by Shandea Williams
Daily Lobo
It's difficult to find a restaurant with authentic recipes and excellent service.
Paisano's is as authentic as your Italian grandmother's cooking. When everything is made from scratch, it results in a noticeably positive experience.
I sampled three homemade breads: focaccia, olive loaf and a standard roll. They were excellent by themselves and better when dunked in oil.
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Nearly every appetizer, pasta dish, pizza and dessert could be ordered gluten free. I don't eat gluten free, but it was extraordinary to see the options for those with the celiac disease or those who want to avoid gluten.
If you are a fan of garlic bread, the roasted garlic bruschetta on toast ($8.50) will fill your mouth with an explosion of flavor. The long, toasted pieces of bread come with garlic bulbs, goat cheese, capers and roasted peppers.
After making a sufficient dent in my appetizer, I tried a few of their signature pasta dishes. You can order a half portion a la carte or the full portion, which comes with a soup or salad.
Unlike most restaurants that buy pasta pre-made, Paisano's rolls, cuts and cooks the pasta as you order it.
The linguini alla livorno ($9.75 for a half plate or $16.50 for a full plate) proved to be the best light Italian food I have ever tasted. Instead of a cream or marinara sauce, Paisano's uses a white wine olive oil sauce with chicken, capers, artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes and kalamata olives. You can finish it without feeling too full.
The linguini with white clam sauce ($10.25 or $18.50) is special because the fresh clams are prepared in their own stock. If pasta isn't quite what you're looking for, Paisano's has a veal alla piccata ($22.95) that includes sautÇed mushrooms, capers, veal stock and lemon served with a side of spaghetti marinara and vegetables.
Paisano's also has homemade pizza starting at $6.95 for a 10-inch pie. The restaurant has the true meat lover's pizza: Canadian bacon, pepperoni and Italian sausage, and you can even put Paisano's homemade meatballs on top.
The extensive dessert menu had my sweet tooth in a frenzy. I had to try the flourless chocolate torte with raspberry sauce ($5.25). It was extremely rich, and the raspberry sauce gave it a fruity sweet and sour edge. If you are chocolate crazy, try the triple chocolate mousse ($5.25). White chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate mousses stacked on top of each other served with raspberry sauce and whipped cream is tasty.
If Italian is calling you for lunch or dinner, come by for some wine and traditional Italian food. I doubt you'll go back to the other stuff.
Suggestions
Roasted garlic bruschetta
Linguini alla livorno
Gluten-free pizza
Linguini with white clam sauce
Chicken breast alfredo
Triple chocolate mousse
Paisano's
1935 Eubank Blvd. N.E.
Monday-Friday
11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., 5-9:30 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday
5-10 p.m.
