Alimento

Alimento, Stop #27, is more of an upscale convenient store than a restaurant, but since it does serve lunch & has seating it qualifies for the Columbus journey. They offer most things you would expect of a convenient store plus gelato & freshly made sammies. They have an extensive sammy menu and the ones I’ve had have all been tasty, just a little on the pricier side at $9.95. They do have a club card, so buy 10 and your next one is free. I consumed my fifth one yesterday. The caprese- mozzarella, tomatoes, basil and balsamic on dutch crunch bread. Good flavors and they don’t skimp on the cheese, which is always a plus in my book. The owner is awesome, once he knows you he greets you with open arms- literally. So if you need some snack items, drinks, gelato or sammies to go or sit and eat quickly this is the place for you. They also sell lotto tix if that’s your fix. 

Caffe DeLucchi

Caffe DeLucchi, stop #26, will always hold a special place in my heart . It was the first place I went to brunch after moving to NB. It was a beautiful crisp day in January, and I  dined with my bff. I had the polenta with pulled pork and it was amazing. Quite a different experience two years later- it was a chilly night and I dined with four colleagues. The food was really good, but it wasn’t mind blowing. We started with the burrata special. Creamy burrata on top of a pesto covered crostini with arugula and poached pear. AH-MA-ZING. I could have eaten another order of this myself and been completely satisfied. We also had carpaccio & bruschetta. Both were good, but the bruschetta was essentially just diced tomatoes, not very flavorful. Josh said it was ideal for those who want a pile of chopped tomatoes. Joey and I split the spinaci salad- baby spinach with bacon, candied pecans, tomatoes, and goat cheese in a warm balsamic vinaigrette. As Joey said this was quite lovely. The warm dressing with the cold salad was a great contrast. For the main course John & I both ordered the risotto al pesto. It was tasty, the grilled shrimp were slightly in the spicy side and I liked the subtle flavoring of the pistachio pesto. Josh had the lasagna with eggplant, which was a special of the day. He seemed to enjoy it. Jacob had the ravioli in Bolognese sauce. He thought it was a little bland compared to the starters. Joey had the saltimbocca- veal cutlet with prosciutto & mozzarella in sage & veal reduction. He thought the veal was average, but loved the potatoes, which took him by surprise. To finish we had huckleberry cheesecake. It was very interesting considering I had never had a huckleberry before. It was smooth & not too tart, good bite to end the meal on. The atmosphere & service at DeLucchi are great. I prefer the brunch menu and sitting outside on a sunny day.

http://www.caffedelucchi.com/

Pantarei better back in the day

Pantarei, stop #25, was good, but used to be much better. I’ve eaten here a handful of times over the past two years and the first couple of times I dined there I really enjoyed my meal. This has not been the case the last few times. Not sure if they have a new chef or what, but something has definitely changed. It’s now good not great, this was the consensus with my dinner companions as well. Jason & I split the Caesar salad, it was standard. For my main dish I had the soup of the day, a lobster bisque with shrimp. The three shrimp were the best part, the bisque was good, but extremely rich. Goose had the tre paste (3 kinds of pasta): ravioli in cream, penne in pink & gnocchi in red sauces. I’ve had this before and the penne in pink was great, so I was looking forward to having a bite. Unfortunately this has changed too, it wasn’t penne it was bow tie, and it was good, not great. Jason had the osso buco special. He echoed the theme of the night saying that his meal was good not great. I do love the atmosphere here, we were able to watch the Warriors game, and the service is amazing. In the future this will probably just be a place I go to for drinks & appys.

http://www.pantareirestaurant.com/

Go Greco Go

I go to Caffe Greco, stop #24, at least once a week. Not only is it right across the street from my house, it is where I meet my boss for meetings. In fact it is so close to me that I can use my home wireless internet, which I often do. Not only is Greco great for conducting business meetings and getting work done on your lapper, it’s also great for coffee/tea, sammies, salads, and desserts. I’m a big fan of their paninis, but today I went the healthy route and ordered a chicken salad. It was really good. Tons of tender chicken strips, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce in a balsamic vinaigrette. The flavors were great, but next time I would request for them to go easy on the dressing. Another menu item I abso love there is the Chai Tea Latte. This is usually my go to during my weekly meetings. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is quiet and spacious, with low festive music playing in the background. Keep in mind that Greco is cash only.   

http://www.caffegreco.com/

Caffe Puccini

Stop #23 Caffe Puccini was my friend Karen’s first & last CC adventure because she moved to West Virginia. I was happy her farewell dinner could be on my CC journey. Although, Caffe Puccini is more of a breaky/lunch place in my opinion. We both had the minestrone soup, which was really good. Extremely hot & hearty. I ordered a grilled chicken salad and when I asked what came on it, our waiter wasn’t sure, but I went ahead with it anyway. Unfortunately it was full of peppers, which I’m not a fan of, but after picking through those it was decent. Karen had the antipasti caprese. This was enough for two people and came with all kinds of goodies: mozzarella, tomatoes, prosciutto, fried eggplant, artichoke hearts, peppers, and olives. She thought it was filling, yet still light and loved the combo of flavors as she stacked different items together. Our waiter was really attentive and friendly and didn’t even flinch when he took our picture while we were getting photo bombed by three girls walking by outside (see photo above)! We finished the meal with a slice of delightful cheesecake. If you are just looking for dessert, it is good & inexpensive there. Overall, I probably wouldn’t go back here for dinner, maybe just dessert or to grab a salad or tea to go. Thanks for joining me Karen, and good luck, you will be missed!

3 out of 5 Ciabatta loaves