Luciano's

Two and a half years.  That's how long it took me to make it to Luciano's.  Why?  Because nobody wanted to freaking go with me.  Every time I'd mention it to someone when trying to make dinner plans, it was invariably rejected because either the prices were higher than everyone else wanted to pay, or they were nervous about trying a new place.  I actually understand that latter one, as my experiences with Italian eateries have been more miss than hit, and most often I'd rather just cook my own Italian food.  Still, I'm a firm believer that people wanting cheap Italian food is what keeps abominations like Olive Garden in business, and I wasn't about to try an Italian joint alone because...well, because it just seemed depressing.  Blame all the stereotypes of big families, groups of friends, and romantic evenings at Italian restaurants.  Well, eventually I decided 2.5 years was long enough spent trying to convince any of my usual suspects, so I recruited a fellow culinary enthusiast from among my Facebook friends and headed for the Bench.

Cacicia's II: Home Is Where the Hearth Is

I don't know if there's anything I can tell you about Cacicia's at this point that I didn't cover in my first review (which you can read here).  Since that review, they've tried the brick and mortar thing once and found out pretty quickly that the location wasn't a good fit.  Their second stab at a sit-down eatery is now live at The Village at Meridian, in a cozy little glass-walled building with a great view of the fire pit and fountains.  Best of all, the food is just as good and reasonably-priced, and the menu has expanded a bit.  Since I don't have much of anything new to say, let's just look at some pictures, eh?

Cacicia's Old World Sicilian Foods

I've long had a soft spot for food trucks.  Hell, my first post on this blog three years ago was about a  food truck.  Since then trucks have come and gone, standards have risen, and diversity is the name of the game now.  Cacicia's Old World Sicilian Foods isn't the first Italian food truck we've had in Boise, but it's definitely the best.  So much so that I ate there three times during their first week in business and have, with a little help, eaten my way through almost their entire menu.

Smoky Mountain Pizza & Pasta (Eagle)

If there's one thing that I know about food, it's that pretty much everybody loves Italian.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that everyone loves food with Italian roots.  Even the pickiest of kids I've known still adore pizza and spaghetti, but those dishes have come a long way from where they started, and some would say they're not exactly better because of it.

As for myself, I love pizza and pasta, traditional or not, as long as they bring something to the table (hopefully that something is quality ingredients and good flavor).    However, and the roommate and I have discussed this at length, at what point is an eatery considered "Italian" and not just a pizza joint?  Olive Garden, though it pains me to say it, could probably be considered an Italian restaurant...or at least an Italian theme restaurant.  I would even go so far as to call Casanova an Italian eatery, though all they really serve is pizza and sandwiches, because the pizza is the closest you'll find to authentic Italian style around here, at least so far as I understand it.  But I doubt anyone would argue that Pizza Hut is an Italian restaurant.  I certainly wouldn't.  But why not?  They're serving pizza and pasta, aren't they?  Where is the line drawn?  Does it really boil down to one of those "I know it when I see it" things?  In the end, does it matter either way as long as the food is good?  And how does all of this apply to Smoky Mountain?

Smoky Mountain's Eagle location, on State Street

Uncle Giuseppe's Italian & American Eatery

A while back, I invited the people who follow my Facebook page to recommend any great places I may be missing.  The lone response came from a woman named Jennifer, who shared her enthusiasm about a relatively new deli and sandwich shop called Uncle Giuseppe's Italian & American Eatery.  I was very happy to have someone recommend it to me, as the place had already been on my radar for a few weeks (so many eateries, so little time money).  Finally, opportunity presented itself in the form of what I refer to as a "grab bag day".  Just to clarify, when nobody wants the same thing or can even agree or compromise on what to eat, sometimes I just shrug and take everybody to get exactly what they want.  In this instance, there were three of us.  The toddler got Wendy's, the roommate got Panda Express, and I'm pretty sure you can guess where I went.

Olive Garden (Boise)

In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm not much of an Olive Garden fan.  In fact, with the exception of their fettuccine alfredo, I can't think of a single entrée I've ever truly enjoyed from any of their locations that I've visited.  It should be said here that I don't like fettuccine alfredo, so if there's only one place I DO like it from, they're probably not doing it right.  I don't dislike Olive Garden per se, they're just kind of...there.

However, there are a few saving graces.  I've always enjoyed the toasted ravioli appetizer quite a bit, and there's an amazing Black Tie Mousse Cake on their dessert menu.  In between the appetizer and dessert, well it's very hard to go wrong with soup and salad, so that's usually what I get.  As much as I bristle at the word "safe" when used to describe food, at Olive Garden those are my safe choices.  Of course, there are always exceptions...

Sorry, no picture of my local Olive Garden, as they're doing construction of some kind on the roof right now.  But hey, if you've seen one Olive Garden...

Gino's Italian Ristorante

Meridian has come a long way in terms of restaurants.  I remember being in high school and having to drive to Boise just to get a decent espresso.  Now I'm mere minutes away from gelato, barbecue, bagels, Thai, fresh bread, and some damn good sushi.  A few years back a restaurateur heeded the winds of economic change, pulled out of downtown Boise and popped up again in an out-of-the-way strip mall in Meridian, bringing what many people consider to be the best Italian food in the Treasure Valley with him.