Dinner -- 3/7/08

Italian Garden
10207 China Spring Road
Waco, TX 76708
254.836.8900

6:30 -7:45 PM

Ramona: House salad with ranch dressing, chicken piccata over spaghetti, cannoli with chocolate sauce, iced tea

Jim: House salad with tomato basil dressing, chicken parmigiana over spaghetti, cannoli with chocolate sauce, iced tea

One of our favorite local Italian restauarants was Vito's on Valley Mills. The owner was nearing retirement, so he moved out to China Spring to be closer to home. The homemade pasta and sauce were outstanding. He did not transfer the quiet, pleasant ambience to the new location, but you could still count on Frank Sinatra playing in the background. Unfortunately, this new location never caught on, and he soon closed.

Now the same place has been opened as "The Italian Garden" by several family members from Macedonia. Our server gave us the entire history of the new restauarant. She was friendly, but not overbearing. Nick, the chef and head of the clan, came out to meet us as we dined. [Note to restaurant owners: this is always a nice touch for serious, serial restaurant diners]. He also gave us a sample of a new dessert he was working on. It was a chilled banana wrapped in a crepe with chocolate sauce. We immediately called it a "banana slip," since he had not yet named it. We hope the name sticks.

The food was outstanding. My CP was hot, and thick, and juicy. The spaghetti was also good, with a tasty sauce, although it was not as thick as I prefer. Ramona's CP was also great, with an extra taste along with the citrus. Like all real Italian restaurants, we were given a large spoon for twirling the pasta.

One other note: the bread, which Nick claimed was his own secret recipe, was fabulous. Bread is always key in our book, and this is one of the best around Waco.

I had eaten lunch there earlier in the day with a friend from work. I ordered a "Philly Cheesesteak," but I had to decline the bell peppers. I like bell peppers, but no self-respecting Philadelphian would ever put bell peppers on Philly's signature sandwich. The roll was perfect (again, a dish where the bread is key), and the meat and cheese were exactly like those in South Philly. The size was also correct.

Italian Garden is a place not to be missed. We plan on making it a regular stop on our journey -- we want them around a long, long time.

-Jim