Molly R.
Yelp
Before I dive in, let me just say that one of my first dining experiences ever was at J. Parrino's in Kimberling City, Missouri when I was a wee one, but I've set sweet, sweet nostalgia aside for this review. Just thought I'd give ol' J. Parrino's a shout-out - RIP.
I came here for the first time in quite a while last week and ordered the broccoli pasta special with a side salad. The salad was not unlike Olive Garden's in that the lettuce was bulky and the dressing strangely addictive, but there were no fun add-ons; some sprucing up could be in order. That dressin', though - yum. It came with a tasty, simple breadstick too, so no complaints there. Me likey breadsticks.
My main dish came with ANOTHER breadstick - bonus! - which was a good vehicle for transporting some of my dish's pasta sauce to my face. The sauce was a supremely light version of alfredo and was a great pairing with the shell pasta, broccoli and fresh mushrooms. Tasty, albeit simple, but in my mind there's nothing wrong with simple at the right time.
Honestly, I like the portion sizes at QCD, especially compared to the prices. Their dishes aren't the exorbitant, painful amount of food we're used to, but are a normal size that normal people normally eat. And guess what? I still took home leftovers. Kudos to them for being somewhat portion-conscious.
While I can't help but side with Bambino's on my vote for "Best causal Italian in town," QCD is a close runner up. Besides, there's room in town for two.
TL;DR: This tasty, casual Italian in the middle of town makes for a good lunch spot.