Chris S.
Yelp
The smell of garlic was in the air as we entered the large dining room and we were warmly greeted and quickly seated. The menu is extensive with several pizza options as well as several pasta, chicken, seafood and veal dishes.
Wine was very reasonably priced with glasses of house wine starting at just $5, a half liter for $12 and a liter for $20. I had a glass of their Sicilian Nero d'Avola ($6) which was dark, robust and filled to the brim ... HOOAH!
All meals come with soup or salad and fresh, warm, delicious bread and butter, ranging from $11 to $18.50. My wife had the Cheese Ravioli in Pesto Sauce ($12.50) and I the Veal Saltimbocca ($18.50). The salads were small, but fresh with lettuce, carrots, croutons and choice of dressing.
The ravioli was a bit of a disappointment with just ten on the plate, looking as if they were mass produced, not made in-house. The pesto sauce was pretty good, but my wife was still a bit hungry after finishing her small salad and ten medium size ravioli.
My veal was abundant and tasty, but not what I was expecting. Veal saltimbocca (alla Romana) normally comes with veal scallops topped with thin slices of prosciutto and topped with fresh mozzarella in a light sauce of butter, a little lemon and fresh sage, but this sauce was very spicy with a tomato base. It was good, but I was expecting something different. The spaghetti aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil) was also abundant and a good choice to accompany the saltimbocca.
My wife was born it Sicily and raised in Naples, Italy and I, beside being of Italian descent, lived in Italy for nearly three and a half years in addition to having traveled there extensively, so we have higher expectations than most when eating at Italian restaurants. Pizzuto's does a better job than many stateside Italian eateries and the prices are definitely affordable, but the food was not as authentic as it could have been. Had the salads been a little bigger, the ravioli more abundant, and the saltimbocca sauce more traditional, they would have definitely scored an extra bomb or two.
CombatCritic Gives Pizzuto's 6 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!