Been twice and I'd say it is the best traditional-style Italian in the east end. Pasta Piatto may have equally good food but their atmosphere is cramped and uninteresting and their prices are higher. La Cucina Flegrea is not what I'd call traditional red-sauce kind of place, though I really love it there. D'Amico's and Mariani's are not as good as Zarra's. Maybe Alexander's is as good, but I have eaten there too many times by now to consider it special. Lombardozzi's is worth going to if you want a big piece of veal and if you want to speculate on how many guys the don at the next table has had iced, but I have only been there once, long ago. Last time I went to Zarra's I had big homemade raviolis filled with ricotta and ground angus beef and they were terriffic. The owner is always there and always makes sure your table is being well served. The decor is kitschy and sweet. They have basic dishes done extremely well.
Pittsburgh, PA
Can't say enough about Zarra's
In article , "lewd alcindor" Someone wrote: > Been twice and I'd say it is the best traditional-style Italian in the east > end. Pasta Piatto may have equally good food but their atmosphere is > cramped and uninteresting and their prices are higher. La Cucina Flegrea is > not what I'd call traditional red-sauce kind of place, though I really love > it there. D'Amico's and Mariani's are not as good as Zarra's. Maybe > Alexander's is as good, but I have eaten there too many times by now to > consider it special. Lombardozzi's is worth going to if you want a big > piece of veal and if you want to speculate on how many guys the don at the > next table has had iced, but I have only been there once, long ago. > > Last time I went to Zarra's I had big homemade raviolis filled with ricotta > and ground angus beef and they were terriffic. The owner is always there > and always makes sure your table is being well served. The decor is kitschy > and sweet. They have basic dishes done extremely well. I am split on Zarra's. I love their food and would go there for food any time. Their service sucked BIG-TIME the last two times I was there (and 2 other times when the service was only mediocre, not awful). It took 3 hours for a table of 6 to have dinner, including 45 minutes to get two pieces of cake and some hot tea (how hard is it to make tea). We were the only table left by the time we ordered dessert, so it wasn't the rush holding them up. I was really sad because I do like their food, but I can't bear to suffer through another night of that know-it-all guy (owner's son) sitting at a table bullshitting while we wait for him to bring our dessert. He loves to chat up the customers, but I could do wwith less chat and more service. I like the spinach pasta - heat hot pepper flakes & garlic in oil until the garlic is almost going to burn, then fling all of the spinach (dew-drenched from being washed) in on top to slow down the pan. Toss and serve with pasta. Yum! Everything I've ever eaten there was good. Tell me it is not the son of the owners waiting tables, or that they have a larger staff, and I'd consider going back. I might have a harder time getting my spousal equivalent or any of the other people to go... They seem to do a huge take-out business, the local aprtment buildings, etc. Christine