Monsoon salutes Salute!
The last thing one expects to find in a sleepy strip mall in the middle of Sinking Spring, PA is a dynamic, sophisticated, scrumptious, authentic Italian restaurant. (One would expect to find a tanning place, a secondhand shop run by a ministry, a used furniture store, and some sort of Asian buffet - anything willing to pay the cut-rate rent on a sliver-sized parcel in a dying shopping center. But not a really, really good Italian restaurant.)
But that's just what Salute (sah-LOO-tay) Ristorante Italiano is: a truly great Italian restaurant, right here in Berks County.
It's best to make reservations, especially on the weekend - our server told us they get in the neighborhood of 150 reservations on Friday and Saturday nights (that's 150 each night) with no advertising.
That's right: Salute, which opened November 20th (Monsoon's birthday) of 2014, has survived--nay, thrived--on word-of-mouth recommendations only.
So let me add my mouth to this.
(I fully acknowledge that just sounded wrong. I will rephrase.)
So let me add my words to this mouth-party.
(Maybe I will just move on.)
The place was hopping by 5:00. All staff members were dressed in crisp black outfits and everyone who greeted us was warm and solicitous.
The chef is a guy named Peppe Agliano, and if that name sounds authentically Italian, it's because it is. He is an actual Italian person who is from Sicily, which is in actual Italy.
It's got a fancy outer entrance that, I think, is designed to cut down on the coldness seeping in, but also to make sure you realize that the place you're going into is not your ordinary little shabby strip-mall offering. It's a proper restaurant (that's what "ristorante" translates to in Italian). There's even a guy holding the door open for you. (I think he was employed by Salute. Maybe he was just a nice, door-holding fellow.)
The food, it was delicioso (delicious)!
We started with the Mozzarella In Carrozza (fried breaded mozzarella), which was divine. Best I've ever had. The server (who was attentive and responsive) brought us a basket of assorted breads (with assorted sauces), which we didn't even have to ask for.
The main dishes--damn right, they were good. The Cotolette Di Vitello Alla Parmigiana (veal parm) was the best I have ever tasted. The pasta it came with was aneletti. To my knowledge, it was the first times I have ever had it. It was wondrous. There were even different sauces on the pasta and veal, which was bold. (It was even marginally better than that of Mom Chaffee's, which is saying something.) The Fusilli Alla Carbonara (Mrs. Monsoon's entree) was outstanding, and was presented with an actual fried egg white, which was super fancy. And the Tagliata Di Manzo (sliced grilled beef), which was enjoyed by the mother-in-law of Monsoon, was a dream within a culinary dream.
And the presentation! Oh, the presentation. The most delightful little plates and saucers and vessels. And around each of our dishes, the chef had "painted" a flourish, as though signing his masterwork. It was as though the hand of God Himself had brushed the plates in benedictory blessing.
(I have veered into hyperbole. I will try to rein it in. But the presentation was impressive.)
We were stuffed, but I insisted that we try the desserts, because by then I knew I was going to write this thing, and I believe in thoroughness above all else. I suffer for you people.
I had the ricotta pie, which was good but not great. The thing was drowned in chocolate sauce, which Mrs. Monsoon said was a bit much, but which I relished. Mrs. Monsoon had the tiramisu (from the Italian phrase meaning pick me up) - she said it was good but not the best she's had - and the MOMM (Mom of Mrs. Monsoon) had the pistachio gelato (she said it was great).
It's not a place that you can go every night, unless you're rich. Appetizers are $6-$12, entrees are $15-$25, desserts are $6-$8. So that'll add up. Well worth the money, but still.
So go there and tell me what you think.
Buon appetito (enjoy the eating of the food)!