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| - We went to The Italian Pie Saturday night for dinner. I've always loved the brick building its in on East Blvd, but I've never been to eat there in any of its dining incarnations.
Unfortunately, the exterior is where the fun, classy atmosphere ends. It's a facade for the bland interior that looks like it could be a restaurant in the middle of a strip mall. I'm not sure who designed the layout and decorated the interior, but they should really lose their decorator license (if they even have one, that is). The table layout looked like it was done by a six-year-old. The ceiling is very low, the lighting is harsh, and what happened to the brick walls? They're nowhere to be found. The bar also took up half the room when the main focus should be on the dining area. (As you can tell, I'm *all* about atmosphere.) It's not a "date" place; it's more a place you go out to after you've already moved in together or had three or four kids together.
Despite the dismal surroundings, the service and food were exceptional. The pricing on items were very affordable, too. We both started with a small salad for $3.99. And not just any small salad. Here, you get your choice of an Italian, Caesar, or Chef (thank you, Italian Pie!) small side salad. I love variety.
For our entrees, we each ordered a calzone, as a lot of pizza places we've been to don't offer this specialty. I tried the Shrimp Florentine one, and my partner tried the Chicken Florentine one. Both were delicious. The filling was creamy and full of flavor, the crust was crispy and flavorful as well (it wasn't just bland dough). The marinara dipping sauce had a lot of flavor, too. It was thick and tasted homemade. If it wasn't, it's a pretty good imitation of it. At $2.50 a bottle, the domestic beers were a good price, too.
The Italian Pie also has a semi-nice outdoor seating area. Unfortunately, there was live music playing out there. I say unfortunately because the area is so small that the band would have been right next to us and we never could have had any sort of conversation. Plus, as a side note, the band had some groupie there who was taking photos of them when we entered the restaurant, as well as when we left. She must have an 16GB memory card in her camera. (You couldn't hear the music inside, though, over the din because of the poorly laid out dining area.)
So, I give Italian Pie five stars for their food and pricing, 2 stars for their very poor atmosphere. C'mon, guys. You have an exceptional brick building -- do something with it!
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