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Antonio's Restaurant
1185 Hopmeadow St.
Simsbury
860-651-3333

By DANIELA ALTIMARI

Hartford Courant

Published: 11/24/2005

"I love Antonio's," announces my daughter's 7-year-old friend when she learns where we are headed for dinner. "Their fries are better than McDonald's!"

After sampling Antonio's deliciously addictive curly fries, we'd have to agree with her. But tasty as they are, there's more to this family-style restaurant than the fries. And for a few more bucks than a Big Mac or a Happy Meal, we had the kind of freshly prepared meal we would have made at home had we been in the mood to cook.

Part of the fun of Antonio's is the eclectic atmosphere. The dining room is chock-full of tchotchkes, novelties and bric-a-brac - vintage license plates and old signs grace the walls, a marionette hangs in the corner and a large jukebox spins classic tunes. Tables are adorned with assorted toys to keep the kids and restless adults busy while waiting for their meals. Ours came equipped with Trivial Pursuit cards, a Magic 8 Ball and a barrel of monkeys.

The food matches the surroundings - a little of this, a little of that. The menu boasts all the staples of family dining, with a few creative twists. There's traditional pizza, but also Drew's Famous Potato Pizza ($10.30 for a small, $18.35 for a large), which features mashed potatoes, cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, bacon and scallions. Not your everyday pie.

Appetizer choices include all the usual suspects: nachos, fried mozzarella, jalapeno poppers and fried calamari. The potato skins ($7.99) were good, but far more interesting was the "Opus bread" ($4.55 or $7.99), doughy cylinders spiked with fresh chopped garlic and Parmesan, then blanketed with mozzarella and baked. Tasty on their own, they really zing when dipped in the accompanying marinara sauce.

Antonio's serves up a full array of burgers, including the restaurant's signature version topped with blue cheese ($6.75). They all feature a juicy mound of ground beef that weighs in at 1/3 of a pound and sits on an oversized bun.

Less successful was the spinach salad ($8.35). The portion was generous and we liked the diced hard boiled egg and chopped red onion, but the spinach leaves were tough and stringy.

Kids will love Anthony's and not just for the toys on the table. There's nothing icky or unfamiliar on the children's menu, just typical offerings such as grilled cheese, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese. All the kids entrees are priced under $4.50.

There's an extensive dessert list, but we weren't expecting to be wowed by any of the selections. Here again, familiarity reigned. But there amid the cheesecakes and sundaes were the homemade cannoli. With its fluffy ricotta and crisp shell, the cannoli was among the best we've ever had.

Anthony's has been around for about 40 years and it's easy to see why. Before we leave, we stop and slip a quarter into the mechanical fortune teller.

She didn't say it, but we predict this place will continue to pack in crowds for at least 40 more.

By STEVE & LISA ALCAZARI

Hartford Advocate

Published: 6/7/2002

The danger of judging a book by its cover -- or in this instance a restaurant by its façade -- became clear to us as we pondered Antonio's from the parking lot.

From the outside, the restaurant's A-frame brick façade positively screams family restaurant, with all the negative implications that this phrase raises to real foodies in search of the next gourmet experience. Dismissing Antonio's as unworthy of a stop, however, would be a mistake. While a restaurant where families are welcome -- and indeed can eat without dipping into their college funds -- Antonio's is a fabulous find where even Julia Child could likely find satisfaction.

If you like kitsch, Antonio's funky atmosphere is one of its endearing qualities. That you're in for a fun ride is evident right inside the door, where a life-size wooden mannequin dressed only in a marching band hat is playing the trombone. Next to it is a sign proclaiming the distances from Antonio's to a variety of destinations, including Florence (4,297 miles), the sun (93,000,015 miles) and Hoops & Hops (.01 miles since the bar is literally connected by a doorway).

Inside, the kitsch crams just about every corner. Fish tanks abut eating areas, the walls are filled with, among other items, yellowed newspaper clippings of momentous events (man walking on the moon, Elvis in concert). A person could get whiplash trying to see everything.

The fun continues on the tables, which all come equipped with toys. Our group enjoyed a lively mini-game of Trivial Pursuit while awaiting our waitperson -- which didn't take long, believe me; the service was snappy but not overly hasty here.

The variety of tchotchke was exceeded only by the menu offerings, which are extensive. With a name like Antonio's, of course Italian reigns supreme. But that's not the only option by any means. Among the new offerings, the restaurant boasts electric quesadilla and Zenildo's pierogies, while the charbroiled section of the menu includes a teriyaki steak sandwich and fajita tortilla.

We started off with Papa's pierogies and opus bread as appetizers. The three pierogies are stuffed with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese and served with caramelized onions, a particular weakness of mine. The concoction was delicious -- the potatoes were the real thing and the onions perfectly cooked. The opus bread is fresh dough with nuggets of chopped garlic, parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Homemade marinara sauce -- no bottled stuff -- comes on the side for dipping, although I preferred my fix plain. Yum.

Main courses were a hit as well, with the exception of Steve's baked stuffed sole, which was a tad on the dry side and a bit too bready. More successful were the Chicken Roma, Tortellini Serenade and Northern Lights. The Roma featured chicken breast medallions that were pan-seared with calamata olives, quartered artichoke hearts, ripe tomatoes and coarsely chopped garlic, all of it spiced up with a dash of white wine and served over penne pasta. The zing of the olives complemented nicely the artichoke and perfectly cooked chicken. Very nice indeed.

Also a winner was the Serenade, a heavenly concoction of spinach tortellini filled with three cheeses covered in a light tomato cream sauce. Cream sauces can often be too heavy and as such overwhelm the food they're designed to complement. Not so here, where the sauce was just enough, both in consistency and in flavor, to let the tortellini shine through.

That same delicate balance was achieved in the Northern Lights pasta dish, which featured chunks of Italian sausage sauteed with fresh mushrooms, again more chopped garlic, and a bit of crushed red pepper. The mushrooms were tender and cooked just enough, and pepper flakes provided just the right zest.

Although we were stuffed to the gills and had at least three take-home containers, we ordered dessert anyway -- all for the sake of the review, of course. The Milky Way pie was sinfully caloric and had enough chocolate to send even the most diehard chocoholic into a cocoa coma. The Oreo cookie shell is filled with malted chocolate, which is then covered with a thin layer of caramel and whipped cream and a dollop of what tasted like a chocolate mousse. Dark chocolate sauce was also drizzled on and around the pie. Ohmygod. The cheesecakes with strawberries was mighty tasty as well, although the strawberries tasted as if they might have been of the frozen variety, a choice that should only take place in the dead of winter rather than in the midst of strawberry season.

Our party of six ate for $99, and that includes three beers! With prices like that and much more kitsch to explore, we'll be back for sure.

Hours: Mon.-Thu., 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri., 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sat., noon-10 p.m. Sun., noon-9 p.m.

Extras:

Attractions Clubs Clubs Nightclub Cuisine American/New, Family/Kids, Homestyle Meals Served Lunch, Dinner Parking Available in lot. Payment Method Price Range Inexpensive Reservations Recommended for large parties Services Private Parties, Carry Out Spirits Full Bar Wheelchair Access Yes