We had a really nice dinner at Minneci's last night.
It was decently busy, especially since it was right before an Illini basketball game. It really cleared out after that which was nice because I was with my family and wanted to sit and talk. Even when it was crowded and there were two other groups in our small-ish room, it was easy to hear each other. The music was nice, but wasn't blaring like some restaurants like to do. It was a reasonable volume
The food was delicious. My husband and I both ordered the "Angry Pasta." I forget what the real name is. It was a HUGE portion! It had a nice spiciness to it, not overwhelming though. Topped with lots of fresh basil. VERY nicely done! The garlic bread was good also, very buttery. I just had the leftovers for lunch, and it was still really good.
The only thing keeping me from a five star rating is the service. We had a young waitress, I'm sure she was a student at the university and didn't care that much. She just didn't seem to be happy that we were there, only brought 4 appetizer plates for 5 people (finally brought one AFTER the 1st appetizer was done) and she forgot the second appetizer.
I will be going back again next time I have a hankering for some good Italian food.