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| - Pranzo is one of the many dining choices in Downtown Willoughby, Ohio...a suburb northeast of Cleveland. This Italian restaurant specializes in wood-fired meats, fish and pizza, as well as traditional pasta and seafood or poultry dishes. It seems to be a decent place for dinner, but it did not knock my socks off during my first visit.
Our table of four shared a 10" pepperoni pizza appetizer called the Dominic. It was not too bad, but the crust was not caramelized as it should be coming from a wood-fired oven and the sauce was not as zesty as pizza sauce could be. Maybe not enough oregano? Not sure. Anyway, the pizza was great for four people, but would have been too much for a smaller group.
I had the chicken parmigiana, which comes with a dinner salad. (They also have bread sticks with olive oil and balsamic dipping sauce...just so-so in the taste department.) The chicken parm was nicely breaded and fried slightly crispy. The chicken was slightly overdone, but acceptable. The cheese was melted well and covered a generous portion of the patty. However, the tomato sauce (again) left me wanting more taste. Had they given me more zest and tang in the sauce, I might had thought about 4 stars, but I just can't go there.
Additionally, the service was friendly, but deathly slow. We weren't in a hurry, but we would have been irritated if we were it seemed we had one server for the entire one side of the restaurant. Lastly, they are a BYOW (bring your own wine) place, so grab a bottle of red before you come or face the consequences.
Overall, Pronzo was a slightly above average meal with just average amenities. I have definitely tasted better Italian cuisine in Cleveland...and had a better experience. However, this one is likely worth a try at least once if you're in the neighborhood.
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