Out to eat: Pitrelli's Italian Café

Veal and prosciutto tortellini (left) and antipasta at Pitrelli's Italian Café. (Credit: Jeff Swinger | Metromix)

The number of Italian family-style chain restaurants seems larger than ever these days, offering the same food and "authenticity." But when you enter a real family-style Italian restaurant such as Pitrelli's - complete with its cozy surroundings and a violinist (!) - you realize how much you miss by not having the real deal. Recently the restaurant moved across the street - the new spot allows for private parties and an expanded drinks list. I took Anne to check out the new locale in downtown Mason.

The mood: What struck me about Pitrelli's was how immediately welcomed we felt upon entering the restaurant. The ambiance is lively and carefree, the bar brimming with conversations and laughter. The violinist, who had just taken a break, even made a passing comment to us about the size of the crowd at the bar. The main difference between this new location and the previous spot is that Pitrelli's is now stocked with a full bar.

We were taken away from this bustling atmosphere to a quieter spot for our table. While I appreciated the privacy of our area, part of me wanted to return to the excitement of the main room. However, that notion would be fleeting - as our friendly waiter started hinting at what we could expect from the menu, it hit me that the food would be the main event of the night.

The food: It had been a long time since either Anne or I had been to an Italian restaurant and we wanted to do it right. The waiter brought us a basket of focaccia bread along with what he called their famous garlic butter. One taste and it became immediately apparent why - the smooth, flavorful butter would likely make even stale rye bread taste fantastic. We decided to get the homemade bruschetta pizza ($7.95) as an appetizer and it served that purpose perfectly. The emphasis here was on the pizza aspect - the toppings weren't piled high like traditional bruschetta, which made it significantly easier to eat, and it came with its own pizza cutter, allowing us to cut the dish however we pleased.

Fighting my temptation to get the house specialty, eggplant parmesan, I ordered the special. I rarely get the special at any restaurant, but this one sounded too good to pass up: spinach ravioli stuffed with artichokes and cheese, and topped with a flavorful diced tomato sauce ($19.75). The tastes combined for an incredible pasta dish that perfectly balanced heartiness and gourmet flavor.

Our waiter noted that everything on the menu was staff-recommended or suggested by friends of proprietors Jim and Linda Pitrelli. This added another nice personal touch. Anne tried the other curiosity on the menu, one recommended by the evocatively named September: the seafood tomato carbonara ($20.75), a combination of fettucini in a bacon, olive oil and onion tomato sauce topped with giant scallops and shrimp. She really liked that the sauce wasn't too rich and that the bacon didn't dominate.

Too full to even contemplate dessert, we were nevertheless tempted by treats offered by the adjoining Auntie Mimie's Bakery, including a crème brûlée cheesecake or tiramisu.

The drinks: We split a bottle of the Arancio Nero d' Avila ($20). Anne usually doesn't like the heaviness of most red wines; however we both enjoyed this wine's fruity flavor and spicy, but not bitter, finish.

The verdict: While we were a bit overcome by the prices, we were intrigued to know that you can get a selection of their exquisitely prepared dishes, a bottle of wine and a dessert for $49.50 on Couples' Night Wednesday. We agreed that we would definitely be back again.