YUM YUM (Italian Restaurants in the City in general)

Member Name: dave27

Product:	Italian Restaurants in the City in general
Date:	01/02/04 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Satisfying

Disadvantages: Too satisfying

Italian restaurants in the city in general? That's definitely a bit of an open ended subject to be offering. You know that what's meant by "the city" is London, I guess, but loose language always permits a very loose and rambling reply and so it is tonight, with dave27 taking the opportunity for a free ranging discourse - I'll likely get the normal bitching and moaning about going off topic, as all the Internet Thought Police like to impose their personal laws and restrictions upon me, but I care not - I'm a long suffering Leeds United fan for whom today's home defeat by Middlesbrough has really spelt THE END, so I fancy something to raise my spirits and spiking the inflated balloons of the nasties will do fine ... I enjoy writing pap and eating pasta, and here's the perfect opportunity to raise the spirits...

Okay, premable and ghastly, self pitying rubbish over...

Italian food, as we all know only too well, is BLOODY GOOD. Whether it's the standard pizza for the plebs or the fare on offer at one of the classier eateries doesn't really matter, Italian food is brilliant. Especially if you're a fattie who likes to be filled. The crunchy, crispy edged pizza bases you get in many places are a bit disappointing, but for the most part Italian food means huge piles of lovely stodge which leaves you feeling well stuffed ... you know the stuff I mean, lasagne, canelloni, tortellini, even that quite unpleasant tagliatelle stuff, you know the ribbony stuff you have with a cheese sauce. Ooh, the very thought of it has got my juices flowing as it always does ... there is nothing, literally nothing, like going out for an Italian meal, teh chance to pig out, mess up your shirt with tomatoey sauce and listen to American music from the 50's (at least if you're talking Frankie's and Benny's).

Italian ristorantes come in a couple of shades ... you have got the chains and franchises, and on
the other hand there are the independents. The chains encompass places like Pizza Express, Pizza Hut, Frankie & Benny's, Mama Mia, places like that, and even the very worst of these have their place. Express is cheap and tacky, but quick and easy, and if you just want a quick bite, mainly of pizza, then they're okay. Of course, the more upper class and substantial of the chains, like Frankie and Benny's are more like real Italian restaurants and are certainly a class above their less attractive cousins. Frankie & Benny's in particular is an absolute dream, especially when you get a bit drunk. The drinks tend to be very expensive, but something about the dark interior and the atmospheric music and the gorgeous menus definitely stop you worrying about such material concerns. I've had many a brilliant evening in F&B's involving heavy plates of pasta and sauce and huge jugs of beer, abusing the staff and abusing my body - definitely nothing quite like it.

Of course, the snobs amongst us really wouldn't class the chains as Italian restaurants, labvelling them more as upper class fast/junk food parlours with food that's slightly more demanding. For them, of course, it's the La Cucuracha or La Traviata or La Bombellini or other such fanciful titles. Now you can tell a genuine Italian restaurant by the staff. Nearly always they will be dressed as Italians (or an approximation of the look), but for it be a real Italian restaurant, the staff have to actually be Italians. There foes that snob value once again, unfortunately.

Get the atmosphere, the staff, the service and the lighting right, throw in the vino and pasta and you've really got a night to remember, and your shirt afterwards usually carries the tell tale signs to prove it, with all sorts of saucy spatterings - why exactly is Italian food such a messy affair? Still, it's all part of the fun I guess.

Now my favourite offering will usuall
y start with a decent pate, followed by tortellini and death by chocolate (can never remember how they call it in Italian (Morte del Chocco or some other such nonsense), fortified by huge buckets full of beer (always lager-ish stuff in the Italian). Make the right order, expand it with heavy doses of garlic bread (always with cheese, even if it stops it being authentic), pour the beer until it comes out of your ears and you will always suffer from having to scoff everything in front of you in a real gut busting fight to the finish with your greed. I LOVE ITALIAN FOOD, and always suffer afterwards, it's part of the rulebook ... you can't have enjoyed yourself unless you feel just that bit ill afterwards, whether it be from the beer or the stretch marks.

I have to say that as an avowed pleb, I'm not convinced that the additional costs associated with going to 'real' Italians are merited by the difference in quality and I'm just as happy in a quicke mart, although I do love a really good Italian. However, I can't abide those upper class varieties where you have to dress up, talk quietly and mind your manners, Italian eating demands noise, bad manners, messy eating and a bit of ribaldry.

Wandering slightly back onto track, and the actual subject matter in hand, London has some of the best Italian restaurants outside their home country, but in common with everything else in the Smoke, they're over priced and over rated. I've had my fair share of meals in London eaing establishments and have to say that I've usually been quite impressed, although on those occasions it was usually the company I was keeping which really made the night. And that's another part of the ideal Italian night out ... Italian food should always be enjoyed with decent company, it's not good as a solitary pursuit. In fact it can be quite depressing.

Have you had enough yet, are you stuffed to the gills and able to wander
to the toilet unaccompanied, or do you want a bit more? Me, I'm well stuffed...

Summary: