Just a few hundred yards from our hotel suite at Atlantic Palace, this small, old-fashioned Italian restaurant dates back to the 50s. We'd had dinner here last year and the food was as good Italian as we expect from the North End in Boston or Little Italy in New York, and another incentive was a coupon from our timeshare hotel for 1/2 price on the second entrée.
As you enter, you note a slight musty smell, soon covered up by the garlicky sauces cooking in the kitchen. A few locals at the bar and Mama and her family, including a small baby at a far table near the kitchen... sounds bad... think of it as adding charm!
We're greeted promptly by a smiling hostess and led to a table by the window covered with lacy curtains. Our fellow diners include a few couples who seem to eat here regularly, a foursome on vacation, and a group of six ladies on a "girls' night out." Our young waiter serves us warm, fresh bread and takes our drink order - meals here are all served with a salad and side of pasta.
Remembering how large the portions were from previous experience, we skip the appetizers and start out with a cold, crisp, well-dressed salad. If you wish to linger over dinner, mention it; otherwise it will be very quick service. Guess lots of people are eager to get back to gambling.
Chicken, veal, flounder, shrimp, and scallops are prepared in six or seven ways - Francaise, Scampi, Valdastano, Cacciatori, Parmigiana, etc., and you have a choice of a side dish portion of penne, spaghetti, or liguini. Chicken meals are presented as two large, boneless cutlets; veal as four medallions; and shrimp as six to eight large ones. Wines are reasonably priced.
All in all, we enjoy this experience. It's not gourmet; this is freshly and individually prepared good Italian food with chef/owner and family serving you with a smile. We will return again and again!