Molto bene!

Go to Dino’s for friendly ambiance and delicious Italian cuisine

By Bernie Whitmore

November 2004 – If you ask a group of Worcesterites to name the best local Italian restaurant, be ready for a debate as hot as molten cheese on a pizza. This area has so many good Italian eateries to choose from, each with its own specialty, that it’s almost impossible to say which one is the very best. Dino’s Ristorante, which is frequently picked “Best Restaurant” in local newspaper reader polls, is one of my favorites.

On a recent weeknight, a friend and I were seated without delay at Dino’s, but normally you should expect to wait a quarter hour or so. Italian music was being drowned out by dinner conversations and explosions of laughter from a table near us. Dino’s may have its intimate corners, but for the most part it’s a casual place to meet friends or family and have fun.

While we looked over the menu and wine list, our waitress left us with a variety of things to nibble on, some expected and some surprising. We whet our appetites on the large slices of crusty Italian bread dipped in olive oil and the rich juicy olives, which were tumbled next to a mound of marinated chopped fresh tomatoes and onions. We also dug into the bean dip — I wish I had a more elegant name for it. Imagine an Italian version of hummus made with white beans, grated cheese, a squeeze of lemon and a murmur of garlic. Elegant peasant food!

Anticipating rich Italian cuisine, wine seemed in order. My glass of Montepulciano Riserva ($5.50) was described as a “big blousy red.” Its rich concentration of deep red berry flavor was deepened further with echoes of chocolate and smooth tannins. My guest’s Barbera d’Asti Superiore ($6.25) was more subdued with cherry spice flavors.

Our appetizer, Fried Calamari Calabrese Style ($9), was a large platter of fried breaded rings of calamari served over a bed of spicy sliced peppers, accompanied by a cup of cold horseradish cocktail sauce. The frying was perfect: no oil taste competed with the delicate flavor of the fish. The portion, however, was too large for one person; consider this is a dish to be shared.Dino’s entrees come with soup or salad. Now unless you’re dining with rabbits, get one salad and share it. My salad was a deep bowl of colorful crunchy greens tossed with ribbons of bright red cabbage, cucumber slices and tomato wedges. Normally I’m suspicious of anything labeled balsamic vinegar because it’s been faked beyond recognition, but Dino’s balsamic vinaigrette dressing had the rich concentration of flavors one expects from the ‘real thing.’

My guest slurped his cup of Chicken Rice Soup. Anyone can open a can, but Dino’s makes their soup the honest way. The result was something my guest didn’t want to miss a drop of.

Soon our entrees arrived. Across the table, my companion’s Veal Parmesan ($15) came with a bowl of rigatoni. He requested it with Bolognese sauce. The deep tomato flavor and chunks of flaky beef made it worth the extra three bucks. The veal was classically prepared featuring tender juicy cutlets coated with crumbs and pan fried.

My entrée, Stuffed Eggplant ($14), came in an oven-hot silver baking dish and featured thin slices of eggplant floured, fried and rolled around a delicate blend of ricotta cheese and chopped spinach, which I had matched with a bowl of linguine. Eggplant is one of my favorites (especially this treatment of it), and I don’t know of any local restaurant that does it better than Dino’s.

Our waitress tried to interest us in dessert, but to no avail — we couldn’t even finish our entrees! The portions were so large I had to rearrange my refrigerator in order to stow the leftovers.

As I walked out into the cool autumn evening, I realized that such great service, friendly ambiance and delicious Italian cuisine are the reason Dino’s Ristorante is at the top of my list!