First Impression

John: When I pulled into the parking lot, I thought the building looked like a giant gray barn. Now, I wasn’t raised on a farm, so I could be way off on this, but the outside of the building just had a weird look. However, once you get inside, you’ll know you’re at an Italian restaurant. Thanks to its decoration, lighting and color scheme, Provino’s has an old world feel. What is an old world feel exactly? I felt that if Christopher Columbus walked into Provino’s in 2009, he would not feel out of place. And he wouldn’t feel out of place until he walked outside and saw cars, roads, electricity, airplanes, gas stations and running water. Also, I think I should mention that the booths/seating are really close together, so you may want to keep gossiping and the spreading of salacious rumors to a minimum.

Copsey: We definitely had the strange urge to keep our voices down. There was a feeling in the air like we were in a library, only instead of people studying Keats or the alcohol content of grapefruit, they must have been studying their food. The booths may have contributed to this feeling, since they have high backs and are pretty thick – it’s almost like eating in a little room.

John: B+  
Copsey: B+

Appetizers

John: Provino’s has something that everyone loves: free food. Minutes after you’re seated, some complimentary garlic bread and salad will make its way to your table. This wasn’t your typical free salad either. I’ve found that most free salads consist of lettuce, three pounds of shredded cheese and half of a tomato. Restaurants think customers won’t care because the food is free. Not Provino’s though. Their salad consisted of mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers; I might have even seen a leek, but there were so many ingredients, I just can’t be sure. I can be sure that it tasted good. As for the garlic bread, it was covered in garlic. Now you’re probably thinking, ‘what in the name of former President James Monroe were you expecting, John?’ Well I was expecting some garlic, but not this much. I’ve heard that garlic is good way to fight high cholesterol and after eating two of these rolls, my cholesterol should be in check for the next 12 years. By the way, the amount of garlic made the rolls taste good, but don’t plan on kissing anyone after you eat them. Copsey, how was the appetizer that actually cost money?

Copsey: We had the sampler appetizer, which contained portions of most of the antipasta. There were fried cheese sticks, fried artichoke hearts, fried ravioli and fried zucchini. Did I mention they were all fried? And delicious. Do the two always go together? The artichokes and zucchini were especially good since they delivered the ideal crunchy outside with juicy inside. 

John: A-
Copsey: A

Entrée

John: For the main course, I had a secret plan to order only foods that ended with -eno or -ino so I ordered the Chicken Ripieno and Cioppino. Copsey obviously didn’t catch on to my awesome plan because he ordered the Cannelloni Genovese. I swear, the kid has a Masters from Oxford, but sometimes I feel like he was homeschooled by a blind cat. When you see the Cioppino, you’re going to think that Provino’s has a giant aquarium hidden somewhere in the restaurant. Why? Because every sea creature that has ever lived was in this meal. Clam, shrimp, crabs, scallops, mussels and snapper were all on my plate. The spicy tomato garlic sauce proved to be a nice touch on a dish that had a different flavor with every bite. Although I liked it, I didn’t like that I had to get the crab meat out of the crab legs. Usually this would be my favorite part of the meal, but since the crab legs were already in the dish, they were covered in sauce as I tried to crack them open. A few splatters of sauce later, I had crab meat. I also had to do laundry when I got home. The Ripieno is a chicken stuffed with sausage and spinach. It was my favorite dish of the night. .

Copsey: The secret machinations of John’s meal plans are obviously not high on my list of things to pay attention to. The Cannelloni Genovese is almost like a lasagna – except a giant pasta shell. There was ground veal, spinach and cheese mixture enclosed in the pasta which was all topped with a healthy (or unhealthy) amount of cheese. Also included was a “rosatella sauce,” which our server said was a mixture of marinara and alfredo – basically making it a pink sauce. The cheese overpowered much of the flavor the sauce might have given, but it was tasty nonetheless.

John: A-
Copsey: A-

Dessert

John: Being at an Italian restaurant, Copsey and I felt obligated to order some tiramisu for dessert. If you close your eyes and picture a piece of tiramisu, you’re probably going to picture a slice of ‘cake’ soaked in more rum than Captain Jack Sparrow could ever drink. Provino’s doesn’t serve their tiramisu on a plate as a slice; instead, they serve it in a dessert cup. It’s actually a nice touch. I enjoyed it. I ate peach cobbler out of a cup last week, tiramisu this week, what’s it going to be next week? Cheesecake?

Copsey: It was almost like easting a tiramisu milkshake. We used long spoons and probably would have found a way to use straws if any had been provided to us. Rum, mushy cake and cream made for a great dessert which, given the way it was served, would also make for a great date item. It’s the sign of a good dessert that there was none left to take home.

John: A-
Copsey: A

Final Impression

John: The thing I love about Italian restaurants, and Provino’s proved to be no exception, is that there is almost always food to take home. When we were walking out of the restaurant I had a plastic bag filled with about seven to-go boxes. I had a box filled with salad, Ripieno, Genovese; basically, if it was on our table, it was in my to-go box. The reason I love this is because it means I don’t have to spend money the next day at work buying lunch (I refuse to pack a lunch. I will drink expired milk before I pack a lunch). On a completely unrelated note, my brother-in-law’s cousin also likes Provino’s. My sister and brother-in-law, in from Cincinnati, went to a wedding reception Friday, the first question they asked me when they got to town on Thursday, ‘will you babysit our kids?’ (I don’t babysit) The second question, ‘Have you ever heard of Provino’s, that’s where the reception is.’ My answer, ‘Of course I have, you should try the Chicken Ripieno.’

Copsey: I don’t know a better note on which to end, so I’ll leave it at that.

John: A-
Copsey: A-