Are There Any Good "Authentic" Italian Restaurants In Dallas? (Italy: neighborhood, buying)
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Well, being Italian myself I am quite an authority regarding the topic :-). I am from Milan, north Italy, and I spent the first 33 years of my life in there.
Although there are many "Italian" restaurants in Dallas, I found only a few that offer real Italian food. I have nothing against the American interpretation of the Italian food, keep in mind that, but if you are searching for something authentic, here are the places I tested:
Pizzeria Campania.
The most Italian pizza I found. Cane Rosso has a very good pizza, but is not the real Italian style. A good and tasty imitation, though. Home
Thanks, ghaladh. While I don't live in Dallas, I often find myself biting my tongue when people wax poetic about how wonderful it would be if "Italian" food in their city were just like it was back somewhere in the northeastern US.
To be clear, I rather like what I have sampled of that, even tho' I don't know it well. But, I have spent enough time in Italy to presume that I have a reasonable idea of what Italian food is like, at least in restaurants. I realize that what people in Italy eat at home may be different from restaurants there.
So, what I would like to do is to encourage people to promote real italian food, which can be really good. I am also open to learning more about the version that has evolved from Italian immigrants (mostly from the south, I think).
I think it is all good. My only complaint is that people here so often argue about how their tomato sauce is flavored. (Even tho' I like tomato sauce, too.)
Well, being Italian myself I am quite an authority regarding the topic :-). I am from Milan, north Italy, and I spent the first 33 years of my life in there.
Although there are many "Italian" restaurants in Dallas, I found only a few that offer real Italian food. I have nothing against the American interpretation of the Italian food, keep in mind that, but if you are searching for something authentic, here are the places I tested:
Pizzeria Campania.
The most Italian pizza I found. Cane Rosso has a very good pizza, but is not the real Italian style. A good and tasty imitation, though. Home
Piacere..I have been to Campania, it's not bad. I am from the Northeast (US) and it's tough to go to other regions of the US and get pizza like you can here. But for Texas that place is solid. They make the Scamorza right there on site. One thing I would miss from the Northeast is the bread I can get..I have yet to see ANY bread come close to what we can get up here in Boston.
My advice to anyone looking for Italian food, make it at home. Thats where it's best prepared and appreciated.
Maybe it's because restaurant space/square footage is not nearly as expensive here as it is in the northeast, but a good Italian place around here can do both pasta and pizza.
One of my all-time, mom-and-pop favorites is Cremona on on Worthington near the Quadrangle (near the Gingerman). They do serve pizza, but also some of the best pasta around. And though I don't like filling up on bread at any restaurant, especially one where I plan to eat lots of carb-loaded pasta, their bread is amazing.
I used to live in NYC, and I know what it's like to miss having those locals' favorite-type places you could duck into for a great meal. Though the food is not as great as I've had elsewhere, there's a solid lineup and good old-fashioned Italian meal to be had at Two Guys from Italy on Webb Chapel just south of Forest. My brother used to live near there, and it's a way better locals place than Angelos over by us in Lakewood.
Maybe it's because restaurant space/square footage is not nearly as expensive here as it is in the northeast, but a good Italian place around here can do both pasta and pizza.
I seem to be missing the point your trying to make..How does that impact the lack of good Italian food there in DFW as compared to the Northeast? The reason there is good Italian food here in the Northeast has to do with ONE singular factor you don't have there. Italians settled here, most of them set down roots, and the culture is embedded in the area because of it.
Alot of good Italian places (the true gems) in the Northeast are usually OWNED by the family, who probably lived like paupers, and then bought the building when real estate was obviously much cheaper than today, and have little to NO Capital costs related to real estate, essentially sitting on a veritable gold-mine. Regardless I don't see how that has any impact on the quality of the food they serve, but again maybe I am missing your point.
If you are ever a bit east of Dallas then Cosa Nostra in Rowlett is pretty dang good. The owner "Gino" appears to be a "fresh off the boat" Italian (even though he's been here quite a while). He is loud and friendly. The service is a bit slow, but this is because the waitstaff is pretty much Gino and one other lady. The food has been really good so far (Been twice). Very fresh. Also, if you don't like something they'll remake it, or if you want something not on the menu and they have the ingredients they'll make it for you.
Its a bit hole in the wall, strip mall-ish, but the food was really tasty and Gino was very amusing.
Piacere..I have been to Campania, it's not bad. I am from the Northeast (US) and it's tough to go to other regions of the US and get pizza like you can here. But for Texas that place is solid. They make the Scamorza right there on site. One thing I would miss from the Northeast is the bread I can get..I have yet to see ANY bread come close to what we can get up here in Boston.
My advice to anyone looking for Italian food, make it at home. Thats where it's best prepared and appreciated.
The problem regarding the cheese is the fact that the milk itself has another taste. Some cheese is resistant to the transportation, others aren't. Said that, I do not expect to find the same taste of the Italian scamorza, but yet, is satisfying :-).
Thanks, ghaladh. While I don't live in Dallas, I often find myself biting my tongue when people wax poetic about how wonderful it would be if "Italian" food in their city were just like it was back somewhere in the northeastern US.
To be clear, I rather like what I have sampled of that, even tho' I don't know it well. But, I have spent enough time in Italy to presume that I have a reasonable idea of what Italian food is like, at least in restaurants. I realize that what people in Italy eat at home may be different from restaurants there.
So, what I would like to do is to encourage people to promote real italian food, which can be really good. I am also open to learning more about the version that has evolved from Italian immigrants (mostly from the south, I think).
I think it is all good. My only complaint is that people here so often argue about how their tomato sauce is flavored. (Even tho' I like tomato sauce, too.)
Well, the main difference between the Italian home cooking and the Italian restaurants is about the complexity of the recipes. Italians at home are used to cook easy recipes; nowadays is hard to see someone spend more than one hour in the kitchen if not for a special occasion. Italian restaurants in Italy are usually less "sophisticated" than the ones here. The ingredients are also different, so the flavors tend to differ too. Beside that, many Italian restaurants modified the recipes to better meet the tastes of the locals.
Considering all if that, it comes by itself that if you want to eat like we do in Italy, well... you have to go in Italy! :-D Even my own recipes do not taste the same, sometimes, if I prepare them with the ingredients I buy here. Different doesn't mean "worst", by the way! :-)
I do not hang out with other Italians, usually, also because of that: they always glorify our food like it's the only one worthy to be eaten. How narrow minded we can be. :-S
I am still considering to open a small Italian restaurant specialized in home cooking, perhaps a take-away. Serving to the people, at a low price, the same recipes I eat at my home :-).
I am still considering to open a small Italian restaurant specialized in home cooking, perhaps a take-away. Serving to the people, at a low price, the same recipes I eat at my home :-).
DO IT!!! One market I've never seen well addressed in California or here in Texas was the Italian Take-away. Many nights I've wanted to get take-away food but the options are only Burgers, Pizza, or Chinese. Would love some good Italian.
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