hands down, moretti's is my favorite italian restaurant in town. if you're planning to go, i'd recommend making reservations a night or two in advance. the ratio of devoted moretti's clientele to square footage makes for few available walk in seats on a weekend and most weeknights. the fiance and i have speculated that moretti's could remove their sign and still probably do a brisk business for at least a couple of years. due to its inauspicious location and lack of advertising, moretti's just might be columbus' best kept dining secret.the ambiance is dark and romantic, and while the dining room is nice, it's not overly so, the focus here is on food. food and great service. the wait staff consistently delivers excellent attention to detail and are more than happy to accommodate special requests.
the menu offers plenty of delicious housemade pastas, excellent entree salads and italian standards like: chicken, eggplant & veal parmigiana, veal scalloppini, lasagna, and housemade pizzas. moretti's house sauce is rich, chunky and chocked full of garlic. they offer fresh baked bread with an addictive garlic herb butter.
although the prices are reasonable ($14-$26 for an entree, included is a choice of soup or salad) moretti's offers some excellent weeknight specials:
monday - all chicken entrees $13 (includes salad or soup)
tuesday - casseroles and ravioli $11 (includes salad or soup)
wednesday -any pasta or penne dish $9 (includes salad or soup)
thursday - specials offered in bar only
i've tasted the majority of the menu, here are some of my favorites (as mentioned above, the atmosphere is very dark, the quality of the pictures reflects that):
housemade pasta: the pasta is just right. the texture and flavor of the pasta are great and it's the perfect match for moretti's sauce.green bean appetizer: crisp green beans sauteed in olive oil and a generous amount of garlic. the skin just begins to caramelize but the center of the bean is still crisp and juicy. so good.
crumbled sausage: sausage with peppers and mushrooms over penne in a cream sauce. the rich and spicy sausage & peppers meld beautifully with the cream sauce. penne is al dente, never overcooked. ask for it with extra hot peppers (grilled banana peppers) if you dare. it sounds like a heart attack on a plate and it is, but i can't imagine a dish more worth the gamble.
fettuccini: housemade spinach noodles (to die for) served with a delicate yet rich cream sauce.vegetable pizza: the crust has a nice combination of crispy/doughy consistency and is topped with roasted vegetables like red peppers, zucchini, mushrooms and onions. it comes with gorgonzola, but i always have them hold the cheese. the veggies and sauce are so good, it doesn't need anthing else.
traditional lasagne: all of the elements of moretti's lasagne taste fresh and distinct. the pasta is cooked to the perfect al dente, the ricotta is rich and mixed with fresh herbs and the sauce is outstanding. i like that this isn't a big gooey mess of cheese and overcooked noodles like some other italian places in town. the vegetable lasagne is also excellent, covered in freshly sauteed, al dente vegetables.
cheese ravioli: the four raviolis served in this dish are large enough for about two and a half meals. i usually finish one of them and a meatball and i'm full. the ravioli are made with either housemade spinach or tradional pasta and are stuffed with lots of soft ricotta and fresh herbs. the cheese to pasta ratio is very high. yum!
wild salmon or grilled chicken salad: this has to be one of the best salads around. choose either grilled chick or salmon to go over a huge portion of romain, roasted red peppers, green beans and pasta tossed in moretti's house made italian vinaigrette. delicious and huge. good for splitting, which moretti's is happy to do.
2 comments:
Also in the Tremont Shopping Center in UA (next to the best shoe repair place in town)
the two moretti's are similar but not operated by the same management. i have read that the two brothers that own the restaurants had a falling out that lead to them separating the business that was once all owned by their mother. the sauce is basically the same at both locations though.
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