Peter G.
Yelp
A small town, long operating, Italian place. I hadn't been in a few years, and walked in last Saturday night at 6:15 pm, to a half empty restaurant. I wish I had taken this as a signal that the place has slipped, and gone somewhere else.
We had a cheesy bread sticks, a couple salads, vegetarian pizza, baked Mostaccioli, and an Italian beef sandwich with fries among us.
Saw on Yelp people like the cheesy bread sticks, so we started with those. Bread sticks from a bag, you can get them at Kroger's, shredded cheese, and warmed up, without browning the cheese. They are bad, but, maybe the best part of the meal?
The salads are iceberg lettuce, store bought dressing? They are dreadful. They don't even crisp the iceberg so it wasn't crunchy.
The vegetarian pizza was delivered as a pepperoni pizza. Good grief. The pizza sure looked like the crust was purchased and not made? Same sauce as the pasta, same shredded cheese.
The Italian beef was meat from a bag, bun from bag, no juice in dip in, no cheese option, pretty below average. The fries were just bad.
The baked Mostaccioli was what I ordered. It is noodles from the grocery store, sauce from the grocery store, shreaded cheese from a bag, heated in a salamander. You can make this at home for almost nothing. They make nothing themselves.
The building is worn, maintenance is bad, the bathroom smells of urine. The service is bad, just bad. You might have noticed that I think what is special in a restaurant is what they don't get off the back of a food service truck in a can? This restaurant doesn't make much of anything anymore, and it shows.
I suspect this place can serve large groups, because they make nothing. Their kitchen just takes premade stuff and warms it up. For a party of 8 or more, assuming you don't mind bad service and below average food, maybe this would be OK?
Once this was a good restaurant. Maybe there is new ownership, or maybe the owner just got old and doesn't care anymore? Unfortunately, there is nothing good enough to pay for here anymore. There are really good Italian places in Murphysboro and DuQuion, much better to give them your money, if you must have this kind of food.
Never again.