them in half if you’d like. The sauce is pure tomato, not too sweet and not spicy. I wonder how they stack up to Fuhgeddaboudit Pizza, the new NY style place at Six Forks. We’ll see!

My only regret is perhaps not trying a cannoli. Oh and taking a tasty pic for you. Since the pizza had mostly vanished by the time I thought of it.

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4 out of 5 stars

The food at Nina’s is delicious, enough so to outweigh the excitement of seeing Steven Seagal sitting at a neighboring table. Ok so it wasn’t really him, but it was someone dressed in a suit and sporting an extremely long rat tail accompanied by slicked back hair. Seeing that was exciting, like spotting a rare egret in the wild. However, it also makes me wonder about the fashion sense I may or may not have inherited from my Italian ancestors.

The waiter brought us bread with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil combination to dip it in. It also had garlic and cracked pepper and some red onion in it. The simple ingredients had just the right tang, and tasted incredibly fresh. For our started we ordered calamari, which was perfectly flash fried (light and crispy) with the most flavorful marinara to dip it in. Each element of the sauce came through, the red pepper, bold tomato, garlic and seasonings. It was perfect. We finished it all.

My mother’s entree was the clear winner. It was the homemade canneloni with a cheesy ricotta, spinach, prosciutto and mozzarella filling, topped with a tomato meat sauce. Luckily she and I like to share so I got to have half of her entree. I ordered the penna alla vodka, and it had a rich pink sauce and tender chicken slices on top. However it didn’t exceed expectations. Glen’s baked salmon turned out well but he didn’t seem bowled over. We finished up the night with horribly bitter coffee and a killer (good) slice of cheesecake.

There is no question whether I’d go back – I look forward to learning which items on the menu are the true stars. No matter what you order, the preparation won’t disappoint. I can’t wait to have another bite of that amazing red sauce.

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3 out of 5 stars

Basic neighborhood take-out Italian food. I’ve tried the alfredo pasta and some Greek from here, both mediocre. A calzone was just ok as well. But I love the cheesesteak (and I am from Philly). The rolls are great. Plus every day they have lunch specials that are about $5 which is super cheap.

Pizzamerica
6300 Creedmoor Rd
Raleigh, NC 27612
(919) 870-5158

4 out of 5 stars

Hot Point is a cute little self-service cafe in a lonely corner of the north side of North Hills. Hubby and I have stopped here for breakfast and lunch and have enjoyed both. Choices include frittatas, omelets, waffles and pancakes to name a few.

I enjoyed my spicy salad at lunch time, the peanutty Thai curry chicken salad. The choices are interesting, with international influences and lots of healthy options. I’d definitely stop back here.

Hot Point Cafe
4209-136 Lassiter Mill Rd
Raleigh, NC 27609
(919) 788-8240

3 out of 5 stars

Assaggio’s has a decent selection of Italian food that you can order at the counter and have delivered to your table. The menu ranges from sandwiches and pizza to pasta entrees up to about $20. I ordered a meatball sub and ended up enjoying the tasty (non greasy) garlic rolls more than the sub. Not that the sub was horrible – it had very large meatballs, some tasty sauce, and some fresh mozzarella on top. Unfortunately it was light on sauce so the whole thing was quite bland. I’d prefer meatballs that were simmered in sauce. The sub roll was nice and crusty. This would be a good place to come for a lunch special ($6-$10) which is the entree of the day which comes with salad and soda.

The market side has a selection of frozen raviolis and sausages for sale, as well as cannolli filling, famous espresso sode, Manhattan Special soda, and a limited selection of other Italian treats. They also have some baked goods.

Assagio’s
3501 W. Millbrook Drive
Raleigh, NC 27613
(919) 785-2088

4 out of 5 stars

I’ve finally been able to dine at an Italian restaurant in Raleigh that I can recommend. Tavola Rossa is a stylish modern restaurant with a dramatic entryway and great mood lighting that happens to be right behind Crabtree mall. We came because of a restaurant.com gift certificate, which definitely helped mitigate the pricing. Service was slow that night because of a private party taking up the whole dining room, but we would return for the food. You can see their entire menu on their website.

So to the food! I had lovely handmade cannelloni with a delicate moist meat filling and a trio of sauces on top – bechamel, marinara, and pesto. Glen had the special, a bone in pork chop, pan seared, served over some sweet potato risotto and apples. Our appetizer was just OK – prosciutto wrapped shrimp, grilled and topped with a thick balsamic reduction. The shrimp were salty and overdone. The complimentary bread we also could have done without, a focaccia with a side of marinara. But both of our entrees were delicious. We actually ate in the bar area. We also both enjoyed our desserts. I had four mini cannolis, each with a different seasonal filling. I couldn’t identify what most of the fillings consisted of but they were decent. The cannoli shells were good. Glen had an eggnog custard topped with brandied cherries and a rich caramel sauce.

Tavola Rossa
5300 Homewood Banks Dr
Raleigh, NC 27612
(919) 787-4015

2 out of 5 stars

I was craving Italian and had high hopes of finding a good Italian place close to home. We’ve hit up Celebration a few times trying out restaurants and decided to try out Cinelli. I didn’t enjoy our experience. The specials menu sounded fantastic – we ordered a portabello mushroom appetizer which was covered in goat cheese and basil, breaded and deep fried and then drizzled with quite a bit of basalmic vinegar. The concept was good but way too much cheese was used, and we hadn’t counted on it being fried, it was too rich.

Our meals turned out similarly. I ordered off the specials menu, what was called the cigar. Chicken rolled with fontina and asparagus and prosciutto. I didn’t realize then that the rolled chicken would then be battered and deep fried. The cigar sat on a plate of pasta with oyster mushrooms… but there were so many mushrooms I didn’t know what to do with myself. The whole platter made me somewhat sick to my stomach because it was so overabundant and filled with cheese and grease. And it was $26! Husband’s chicken francese was battered and deep fried, it more resembled fish and chips than a francese.

The service was incredibly slow. When we were able to get our waitress’ attention, she promptly walked away and ignored our requests, so we had to ask three times for straws, sweetener, bread, etc. The hostess and manager (it seemed that’s what he was) seemed like they were trying to help but would awkwardly ask if a table was ok right after their server left.. Service just seemed genuinely disorganized.

One thing I did like about the joint was that they had a live band playing some nice music in the background. Well, the search for Italian wonderousness continues.

Restaurant Cinelli
7361 Six Forks Rd
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 844-8160

Bella Monica 

3 out of 5 stars 

Bella Monica was recommended to me by a number of people as a lovely place to get some Italian food.  Other reviewers have commented on the amazing pizza but that one should try all of the dishes.  I do wish I had gotten to try the flatbread, as it seems to be a specialty.  Generally I felt that while the prices were reasonable, the service was just ok, the food was ok, the wine wasn't that great, and the atmosphere was as good as you can do considering it's a strip mall.

There were a number of specials the night we went, but upon ordering one of the special appetizers we were told they were out of it.  We ended up with crostini with cannelini beans, which was tasty.  Then I ordered the lobster ravioli special for my entree but they were out of that also.  That was quite disappointing.  I eventually settled on manicotti, which was good, but baked in a dish that had somewhat of a watery sauce in it.  Husband tried the chicken basalmic, which he felt was ok, but nothing amazing.  Our friends felt their dishes were good but no better than other Italian they have tried in the area.

My dessert was also disappointing, a flourless "cake" as they put it on the menu.  I expected a torte, but what I got was more the consistency of fudge but tasted thick and chalky.  The cannoli was lovely, however.

All in all, I'd give it another chance.  But I'll save my "best Italian in Raleigh" award for elsewhere.

Pepperoni Grill 

5 out of 5 stars

 I was brought here recently by my in-laws, and it was a spectacular choice.  We were waited on by a lovely woman who is the best type of waitress to have.  She tells you what to order, has been working there forever years, and has pride in the dishes.  We ordered a lovely portabella pasta and she suggested we add blackened chicken to it, which took it up a notch.  We also ordered a delicious antipasto salad, and got one of the most delicious bowls of tomato bisque I've ever had, which freshly roasted garlic and tomato.  We ended up also getting a stromboli which we were too full to eat, and enjoyed the next night for leftovers.  I highly recommend this place!

5/5 stars

Talias is amazing!  It's a tiny unpretentious little deli hidden away in a Boca strip mall.  We walked in not knowing what to expect but were given some samples of cheese, delicious homemade ciabatta bread, and an olive oil with freshly prepared pesto and roasted garlic, which could have filled us up before we even ordered!  I had a prosciutto de Parma panini which came with fresh mozzarella, greens, and a bounty of delicious prosciutto.  My husband ordered a smoked salmon hero with apple, goat cheese, greens and tomato and red onion.  For $10 each we got the sandwich, a drink, and the bread.  These