Fodor's 15 of the Best Italian Restaurants in the United States
 

I imagine this comment may irritate some, but ... how can any such list not include any restaurants from the Northeast, where the best Italian eating has been established for many years? Nothing from New York (Roberto's, Esca), Nothing from Philadelphia (Le Virtu, Vetri), nothing from Boston (Rino's, Giacomo's). But there are entries from Salt Lake City, Boulder, and Nashville, where it's hard to find anyone with a name ending in a vowel?

Disappointing list!

You made me go to front page. Amber seems to be a LA/West Coast young lady. Maybe she has never ventured to the north end of Boston or to South Philly. NYC has so many to pick from. I looked at her Instagram account. Chicago did get a mention.

To be fair it is 15 OF the best, not the 15 best.

FWIW, I think the restaurants in Boston’s North End to be wildly overrated.

I don't think your comment is irritating, but you really can't compare the restaurants on the list to a few you mentioned. I've been to a couple in North End of Boston and it's a totally different experience than going to Barolo Grill in Denver where you're not going to find a chicken parm or linguine with clams on the menu. My friend with a vowel at the end of his name would likely say Frasca in Boulder is one of the best Italian restaurants he's been to, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like a good lasagna.

Never been to any on the list. I like Dan Tana’s in LA and Original Joe’s in SF which should tell you my taste in Italian restaurants lol.

Who cares? Lists. Big deal. I am going to publish my grocery list.


Thin,aristocrat 🦌

Ristorante Pesto in Philly ... il nostro ristorante italiano numero uno!

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/ris...iladelphia-pa/

Mrs Z loves Olive Garden. Well, the one in St Cloud.

+1.

I hope the mods move this out of the lounge and into the US forum.

why?

Her last name doesn't end in a vowel I am guessing. :p

One of my college roommates was from St. Cloud. I waitressed at the Olive Garden in college...the one in Fargo.

When I was in my 20s, there was an Olive Garden near my office and I frequently went for the unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks.

Let me tell you, as a server, I loathed unlimited soup, salad, and breadsticks, and the September promotion for the never-ending pasta bowl. ;)

I don't blame you lol, but now I want to try it again for the nostalgia. I promise I was never one of those awful people, maybe an extra breadstick, but I'm sure you have stories. I don't think I ever ordered anything else from the menu.

I take it you have zero familiarity with Vetri.

My favorite after shift meal: breadsticks with alfredo sauce and a slice of frozen tiramisu. The good old days...when I had a college kid's metabolism.

No, I haven't been there and probably won't unless I go to their Las Vegas location. Notice I said "a few" of the restaurants that were mentioned by the OP, which you likely wouldn't find comparable to Vetri.

How in the world does Olive Garden get on a thread about the best Italian restaurants in the United States?

Exactly. I mean, Giacamo’s? Heck, when I think North End I think mediocre.

I think most folks in Philadelphia like to go to a jawn like Ralph's or the Moshulu for Italian.

I like French food and died inside when The Fountain at the Four Seasons closed. I never really liked Le Bec Fin. Those cloches were just too de trop for the Quakers.

Thin,aristocrat 🦌

If you do go, it’s a wonderful dining experience and miles from the chicken parm and lasagna type spots. I’ve been to Barolo and while it’s excellent, it is not at the level of Cucina Vetri. It’s inevitable that articles like this will incite debate over restaurant preferences.

Does ANYONE still go to Moshulu? It was a quirky destination in the 80’s frequented by people who were intrigued by the idea of dining on a boat and didn’t mind mediocre food. I’m surprised it hasn’t sunk into the Delaware.

Nothing to do with Italian food but your reference to dining on a boat reminded me of an experience we had way back in the late 80s in Toronto. We were walking around the Harbourfront and came across Captain John's which was a restaurant on a ship docked at the harbour. We decided to give it a try. Oh my gosh it was quite the experience. It was dark and dank. The decor looked like it hadn't been updated (or cleaned) in 30 years. The food was just as bad or maybe even worse. As we were being escorted to our seats there was a couple leaving and we heard the wife say to her husband "that was the worst meal in my life." I guess we should have taken her words to heart. lol At least, though, it gave us a story that we've recounted and laughed about many times.

Birdie - 😄 Moshulu is not Italian, and whatever cuisine it serves, is semi-mediocre.

This post also caused me to go look at the main Fodor's page.

The very first restaurant listed, Casa Don Alfonso, JUST opened in St. Louis, like 5 minutes ago, hasn't even been reviewed yet. So I am very suspicious of all the choices now.

We lived part time in Philly in 2014 and sadly could never get a res at Vetri.

True Italian for me is super simple, not overly spicy or full of garlic. I dream of the pesto in Cinque Terre served on top of simple pasta, grilled eggplant, and a glass of vino.

frozen tiramisu? I can imagine gellato tiramisu but just frozen?

Moved to US board