There are quite a few good restaurants and eating establishments that deliver in this busy, multi-cultural neighborhood. Antonio?s has a pride of place and reputation to the local residents. The restaurant is a small, sparkling clean shop just round the corner of the local post office. It usually is populated by young people enjoying a pizza or perhaps just a couple of the huge slices that can be had. Antonio?s makes a great pizza, with tasty crust and generous helpings of requested toppings. The place is usually bustling with people coming to pick up orders or one of the restaurant?s drivers coming in to pick up the next load of deliveries. I usually have my food delivered --- always within forty minutes of the order and always arriving piping hot and delicious. In the same family as pizza, Antonio?s also offers calzone, sandwiches and rolls at bargain prices. But if I had stopped at these ethnic fast foods, I would have missed so much!
Virtually everything I have ordered from Antonio?s has been great. However, a few things stand out in my book above what is a available anywhere else nearby. For example, their calamari marinara is out of this world. This is not an easy dish to get just right, but Antonio?s does. The calamari is cooked to perfection, but never over-done or rubbery --- a danger at many places. The marinara sauce is spicy and wakes up the natural taste of the squid without overpowering it. This dish has always been a favorite of mine, and Antonio?s has made pilgrimages to ?Little Italy? expressly for this purpose a thing of the past. Their lobster ravioli in pink champagne sauce could be served with pride anywhere. A few weeks ago I was longing for shrimp scampi. What arrived at my door far surpassed my highest hopes. It was a mound of good-sized, succulent shrimp over linguine in a sauce that was too delicious to try to describe. Again -- the flavor of the shrimp was accentuated but not overpowered and the balance of garlic and buttery sweetness was prefect. Antonio?s use of seasonings is always effective and taste enhancing. You?ll never find salt as a major spice --- they leave that to your own taste. For comfort food, I keep calling for more of their chicken marsala with penne pasta. Their cold antipasto is a great treat to share and is full of choice meats and taste tingling treats.
Jose Correa and Alex Gonzalez took over this already successful business around 2008. With the help of their fine chef Javier Flores, they have expanded the menu and kept the prices extremely reasonable. Let?s face it: they give you a real bang for your buck! For busy people who don?t want to cook after a long day of work, or for people who want to treat themselves to something really special within a modest budget, Antonio?s provides a wonderful service to our neighborhood. May they prosper and stay here for a long time to come!
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