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/

Yamato Japanese Steak House & Sushi Bar

YAMATO JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE AND SUSHI BAR
526 NW 60th St
Gainesville, FL 32607
352.332.4466

I went to Yamato on a Sunday afternoon at 1:30 with Kaicee. Yamato, despite being located just a couple minutes away from the Oaks Mall, is somewhat hidden in that it's off a side road that not much else is on. It wasn't very crowded, but not many people go for hibachi at 1:30 on a Sunday afternoon.

The atmosphere was nice; dimly lit, nice decor, soft music in the background (which later became Christmas music). Kaicee and I sat at a hibachi table but there is also a sushi bar in the back. The waitress took our order, brought our water quickly, followed by soup and, about 3 minutes later, the salad. I'm not a big fan of brothy soup so saying I wasn't a fan doesn't mean much. The salad was excellent, with a delicious ginger dressing on crisp cool greens.

About ten minutes later the chef came. He did a few tricks his utensils, nothing overly amazing but still mildly entertaining. He friend up a heaping amount of rice first, and then made the food and vegetables. I got the NY Strip steak ($15.95); Kaicee got shrimp and scallops ($17.95). He asked how I and the other two people at our table wanted our steak cooked, which pleased me because, as I've stated before, I like meat cooked well and other Teppanyaki places I've been too have sometimes not bothered asking. Tricks were kept to a minimum during the cooking process, which the exception of a volcano made out of some sliced onions. In the end, the amount of beef I got was very satisfying, along with mixed vegetables, noodles, and a lot of fried rice (picture), which I happily ate most of while waiting for the rest of the food.

My food itself was somewhat mediocre (with the exception of the salad, which I wish I could buy and take home with me in mass quantities). Nothing was bad about it, but it wasn't anything to rave about. Without telling Kaicee how I felt, I asked her what she thought of her food, and I got pretty much the same reaction. It's definitely a place you go to more for the atmosphere than the food.

Until the food was about to be made, the service was fantastic, with the waitress coming over to refill water three times in about ten minutes without being flagged down or asked. She took plates and bowls away with regularity as well. About two minutes after we got all of our food she came by asking us if we'd like takeout boxes; about two minutes after that, she came by with our bills. After that we didn't see her again until she came back to clear plates and pick up checks, at which time I asked for more water, which came pretty quickly. It just seemed like we were being rushed out of a place that wasn't all that busy. Like I said, the experience was good enough and the food was okay enough that I'd go back for a special night or a date (if I ever get one), but it wasn't good enough that I'd be going back with regularity.

Food quality: 6/10 (18)
Service: 7/10 (17.5)
Ambiance: 10/10 (20)
Pricing: 7/10 (10.5)
Menu selection: 10/10 (10)

Composite score: 76

visit: http://www.yamatojapaneserestaurant.com/ (and there's a $5 off coupon on there!)

The Original Pizza Palace

ORIGINAL PIZZA PALACE
604 NW 13th Street
352.377.5571

The story of the Original Pizza Palace is an interesting one. Originally opened in the 1950s, it closed in the late 1990s and ever since there has been a legal battle over the rights to open it again. It did reopen on 13th Street this past March. It was sort of the precursor to Satchel's in atmosphere, ambiance, and food. OPP bakes all of their dough products and desserts themselves.

This might be my most complete review yet because I went there on back-to-back days. The first time I went was for lunch with Lyle and Kaicee. We sat in the room that was by the kitchen and main counter. The decor was interesting. I'm still not sure who told places that yellow painted walls were a good idea, but contrary to most places that have walls of this color, I didn't mind this so much. There wasn't much lighting so the walls brightened up the place. There was obscure art and other random things on the walls. The service was very good as there was hardly anyone there. Lyle and I ordered a large pizza with green peppers and garlic and Kaicee ordered a tempeh melt and a salad. The salad (2.50 with a meal) was a good size for a side salad and due to their lack of ranch dressing came with their own creamy garlic dressing, which was described to Kaicee as "ranch...but better." That description wasn't misleading. I tried some and it was phenomenal. Lyle tried some and liked it so much that he licked it out of the container it was brought in - and it was good enough that we asked for another helping of the dressing when our pizza came to use as a dipping sauce (which was awesome). Kaicee's tempeh melt ($~6.50, picture) was tempeh covered in cheese and caramelized onions and some sort of sauce I couldn't place, along with lettuce, tomatoes, and raw onions. Kaicee, who's usually hard to impress with food, loved it. She said it was delicious.

Our large pizza ($12.95, $1.25 each topping) came and looked amazing. The toppings were clearly fresh - the garlic was fresh garlic that they minced themselves. The pizza tasted as fantastic as it looked. The crust was thin, but not TOO thin. Despite being somewhat crispy, it somehow maintained a fluffy feel inside. I told Lyle that if you gave me just the crust with some butter or something and didn't tell me what it was I'd think it was a breakfast pastry. The toppings, while delicious and fresh, were a little light for $1.25 a piece.

Then came dessert. They all sounded so good that we HAD to get one to share, and at $3.50 each the price was right. From the selection of coffee butter crunch, French silk pie, carrot cake, brownie bottom rum cake, and cheesecake (Oreo, vanilla, and one other flavor I can't recall), we opted for the brownie bottom rum cake (picture). Lyle and I thought we died and went to heaven. It's a layer of fresh baked, soft, moist brownie, topped with "rum-infused cream," which was like a thick, fluffy consistency, and then topped with regular cream. It was out of this world.

Thankfully though, I do wait a while to review places so that I'm not biased. The food was so good that the next day when my friends Jeff, Jason, and Ian wanted to go out, I suggested OPP. We sat in the larger room that's only open for dinner. I'd say it was a good 7 or 8 minutes until someone came over and took our drink orders, and another 5 or so minutes until she came back with them to take our order. At a place like OPP where everything is clearly fresh I usually allow some time for the food to come out. They took that time. It wasn't an obscenely long wait, pretty normal for what I'd expect from a place (about 30 minutes, fair for fresh pizza and calzones); the only issue was that almost no one else was there. Jeff and I shared what ended up being the exact same pizza Lyle and I got and it was just as good, if not better. Jeff didn't waste much time in proclaiming it his new favorite pizza in Gainesville. Ian got a medium pizza with onions for himself, not expecting to eat it all, but couldn't stop himself because it was so delicious. Jason got a cheese calzone. It was delicious, but for the price ($10 and change) it wasn't as big as one would expect. Our waitress was very nice, but we had to wait several times for drink refills.

Jason had a little of his calzone left over and wanted some more marinara sauce for it, so he asked for some. We ordered dessert. I got the brownie bottom rum pie again, Jeff got the French silk pie, and Ian and Jason both got the Oreo cheesecake. About 5 minutes later she was back with the desserts but no sauce. Jason asked again and she came back about two minutes later with it.

After I told Kaicee that I went back there for dinner the next day, she told me that she and Lyle had gone back for lunch. Lyle got his own pizza and Kaicee again got the tempeh melt, which she once again said was amazing.

I can't say enough about how good the food is here. The atmosphere is relaxing as well. The service the first time was fine, nothing to rave about but no complaints either. The service the second time, though, was very subpar. I know now to never go there if I'm in a rush for anything. The pricing on the dessert is the best thing they have. A pizza isn't expensive, but the toppings make it so. The calzone, as noted, was pricey only because it wasn't mammoth, as one would expect for over 10 dollars. Of course, Jason did only get cheese, so maybe adding the two toppings that come with it for $10 would have made it bigger and more worthwhile. The tempeh melt was a good price, but they could have given a salad or fries or chips or something with it. I would say that OPP is in the running for me for my favorite pizza in town and I have dreams about the dessert. Their service will get a 6 because it wasn't bad the first time and I probably would have given it a 9 after that first visit, so it would make no sense for me to give it a 3 or 4 that I would have given it if I had just gone the second time. When I go back again, I'll update the service positively or negatively. Definitely a place I will frequent, but never a place I'll go to if I'm short on time.

Food quality: 10/10 (30)
Service: 6/10 (15)
Ambiance: 9.5/10 (19)
Pricing: 8/10 (12)
Menu selection: 10/10 (10)

Composite score: 86

New Deal Cafe

NEW DEAL CAFE
3445 West University Ave.
352.371.1711

New Deal Cafe is located next to its sister restaurant, Mildred's Big City Food, on the busy corner of University and 34th. Despite the location in the heart of college Gainesville, New Deal seems to have that "hole in the wall" feeling. The dining area is not very large, consisting of a few tables lined up against the wall. The decor relies more on the well-picked colors of the paint and the large spherical hanging lights all over the restaurant than on actual things on the wall. It had a calm feeling. The menu had some variety but not very many options. It wasn't a bad thing; you can definitely find something to strike your fancy, but New Deal kept it simple with the number of menu selections. Because of the size of the place, service was pretty good. I asked the waiter a question about the tuna and then told him I was debating between the tuna melt and a burger, to which he matter-of-factly replied, "Get the burger." I hate when wait staff tells me both things I'm debating between are great and I could go either way because that just doesn't help me. I ended up getting the burger with white cheddar cheese ($9), although I have some thought to the mozzarella. Joining me were Lyle, who got the Margherita Flatbread ($8) and a cup of Seafood and Chorizo Soup, and Kaicee, who got the Eggplant and Tomato Panini ($8, picture).

My burger was cooked as I ordered and the bun was crispy and flavorful. The fries were delicious and tasted like they were baked, despite the fact that I saw the deep fryers. Whatever their secret is works very well. Lyle devoured the soup and both Kaicee and Lyle loved the salad that came with Kaicee's meal, saying that the dressing was delicious. When Lyle got his he asked if they had any garlic powder; the waiter went back and looked, and came back to apologize for not having any but said that the chef would mince a garlic clove for him if he wanted. Lyle said it'd be alright without it, but about 2 minutes later, the waiter returned with some fresh-minced garlic. Kaicee's panini was served on thick bread and came with olives and feta cheese. She took half of it home. For a quick lunch, New Deal did the trick and was delicious. And as a side note: Mildred's and New Deal buy all their produce, seafood, and meat locally and claims to have bought more local food this year than all other Gainesville restaurants. Pretty cool.

Food quality: 10/10 (30)
Service: 9/10 (22.5)
Ambiance: 8/10 (16)
Pricing: 8/10 (12)
Menu selection: 7/10 (7)

Composite score: 87.5

visit: http://www.mildredsbigcityfood.com/newdeal.html

Wise's Drug Store

WISE'S DRUG STORE
239 W. University Ave.
352.372.4371

I went to Wise's with my friends Lyle and Kaicee. Wise's is a drug store that's been around since 1938. In keeping with the way drug stores used to be, Wise's has an authentic lunch counter and soda fountain off to the side of their store. You can sit at the counter or at any number of tables scattered around the area. You feel like you're in the scene from Back to the Future where Marty McFly asks the soda jerk for a Pepsi Free in 1955. The menu has what you'd expect - sandwiches, salads, and of course, milkshakes and malteds. I got a vanilla milkshake and a patty melt. At a little over 5 bucks, the patty melt was one of the most expensive things on the menu. The milkshake is served in the big metal cup with a small cup for you to pour it in. It was thick and delicious. The patty melt was very good, nothing spectacular but when you're at a place mainly for the experience the food isn't expected to be gourmet. I also got a bag of potato chips for 30 cents (!). Lyle got two chili dogs and the waitress was very accommodating in giving him everything he wanted on it. They came out overflowing with chili and the fork they brought was definitely necessary. Kaicee got a salad and an egg salad sandwich which she described as being "good." The food came quickly and the waitress was attentive.

Food quality: 7/10 (21)
Service: 9/10 (22.5)
Ambiance: 10/10 (20)
Pricing: 9/10 (13.5)
Menu selection: 8/10 (8)

Composite score: 85