William B.
Yelp
Cane Pazzo truly lives up the idea of a hidden gem. Located in a strip mall off Yeaman's Hall Rd in Hanahan it's a startling transformation as you leave the parking lot of a Piggly Wiggly and step into a date night worthy classy Italian restaurant.
The name means "Mad Dog", a nickname of the chef and owner.
The interior is inviting with old photos of family lining the walls.
We started with cocktails, my wife having the "against the wind", a tequila drink with Campari, grapefruit, blood orange, and lime. It was rich and fruity.
I ordered the "a horse with no name" which was a bourbon drink with lemon, and langhe rosso. I was pleasantly surprised that a drink that has bourbon and red wine would pair so well.
For our first appetizer we ordered the very popular daily bread which was wood-fired sourdough, ricotta, Little Wing honey, and benne seed. The bread arrived perfectly charred with sweet and spicy notes from the hot honey and rich ricotta dolloped on top. Ordering this is a must!
Up next, the meatballs made with beef + pork, spicy tomato, polenta, and parmesan. The spice profile was excellent, but the true star of the dish was the rich, velvety polenta which you should dip each bite into.
On Mondays they have what they call "Mad Dog Monday" where they offer an additional menu, so you have more choices.
My wife ordered the chicken parmesan off the Mad Dog menu, which was a crispy chicken thigh, linguine, spicy tomato sauce, basil, and parmesan. The thigh meat meant the chicken was very juicy and the linguine was a perfect al dente.
I ordered off the Mad Dog menu as well getting the lumache alla vodka with tomato, cream, whipped ricotta, and crispy prosciutto. The sauce was creamy and full of flavor and the pasta al dente all the way!
Service here is on par with the fanciest downtown restaurants, attentive, polite and they even boxed up our leftover for us. A class act all the way!
Cane Pazzo provides a much-needed upper-level dining experience in an area that was lacking in upscale dining. Definitely check them out and I would recommend going on a Monday!