Travis West | Editor-In-Chief
August 22, 2014
Creamy alfredo sauce, spicy sausage with penne pasta, hearty lasagna and rich and chocolaty truffles.
It is always difficult to find a local Italian restaurant that serves fresh and authentic food, but just down the street from RCC on Magnolia Avenue sits Giuliano’s Trattoria.
When this establishment first opened across from Ralph’s grocery store, questions arose as to whether this place would last or not.
I am always apprehensive at first to try a new restaurant because I like to allow them to get up and running smoothly.
So after about six months of operation and passing by every time I went to class, I decided that my craving for Italian food would no longer be fixed by the old stand by, Olive Garden and made the trip to Giuliano’s.
Parking was plentiful and can be found in the back of the restaurant.
The décor inside is traditional of an Italian restaurant and the roof tiles give an extra uniqueness to the space.
The hostess wrote down my name and she let me know that I will be seated in about 20 minutes.
There were two parties already waiting when I arrived and because the waiting area is very narrow and located near the bathrooms I decided to wait outside.
After about 10 minutes, I headed back into the restaurant where the hostess let me know my table was ready.
She was very nice and apologized for the long wait in which I replied with the wait wasn’t waiting long at all.
A waiter soon approached my table after a brief look at the menu and described the specials and took my drink order.
The restaurant looked busy for a weeknight, but the staff did not seem flustered. The waiter returned with my beverages and because I had a craving for Italian food, I could not decide on any one dish to try.
After a brief discussion with he waiter, he suggested that I try the trio sampler. This dish included spicy penne pasta with sausage, lasagna and fettuccine alfredo.
How could anyone pass up a chance to try three Italian cuisine essentials? The order was placed.
The dish arrived shortly after my order was placed and to my surprise, the amount of food was enough for two.
Waiting in front of me was thick and hearty piece of lasagna, a creamy fettuccine alfredo and mouth-watering penne pasta.
The first smell that slapped me across the face was the alfredo sauce. The aroma of melted parmesan and basil over whelmed my senses.
It was the first thing I tried and even though I declined the option to add meat, the dish did not disappoint.
The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce was just the right consistency, not to watery and not too thick. The savory taste it leaves will only have you wanting it in a to go cup.
The next part of the trio I dug my fork into was the lasagna. Again, the pasta was cooked to perfection as my fork made its way through the layers of pasta melted cheese and juicy meat my mouth watered.
Normally served in a small dish covered in cheese and marinara sauce, the slice of lasagna was the perfect ratio of cheese to sauce to pasta.
The layers of gooey cheese and robust tomatoes combined with the meat make for a memorable slice of Italy.
Last, but not least is the penne with sausage. Giuliano’s knows how to cook every type of pasta to perfection and they once again demonstrated that. What really made this dish was the succulent sausage. The combination of spice in the sausage with the penne made a perfect bite.
And because the waiter along with the waitress thought I had waited a long time, I was treated to the softest, rich and most memorable chocolate truffles I have ever tasted. They were drizzled with vibrant raspberry syrup that smoothed out the richness of the truffles. A combination I will never forget and try again on every visit.
All in all, my bill was $20 including tip and I finished every savory bite. Giuliano’s noticed that Riverside was in need of a traditional Italian restaurant that was not just another franchise, but a restaurant that has great service, pays attention to details and most importantly, serves high quality food.
