$8-$17 Entrees
My mother has an appreciation for good food. In fact, my whole family does. All we do when we get together is talk, cook and eat. It would be nice if we had the excuse of being Italian, but we don't. However, we especially love Italian cuisine. During a time of family crisis, my mother and I needed a place to sit for a long chat and stuff ourselves with palliatives. We found the perfect trattoria.
DeVinci's, a family owned restaurant open since 1965, is famous for its robust, satisfying pizzas, both gourmet and traditional. After squeezing into a woefully inadequate parking lot, we walked through the door and followed our waitress across the faux-weathered floor to one of the rickety tables. The unfortunate stucco walls were a garish yellow and sported a hodgepodge of DaVinci and Gaugin prints.
DeVinci's, a family owned restaurant open since 1965, is famous for its robust, satisfying pizzas, both gourmet and traditional. After squeezing into a woefully inadequate parking lot, we walked through the door and followed our waitress across the faux-weathered floor to one of the rickety tables. The unfortunate stucco walls were a garish yellow and sported a hodgepodge of DaVinci and Gaugin prints.
My mother is as slow as Christmas when making menu selections. Our patient waitress came back three times before we submitted our order. As everything at DeVinci's is made from scratch, I expected a long wait; however, both the preparation and service were prompt.
Black olives are my least favorite food. My mother, however, eats them directly from the can. Both of us considered the stuffed olives at DeVinci's to be golden nuggets from the gods. Tre formaggi and flash fried in focaccia bread crumbs, they are worth fighting over. I was surprised by the size of our stuffed mushrooms, each at least three inches in diameter. These bounteous buttons, filled with herbs and superior mozzarella, were served with fresh marinara. Our physical surroundings were entirely forgotten.
We took the road less traveled and ordered pasta dishes instead of DeVinci's famous pizza. The baked ziti was brought forth in all its glory, crowned with a golden crust of extremely stretchy mozzarella. My mother made incoherent sounds of ecstasy while consuming this fresh pasta and tasty meat sauce. While eating the rondelle, however, I began to understand why many DeVinci customers have been loyal for over 40 years. Take thin sheets of pasta spread with creamed spinach, crushed walnuts and ricotta. Roll and slice them like sushi. Over each spiral, pour homemade Alfredo. Each one was the last word in decadence, and the last, and the last. DeVinci's has every reason to be proud of this original recipe.
My mother and I split one dessert and planned to take one to my spouse. After two glasses of really good wine (St. Gabriel Riesling and Penfolds Shiraz), I was inordinately excited to learn that tiramisu means "little pick-me-up". We ate the first ample serving of layered lady fingers, mascarpone filling and sweetened espresso. Then we opened my spouse's box and ate that one too. The tiramisu, while delicious, could have been improved with kahlua.
Our waitress, who feted us with the level of hospitality usually reserved for celebrities, rolled us to our car after our culinary debauch. We hope to return to DeVinci's soon. Perhaps in the spring to dine al fresco.
4 Kudzu 
