Salvatore's Italian Grill

Every so often -- more specifically, when our supply of wine starts to run low -- we'll make a run for the Michael Charles Premier Wine Shops on East Market Street (aka "Old Route 82) in Howland Township. There, after consulting with longtime friend and owner Mike Lapmardo and perhaps enjoying a sample of a wine or two that he recommends, we'll fill up a case, pack it in the trunk of our car and head back home.

Sometimes, we'll make another stop on our way back home to Niles, usually for lunch. Such was the case shortly before Christmas, when we were at the wine shop restocking our supply as well as picking up a handful of bottles for gifts. The restaurant we chose -- Salvatore's Italian Grill -- has been a favorite for many years; what's more, it's located in the same strip plaza as the wine shop. How's that for convenience?

I can't tell you how long we've enjoyed eating at Salvatore's -- basically from the time it first opened. Although we don't eat out as often as we used to, we still consider ourselves to be "regulars." Now, though, we sometimes head to Austintown, where Salvatore's has a second restaurant in the building that for years was home to The Lodge. For the record, Salvatore's also operates a pizzeria in Eastwood Mall in Niles.

Fact is, we've been to the Austintown location more often that the "old" place in Howland, so our first surprise was the wonderful job that's been done on remodeling. What once was a tiny bar area with a couple of chairs for diners waiting for a table has been transformed into a lovely, rather intimate lounge, complete with a fancy schmancy bar and several booths and tables. Had there been room for us, we'd have opted to eat here in a heartbeat; but we arrived not long after the noon lunch hour and only a tiny table remained empty. Oh well, we said -- guess we'll just have to come back.

The restaurant side has been revamped extensively as well, although the change isn't quite as dramatic. Still, if memory serves us well, we found new tables, booths and other decorations that are much more attractive than before. There was plenty of room here, and we were seated immediately. Since we'd been tasting wine at Charlie's, we figured we'd better stick with that, ordering the house cabernet (my husband Jack) and chardonnay (me). Neither was anything to write home about, but they were quite doable nonetheless. And, we were quite surprised and pleased to learn that a substantial sized glass (I'd guess close to double what most restaurants consider a glass of wine) costs just $3.95. Other wines are available, of course, for those who have more discerning palates and more discretionary income than we do.

Salvatore's has, in Jack's humble opinion, the best chicken cacciatore (whoops, excuse me: Pollo Alla Cacciatore), or boneless chicken breast sauteed in marinara sauce with mushrooms, green peppers and fresh tomatoes over spaghetti for $12.95. It's not listed on the lunch menu, but our server assured him anything he wanted could be prepared. My favorite, Penne All' Arrabiata ($12.95), isn't on the lunch menu either (for the record, it's penne paste with prosciutto in spicy marinara sauce for $12.95; and yes, they'll be happy to make it even spicier for the some who like it hot, like me).

In the end, I decided on another of my favorites, Penne Alla Vodka at $13.95 -- penne pasta in a delicious cream sauce with prosciutto, shallots and vodka. Jack, however, opted to try something new to him from the vegetarian specialties section: For $9.95, he got to pick one of several types of pasta (linguini, penne, spaghetti, cavatelli or, for $1 more, ghocchi) plus a vegetable (he picked grilled mushrooms but could have asked for asparagus, spinach, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes or eggplant).

Entrees here come with soup or tossed salad plus fresh-baked garlic rolls and pizza bread. We both chose soup -- clam chowder for Jack and wedding for me. While we sipped our wine and waited for the soup, our server brought a basket overflowing with the breads. I must caution that it's easy to fill up on these items; even before the soup arrived, Jack polished off every single one of the pizza bread chunks and I'd mowed down the garlic rolls by one. Even though we both know we should restrain ourselves, we're always unable to resist.

Then came the soups -- and both were fairly substantial bowls (much more than the cup most restaurants serve up). The clam chowder was rather thick and a lovely shade of pinkish-orange (no, that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the taste, but it sure is pretty). Salvatore's wedding soup to me is among the best I can get anywhere, filled with those teeny-tiny round dots of pasta (the name always escapes me -- acini de pepe, perhaps?) plus finely chopped greens, carrots, onions, chicken and tiny round meatballs in a delicious chicken broth.

By the time the entrees came -- and they were timed perfectly for delivery just as we were polishing off our soups -- we knew we'd overstepped our capacity and (oh drat!) would end up with plenty to bring home. Jack's veggie pasta was quite tasty, and the Penne Alla Vodka was just as delicious as I'd remembered (I always add hot pepper seeds to spice it up a bit more). Hard as we tried, neither of us could finish much more than half, so the rest -- and a couple of leftover garlic rolls -- went straight into boxes and, as we expected, were just as yummy for lunch the next day.

Needless to say, there are plenty of other things to love about Salvatore's, especially if you love Italian food. For an appetizer, how about Vongole Al Vino Bianco, or clams sauteed in garlic and olive oil with either white wine or red sauce over garlic rolls ($8.95)? The oven-baked entrees are especially wonderful here -- Stuffed Shells Al Forno ($10.95), Lasagna Classico ($11.95), for instance -- and the Linguini Anacapri, or shrimp, calamari, mussels and clams sauteed in white wine or marinara sauce is outstanding ($15.95). For lunch, try hot or cold sub sandwiches, including Philly steaks, or even a burger. The kiddies aren't left out, either; Salvatore's takes a somewhat unique approach to the children's menu by offering any "adult" entree at half price.

If you go:

Salvatore's Italian Grill
8720 E. Market St.
Warren Ohio 44484
(330) 609-7777
www.salvatoresgrill.com

-or-

4831 Mahoning Ave.
Austintown, Ohio 44515
(330) 799-2285

Open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sunday noon to 8 p.m.