At Scotti’s, a romantic evening can be had in the middle of the afternoon
Walk into Scotti’s Italian Restaurant on a weekday afternoon – and day will suddenly turn to night. The main light source in the darkened dining room, with its famous mosaic tile walls, is burning candles plunged into old chianti bottles. Italian opera plays over the speakers as couples and coworkers sit together having the kind of leisurely conversations usually reserved for dinner.
At Scotti’s, a romantic evening can be had in the middle of the afternoon. Step away from your cubicle and you can enter a scene out of the movie "Moonstruck" or "Lady and the Tramp."
Lunch at Scotti's is a theatrical experience, and the fact that this 110-year-old red sauce joint is available to us in the middle of the day makes it magical. It might surprise you that Scotti’s is open for lunch. It surprised me the first time I pulled on the old red door and saw co-owner Marco DiMarco sitting at a table with a pile of paperwork before welcoming me inside.
Order the garlic bread because you should always order garlic bread. It's pillowy on the inside and slathered in butter and garlic and memories. Get the lasagna or the manicotti. It’s all pretty good. And even if it’s not perfect, you’ll want to come back again.
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Have you never been to Scotti’s? Then, by all means, log off of your computer and go right now. Give yourself an hour or so for lunch so you don't feel rushed. Bring a favorite coworker, call your spouse, or just go by yourself and disappear for a while. Let yourself melt like those candles into an Italian America you thought was long gone but, here, is still very much alive.
When you walk outside, the sunlight will blind you and it will be morning all over again.
919 Vine St., Downtown; 513-721-9484, scottisitalianrestaurant.com.
Highly Recommended is a weekly spotlight on some of food writer Keith Pandolfi's favorite finds as he eats his way across Greater Cincinnati. Find more of his recent food writing here.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Scotti's Italian Restaurant: A Highly Recommended lunch in Cincinnati
