              |
 |
 February 2008 Back to Table of Contents Back to Archives Main Page Section: Food Your new Italian favorite? It's Vino’s By Anthony Chabala
Vino’s is owned by a charming couple, Tony and Kathleen Cangianiello. Kathleen is there to welcome you at the door, serve wine behind the bar, take phone reservations, walk you to your seat, and somehow successfully manage the restaurant all at once. Tony does all of the meal cooking and preparation. Does it seem like an awful lot for two people to pull off successfully? Well, it is. “We do it for the love of it, not for the money,” says Kathleen. “I love running a business, and my husband loves to cook.” Luckily, Tony has help back in the kitchen. His 18-year-old son, Anthony, and a gentleman named Charles, are there to help serve the eager diners. Vino’s offers two features every night, and on Fridays, Tony cooks up a delicious seafood treat. With a recommendation from our highly informative and professional server, Emily, my dining companion, ordered the pan-seared haddock served over angel hair pasta and topped with a fresh pomodoro sauce and asparagus spears. It was absolutely brilliant. The fish was seared to perfection and the whole meal tasted of fine dining sophistication, yet only cost $12.95. I ordered spaghetti and meatballs so I could sample the one item upon which all Italian restaurants should be graded: the sauce. Chef/owner Tony comes to us directly from Naples, Italy, as does his sauce recipe. The sauce is neither sweet nor spicy, but perfectly in-between. “The best compliment anyone can give us is that whatever you had tastes like your grandmother’s recipe,” says Kathleen. Ironically, “It tastes just like Nana’s sauce!” were the exact words I let out between joyous mouthfuls of spaghetti. I could not have been more pleased with my meal. The meatball on my plate was fist-sized, the pasta was prepared perfectly, and the sauce to pasta ratio was spot on. Both of our meals came in very large portions, which made for great lunches the next day. Tony is responsible for all the food coming out of the kitchen, but Kathleen’s concoctions galvanize your taste buds out of the gate and equally stimulate them down the home stretch, for she prepares her own special salad dressing and also acts as the brains and hands behind the decadent desserts. The salad dressing, somewhere right between Caesar and Italian dressings, is undoubtedly one of the highlights of a Vino’s experience. As for dessert, we opted for the delicious lemon pudding pound cake. It was very rich and satisfying, yet not so rich that you can only manage two bites before being forced to put the fork down. Step inside Vino’s and you’ll immediately be charmed by the post-modern flare. Sleek black chairs and heavy, wide-bodied cutlery are perfect accessories for the trendy diner. If you’re afraid your date will spot your newest set of gray hairs, don’t fret: Vino’s comfortable mood lighting is the perfect cover-up. Also, there is a large parking lot attached to the building for Vino’s customers only. The restaurant only seats around 40 people, you can rest assured that the lot will not be full. It is important to note the restaurant’s operating hours. The Cangianiellos are also the owners of Cam Auto Sales, so their days are spent in the auto industry; Vino's is open Wednesday and Thursday from 6–9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 5–9 p.m. As its name implies, Vino’s boasts a multitude of different wines to enjoy. But if you fancy a fine Manhattan, you’re out of luck as the bar serves beer and wine only. Be sure to ask about their dessert drinks; Kathleen would be thrilled to serve you her famous champagne and pomegranate. It may almost seem too good to be true. But it’s not; it’s simply Vino’s. back to top back to table of contents Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home |
