Update: Neighborhood hitching post

COVID-19 has caused lots of changes in our lives. For my wife and I, one of our favorite things to do is to visit our favorite neighborhood spot for dinner and a drink. Our favorite neighborhood spot is a place called Chianti Ristorante & Pizzeria. Why do we love this place so much? Well, simply put: they make us feel like family. They always make us feel like we are sitting at our own kitchen table. During the pandemic time when the restaurant seating was closed, we ordered takeout at least once a week. This past week, we decided to dine in and be with our culinary family and had a great experience. So please try to support your favorite local spot safely.

Now on to the food we love at Chianti. Well is it really hard to pick a single thing, but here we go. First and foremost, all of their salads are so creative, flavorful and delicious. The Marta salad is always a good choice (caprese salad, grilled shrimp and salmon.) Secondly, there is a daily menu that is written on the wall and always has soup, sandwich, pasta and protein. The homemade soups pair really great with one of their wonderful salads. During our last visit, I had grilled swordfish with lemon caper sauce over sautéed spinach, simply delicious. Thirdly, from a pasta standpoint, there are so many great choices. You can’t go wrong with the lasagna, all spaghetti dishes and the rigatoni Michelangelo. My personal favorite is the café fettucine, because the creamed Bolognese is the best I have ever had in my life! Try it for yourself and you will not be disappointed. My favorite “go to” protein dish is the spicy seafood sauté which has shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, calamari and broken pieces of salmon in a spicy marinara. Finally, their homemade assorted Italian cookies (when available) are truly addicting and perfect with a nice cup of coffee. We also love the cannoli!

In conclusion, I wrote this article from memory of the menu and totally based on the quality of the food we enjoy every time we visit. The staff always do an excellent job and make our experience very special.

One more thought, something to try is the eggplant rollatini which is basically a cannelloni where the pasta is swapped for the eggplant. This is my father-in-law’s favorite and he says it is worth his drive from the Midwest!

Stay safe and support your favorite local spots.

Note: my wife and I went to Chianti and got food from the daily menu. She got the rockfish with lemon caper sauce and I got the veal chop stuff with prosciutto and mozzarella with a mushroom sauce.

Rockfish with lemon caper sauce

Veal chop stuff with prosciutto and mozzarella in a mushroom sauce