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A long-standing, neighborhood favorite, Salvatore’s was opened in 1976 by Sicilian immigrants, Salvatore and Vincenza Tinervia. Today the restaurant is still owned by their descendants and extended family members.
Upon entry, one is greeted by a lovely outdoor patio on your right (not open today), and a buffet directly in front of you. There are two dining rooms divided by a small bar, which seats only at the bar. At lunchtime just the front dining room is open. The large room held five booths each along two walls and about ten tables filled out the rest of the space. The decor is a little dated with too many fake flowers and plants but overall, it's a casual and friendly atmosphere.
It was packed when we arrived and we soon figured out why. Everyone was bellying up to the $7.50 lunch buffet. You may eat to your heart’s content from a salad and pizza bar that also includes a pasta selection, various meat and vegetable entrees, and a soft drink. The full menu was presented to us but only the lunch page was available (lunch menu is not online). The owners are pushing people to the lunch buffet and it makes good economic sense; it just isn’t our preference. We didn’t see any appetizers on the lunch page but upon questioning, our server informed us we could order garlic bread, garlic bread with cheese, bruschetta, or bread sticks. Since garlic bread comes with the entrees, the only logical choice was bruschetta.Unfortunately, a few minutes later our server returned to tell us it was unavailable because they were baking the necessary bread that wouldn’t be ready for sometime. (The restaurant had been closed for the long holiday weekend.) Although we were disappointed, we respected the fact that they make their food fresh.
So we started with the house salads, simple but good. Iceberg lettuce with a small scattering of croutons, tomatoes, and cucumbers, a wedge of onion, two slices of pepperoni, and the house-made, slightly sweet, Italian dressing on the side.
We both chose from the pasta list for our entrees, Lasagne and Chicken Alfredo. The Lasagne came out too hot to eat (oven, not microwave) and drowning in sauce but did we enjoy both dishes. Pasta was not over-cooked and the alfredo was balanced and nicely presented; it was decent, home-made food. Our server was overly attentive but that’s better than neglect.
You won’t find anything particularly innovative or unusual but you will find a down-home, friendly, local restaurant. It reminded us of Tillman’s (but in an Italian way) where neighborhood people gather to enjoy food, beverages, and company. Neither place claims anything else, and as befitting their antiquity, you won’t find them on twitter or facebook (update: Tillman’s is now on fb :).www.salvatoresgr.com
Searching for a fine Italian restaurant in Grand Rapids is not easy. We came across this name (too long to be a chain), and although we dislike Alpine Avenue as much as we do 28th Street, this place was worth it.
The exterior is unassuming and nothing that would attract attention. Parking is in the rear and the entrance is in the front, with no parking. Walking in, we were charmed by the replica of the La Bocca della Verita, known to us from the movie “Roman Holiday”.
A narrow hallway with nostalgic Italian photos on the walls leads past the bar and its dining area and into the main dining room, where we were seated. A couple of things we didn’t like immediately popped up: crinkly paper laid over tablecloths and seating the next arrivals immediately proximate to us. We soon forgot about the paper and got over the seating choices when we realized that we still had privacy in our high-backed booth, even with people in front and in back of us.
A few booths line the two side walls and nine tables fill out the middle. Abstract artwork is displayed the walls. It’s a subdued, comfortable, classy atmosphere and the service is just as fine.
The large two-sided menu is seasonal and we appropriately experienced the spring edition: appetizers; soups; salads; pizza, with and without tomato sauce; first course pasta; and second course meats. Unfortunately for us, Americans expect huge servings and the restaurant accommodates this predilection.
Unless you are used to bellying up at the Golden Corral Buffet, you cannot eat your way through the coursed menu. Choose between pasta or meat, and among appetizers, soups, or salads. And keep in mind that your server will promptly bring you delicious warm bread, made daily.
We asked for a recommendation for a couple of appetizers and our server suggested the Arancini, and the selection was seconded by someone in the kitchen. They didn’t steer us wrong. Risotto fritters stuffed with fontina cheese were topped with drizzled spinach aioli. We’ve never had as delicious a fritter.
The soups were too interesting to resist and we ordered the Lasagne soup and the Broccoli Parmesan. They were just alright and we should have passed on them and saved room for other courses. The Lasagne soup was enjoyable but nothing particularly special - it did taste like lasagne, however :) The broccoli soup was too salty and was in an uncomfortable place between chunky and pureed.
We both chose our main dishes from the pasta menu. The first was the Rigatoni Della Casa, smoked blue cheese cream sauce and smoked prosciutto tossed with rigatoni. The serving was large but beautifully prepared and presented.
The second selection was crespelle: homemade crepes with baked Italian vegetables, topped with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. If you think crepes are native only to France, this will expand your horizons.
To our surprise, we were brought an on-the-house tiramisu for dessert. If nothing else we’ve said will draw you to this restaurant, this delectable treat should.
Pastas are house-made and the restaurant looks for local sources for ingredients. There is a special lunch menu and an extensive Italian wine list. This is a well-run restaurant serving great food with superb service from knowledgeable servers. The next time you even think about going to a national chain Italian restaurant, head to Amore instead.
They have a somewhat active presence on Facebook and very light activity on Twitter.
www.amoretrattoriaitaliana.com
Post Script: We received a very nice response from the restaurant on our review and also an explanation that the owner/chef was not there the night of our visit and did not make the soups.
