This week we went back to a true authentic Italian restaurant. I love these family owned and run establishments. I’m so glad the pandemic hasn’t closed down these neighborhood classics. We have been to Scali’s before, but the kids were so young that Chloe didn’t remember it at all. So this was sort of a new experience for them.

The first thing the kids noticed were the huge bottles of wine that were in the entryway as well as right next to our table. Chloe joked about having one with her dinner. Hmmm, I might need to hide my opener from that girl!! Any good restaurant should have some sort of bread to munch on while you look over the menu and Scali’s is a good one! They have olive oil drizzled on the bread already when they bring it to your table.

I usually start these off with the kids, so this time I’ll go first. Anyone that knows me well should know it’s very difficult for me to pass up anytime Lasagna is on the menu. Maybe this time will be different. Well, nope, I couldn’t pass it up. They warned me that it would take a little longer to come out because they would have to bake it. So refreshing to get something you know is homemade instead of something made hours ago and warmed up when ordered. It came with a delicious salad with tomatoes that were actually ripe!

The children’s menu was small, but Chloe was quickly able to find what she wanted, good old fashioned Spaghetti and Meatball. Of course, she had to make sure there was no cheese included. Helen, our excellent waitress let her know that there was no cheese added besides the meatball. That made Chloe a little nervous until I explained to her that it wouldn’t be noticeable. She did eat about half of it but said she didn’t really care for it too much. She asked me what I’d rate the restaurant, to which I told her 9 out of 10. She said it was an 8 for her.

Finally we have Alex. He wanted to order off the adult menu, more specifically under the SPECIALITA DELLA CASA section. He had to ask what Veal was. He decided on the Vitello Saltimbocca. I tried talking him into something he’d had before, like Fettuccini Alfredo but he wanted to try something new. The only way to know if he’s gonna like it is to try it so I went ahead and let him get it. Unfortunately, he didn’t like it. I think he ended up eating 2 pieces which is more than I thought. He mentioned he didn’t even like what it looked like, let alone how it tasted. So as always, I helped eat what he didn’t.

One final thought I wanted to share was how great the service was. Our server, Helen, was the best in the business. She was on top of everything we needed for the table, whenever we needed it. She was so polite and sweet with the kids. Great service and great food make for a great restaurant. If you’ve never been here, I would definitely try to make a visit as soon as you can.