Art C.
Yelp
A very good choice
We finally dined at Andrea's with friends last night, and had a great time and meal. The experience wasn't quite what I expected, starting with the restaurant itself. From the outside, Andrea's looks dark and easily overlooked. Located in a strip mall across from Aldi's, Andrea's and Rick's French Bistro seem out of place. But once I stepped inside for the first time, I found a well-lit upscale welcoming place. I consider places upscale if there are tablecloths and lots of glassware, and menu prices on the high side. You can spend money at Andrea's, our total was about $60 per person, but there are also less expensive options. If you do want to spend money, they offer an extensive wine selection. We found Andrea's a comfortable place, not pretentious.
Andrea is a real person. He stopped by a couple of times to introduce himself and to make us feel welcome and appreciated. His two sons provided excellent service throughout our visit. I love eating at locally owned and operated places, a family business.
As for the food, I started with their Cesar Salad and included anchovies for an upcharge. It was a good size but did lack any noticeable Ceasar dressing flavor. Light and fresh, for me the saltiness of the anchovies saved this course.
For my entrée I had their Tagliolini Sunday Style. It was tough to decide, they offer 3 or 4 entrees I really wanted to try, a good reason to return someday. This pasta dish was large and very good. I did some research and still don't know exactly what Sunday Style means, but there is a tradition by Italians to enjoy pasta on Sundays. Perhaps there is an extra effort to make that a special meal, and perhaps Andrea includes an extra effort for this dish. The flavor was mild, the pieces of braised pork ribs while not melt in your mouth tender were still very easy to eat and provided some texture. Others at the table gave high marks to the Pappardelle 2085 entree.
We made a very good choice when we selected Andrea's for dinner.