Restaurant Reviews
This is the coveted WINE GLASS! We use this symbol of the "Good Life" to rate our restaurants. The lowest we will post on this site is a rating of 3 and the highest a restaurant can receive is a rating of 5. Anything below 3 we will not mention as we are all about telling you WHERE to go, NOT where NOT to go. Chef Fred, the Fat Man - Kevin and the "CAFM" staff review every location to give you a well rounded review which you can hear every Saturday 5 - 7 pm on Chef and the Fat Man on AM1160. We hope you find this guide useful! All restuarant names which are underlined link to their websites! Also we always travel in style thanks to Maximum Limousine check them out with just a click!
Alessandro's Italian Cafe & Pizzeria10511 Bells Ferry RoadCanton, Ge 30114 (770) 345-4446 |
| We recently discovered a new Italian restaurante on Bells Ferry Road and were excited, at first, about finally finding a decent place near our home in Woodstock. Alas, it’s located in CANTON! Not surprising… Woodstock continues its dubious distinction, in our opinion, of being the culinary black hole of Georgia. With that said, we give a positive nod to Alessandro’s Italian Café & Pizzeria as a good place to satisfy your cravings for Italian cuisine. We’ve been there several times already and have had decent-to-good food each time. Alessandro’s is new, clean and nicely appointed. The open kitchen is well-managed by Frank, a true New York Italian, who offers his patrons many familia recipes. The service, however, has ranged between excellent and so-so. The restrooms are clean and maintained pretty well. Alessandro’s pizza is an above-average New York-style pie and, to their credit, the crust is a bit crispier on the bottom than most. But it is still a NY-style pizza. Before we go any further we must declare our bias (as we are devotees of the “REAL” pizza, Chicago-style thin and crispy, which is cut in squares and bagged) and state our opinion: pizza was never meant to be rolled up or eaten with a knife and fork! Having said as much, we found the toppings on Alessandro’s NY- style pizza were good, fresh, plentiful and fairly priced. One can hardly expect more. Alessandro’s menu is put together well, with a nice variety, and stays true to the restaurant’s name and theme. The appetizers are reasonably priced, too. But twice in our experience the apps were served cool-to-warm (not hot) and they suffered for it. On our first visit the sharp and experienced waitress suggested a house specialty: the fried beef and rice ball. Unfortunately it came out lukewarm-to-cool in the middle and was decidedly less firm than how the waitress described it. On our third visit the stuffed clams were, once again, barely warm. As a result the tasty filling was gummy and pasty – a big letdown. In contrast, the main dishes we’ve ordered have always come out hot and tasty. We give a HUGE kudo to Alessandro’s sausage, onions and peppers in an extremely tasty red sauce or “gravy” (depending on which side of the river you’re from) layered over a bed of penne pasta. The Zitti in meat sauce was also very good: savory, filling and served hot! Now, to the bread served before each meal… It’s an Italian bread with melted cheese, herbs, garlic and a slice of tomato, baked warm and wonderful. They’ll serve all you desire, but you’ll want to leave room for the entrees! The salads are somewhat less rewarding, though. Nice greens, but their presentation lacks color and imagination. Yes, they are only side salads, but Alessandro’s could put forth a little more effort here. During our first two visits we were blessed with an experienced waitress named Allison. She was informative and “sold” her food with authority, attentive without being overbearing, and was generally very personable. In short, she was excellent. On our most recent visit, however, the pleasant young lady who “served” us could have used a refresher course on such basics as timely follow-ups, refilling glasses, etc. Now this brings us to our final point, which is not intended to single out Alessandro’s. Many restaurants utilizing younger servers have the same problem, which we refer to as “Meerkat” syndrome. This is evident when a group of servers and busers gather off to the side, out of view of the management, to discuss the day’s news while customers wait… and wait… for service. When someone either enters the establishment, or a customer manages to catch their attention to ask for assistance, the “Meerkats” scramble quickly… only to regroup shortly afterward to continue their exchange. We offer this reminder to all “Meerkats”, no matter what the situation or how many tables are open: there is always something to do in a restaurant, whether it be cleaning, prepping or refilling condiments… Trust us, customers notice. Overall, with Frank making good pizzas and son-in-law Dwight handling the kitchen dishes, and with Frank’s wife and daughter fully integrated into the operation, this true Italian familia presents good food that’s fairly priced in a very nice atmosphere. With some work, Alessandro’s can truly be a VERY good restaurant. |
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We recommend giving this new Canton addition a try… We are proud to award Alessandro’s a 4.5 wine glass score (out of a 5-glass rating scale). We’ll be back!
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