Alessandro Ristorante

ALESSANDRO RISTORANTE
4212 NW 16TH Blvd.
Gainesville, FL 32605
352.367.4510

I went to Alessandro on a Thursday night with my friends Kristen and Tara. The restaurant, located next to D'Lites on 43rd and 16th, was dimly-lit and set a nice atmosphere, probably better for a date or old friends catching up than a couple friends who just wanted some Italian food. There wasn't much if anything on the walls in the restaurant and at times it really felt like it was too dark. There were not many people in there, probably a function of the night and the time (almost 8 PM). Our hostess doubled as our waitress and immediately brought us water and a plate with olive oil and spices and told us our bread would be right out. A few minutes later, she brought out two loaves of fresh baked, crunchy bread, told us the specials, and took our order. Within 3 minutes our salads came out. It was a good-sized salad with an interesting, darker vinaigrette dressing. Our water glasses were never empty; as soon as they would get low, our waitress refilled them. It's also worth noting that the family at the table next to us, who had gotten a bottle of wine, also never had an empty glass, as the waitress would go over and refill their glasses.

Our food came within 20 minutes of our ordering. I ordered chicken parmigiana ($14.95); Kristen got ravioli al forno ($13.95) and Tara got penne alla vodka ($13.95). The portions were a good size, and we all finished everything but were comfortably full. My chicken was flavorful and juicy, and the breading was not too well done or crunchy but not too soft or mushy. The plate also wasn't overflowing with sauce; most places generally make this the case and I hate it as the sauce overpowers the taste of everything else. My only complaint was that despite the large amount of chicken, there was no side that came with the dish; I added a side of penne and marinara for $2 and it was satisfying; the penne was large and the sauce was delicious.

Food quality: 10/10 (30)
Service: 10/10 (25)
Ambiance: 9/10 (18)
Pricing: 8/10 (12)
Menu selection: 10/10 (10)

Composite score: 95

visit: http://www.alessandroristorante.us/

Blue Highway Pizza

BLUE HIGHWAY PIZZA
204 NE Highway 441
Micanopy, FL
352.466.0062

My friends Emily and Kristin trekked down to Micanopy, about 15 miles south of Gainesvile, to go to Blue Highway Pizza. The place is a small building right off 441 and it screams "GOOD LOCAL FOOD HERE!" The building is not very large and though we were only three people we had to wait for a table for about 10-15 minutes. The inside of the building was bright with some interesting cluttered decorations. After being seated I checked out their menu, which included sandwiches, salads, calzones, and pizzas. They only have two different sizes of pizza - a 12 inch thin crust and a Sicilian thick crust. I opted for the Abruzzese pizza, which has homemade meatballs, sliced fresh roasted garlic, parsley, and Parmesan and Romano cheese. While waiting for the pizza we were had a problem with flies coming around our area, several of which were smashed by Kristin against the wall. One waitress said to us, "That's just part of our charm." We got our food pretty quickly. The pizza smelled delicious and it was. The crust was fantastic and you could tell the meatballs were homemade. True to its description, the garlic was really sliced fresh garlic and not the minced canned garlic that most places serve when they say "fresh garlic." I eat a lot, especially when it comes to pizza, but I couldn't even finish the pizza. At $10.95 I had leftovers for the next day, which they wrapped very neatly for me in a plate and Saran wrap. I'd heard comparisons to Satchel's, which, in my only visit, I thought to be overrated, but as that was 2 years ago I'll be going back soon to check them out again. Comparing first visits, though, I liked Blue Highway much better and also thought the pizza was superior. They are different places but I do understand the comparison. I wouldn't regularly travel 15 miles to get to it, but I'd definitely be open to going back every now and then to get some delicious, fresh pizza with homemade ingredients.

Food quality: 9/10 (27)
Service: 7/10 (17.5)
Ambiance: 8/10 (16)
Pricing: 8/10 (12)
Menu selection: 9/10 (9)

Composite score: 81.5

visit: www.bluehighwaypizza.com