Italian restaurant shows potential for satisfying experience despite disappointment

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Just two-and-a-half miles east of the Meridian Mall is a little treasure of a restaurant by the name of Spagnuolo’s Restaurant, 662 W. Grand River Ave., in Okemos. This Italian restaurant doesn’t strive to be anything it isn’t — and that’s a trait worth admiring.

With a friendly welcome, my guests and I sat down at our table and took in the calm simplicity of the room. I couldn’t imagine this restaurant ever losing its charm, the decorations were ageless and successfully pulled off a noticeable but not over-the-top Italian motif, with several tables around us sporting delicious looking pizzas as centerpieces.

The booths and tables were filled with large and small families, young and old couples and a regular named Joe — who was a well dressed older gentleman sitting by himself with a glass of red wine, surprisingly adding class and intrigue, as opposed to awkwardness.

We started with an appetizer, the antipasti plate. It was a large dish filled with sliced salamis, artichokes and — my favorite part — fresh mozzarella. Accompanied by focaccia bread and Italian dressing, this dish was a superb way to start our meal.

At this point, I was very excited to look over the menu for my entrée, which was a large collection of items consisting of several noodle dishes, many of which (impressively) were made there. The menu didn’t stop at pasta, however. There were fish, veal and pizza options as well. What I really appreciated was that half of the entrées were under $10 and the rest just about $11 or $12.

I decided on the mostacolli with Gorgonzola dish, and after adding mushrooms and chicken, I was prepared to feast.

When our entrées arrived, all looked fine. The presentation was simple and the bowls large. Unfortunately, my dish was not all I hoped for.

The Gorgonzola was very strong, the chicken rather bland and the tomatoes lacked any hint of sweetness. This very well could have been because of a personal preference, but to me, the bottom line was the dish lacked flavor.

My guests were very happy with their Italian baked cod and Spedini pasta dishes.

Determined not to let my entrée get me down, I hoped as I continued eating the taste would grow on me, and, while it was by no means bad, I was simply expecting more. I’ll be excited to try the pizza or lasagna next time.

And there are more reasons I’ll be back — I’ll definitely have to arrive hungry for the all-you-can-eat pasta on Wednesday, served with soup or salad and focaccia bread. It’s less than $6 — a better deal than fast food.

But this meal wasn’t over yet — we still needed to get dessert. We chose tiramisu and a turtle cheesecake, both of which were pleasant desserts and under $5. We also enjoyed fresh coffee with plenty of refills.

Despite my sub-par mostacolli dish, I’m convinced Spagnuolo’s offers some good food at great prices. The restaurant is casual enough for families yet still very doable for a nice dinner date.

It’s the comfortable atmosphere and fabulous prices that make Spagnuolo’s a restaurant worth multiple visits.

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