Scarantino's Italian Inn

Seeking good, honest, old-school Italian-American fare your parents would feel right at home eating? Craving surroundings of wood paneling, plastic grape floral arrangements and red-checked tablecloths with your Italian meal? Then check out Scarantino's. They offer good-quality versions of Italian standbys like Pasta Primavera, pizza, Pasta Pomodoro, Baked Mosticiolli, etc. There is nothing innovative here, but this is honest, home cooked (for the most part) Italian food. Their minestrone (included with most meals) is homemade and crave-worthy, especially in winter. It's a thick chicken-based broth, full of beans and large-cut celery, potatoes and carrots. A couple of things to be aware of: most of the vegetarian pasta dishes (there is a whole page on the menu dedicated to these) come garnished with a generous sprinkling of fresh parsley, which can tend to overpower the other flavors. So if you're not craving parsley, you can ask them to hold this. Also, I don't think their ravioli are very good. Years back, I think they were house-made, but now, they taste frozen and kind of mealy. Definitely a 'pass'. Also, I have had both the 'baked' eggplant and 'baked' zucchini, and while the cheese on top of these dishes is baked onto it, the veggies are fried, and these dishes just tend to taste like fried mush. If you stay away from these dishes (and the menu is huge), you will likely enjoy a hearty, old-school meal.