Find A Special Italian Restaurant With These Tips
You can throw a rock in any town of decent size and hit an Italian restaurant.
But there's a wide gulf between the national chain establishments and a truly artisanal eatery.
Whether you're looking for a fancy dinner by candlelight or a place to pick up a delicious pizza, you'll need to dig a bit deeper than the surface to find the right spot.
By and large, all of these places are going to serve the same food, so you can't really judge by the menu.
It's what actually comes to the table that makes the difference.
If you have a spirit for adventure, you can find a place you will treasure.
Here's how you can find that special place.
Know The City While not always true, you can usually tell where you're going to find the unique, interesting places to eat simply by knowing the city.
For instance, if you want authentic New York City cuisine, the last place you want to look is Times Square.
This is the area of the city geared towards tourists.
You want the part of town geared towards locals.
This is where the flavor is.
So if you're searching for a great Italian restaurant in the tourist section of the city, you're probably going to be disappointed in what you find.
Find Reviews Want to find out what the local food critics thought of the Italian restaurant scene? Check the local paper and you'll soon know.
Of course, it all comes down to one person's opinion, but that's still better than nothing.
Best of all, most critics will write to their audience.
They aren't going to write a review for the Olive Garden with the expectation that it meet their standards for a four star dining experience.
You should read the reviews with the same mindset.
A good critic will review a dining establishment based on what they set out to do.
That said, even if you don't agree with the critic, reading the review should give you a decent idea of what you can expect.
Start Sampling There really is no better way to find a good Italian restaurant than to try a few for yourself.
Only you know what you want out of a dining experience.
If you're short on funds, you can always just drop in for an appetizer and a couple of drinks.
That should be good enough to make a preliminary decision about the atmosphere and the food quality.
Try a few and see what you like.
You never know when you'll happen upon a gem.
But there's a wide gulf between the national chain establishments and a truly artisanal eatery.
Whether you're looking for a fancy dinner by candlelight or a place to pick up a delicious pizza, you'll need to dig a bit deeper than the surface to find the right spot.
By and large, all of these places are going to serve the same food, so you can't really judge by the menu.
It's what actually comes to the table that makes the difference.
If you have a spirit for adventure, you can find a place you will treasure.
Here's how you can find that special place.
Know The City While not always true, you can usually tell where you're going to find the unique, interesting places to eat simply by knowing the city.
For instance, if you want authentic New York City cuisine, the last place you want to look is Times Square.
This is the area of the city geared towards tourists.
You want the part of town geared towards locals.
This is where the flavor is.
So if you're searching for a great Italian restaurant in the tourist section of the city, you're probably going to be disappointed in what you find.
Find Reviews Want to find out what the local food critics thought of the Italian restaurant scene? Check the local paper and you'll soon know.
Of course, it all comes down to one person's opinion, but that's still better than nothing.
Best of all, most critics will write to their audience.
They aren't going to write a review for the Olive Garden with the expectation that it meet their standards for a four star dining experience.
You should read the reviews with the same mindset.
A good critic will review a dining establishment based on what they set out to do.
That said, even if you don't agree with the critic, reading the review should give you a decent idea of what you can expect.
Start Sampling There really is no better way to find a good Italian restaurant than to try a few for yourself.
Only you know what you want out of a dining experience.
If you're short on funds, you can always just drop in for an appetizer and a couple of drinks.
That should be good enough to make a preliminary decision about the atmosphere and the food quality.
Try a few and see what you like.
You never know when you'll happen upon a gem.
