Michael T’s Italian-American Specialties

Stopped in for dinner last night
We had the special which was fish with artichoke, capers, lemon with a wine sauce. Besides being outstandingly delicious it was cooked just perfect
I was wishing for pasta so I got a basic order of rigatoni with meat sauce. Pasta was cooked perfect and meat sauce was one of the most flavorful I’ve ever tasted.
The meatballs were a bit mushy and undercooked but still good.
Really nice place that has earned its place in one of our regular places to eat.

In any other part of the country, Michael T’s would most likely be the best Italian food for miles. Unfortunately, there is a much higher standard for Italian food in the Utica-​Rome area, and Michael T’s can’t compete with Georgio’s or Ventura’s or any of the dozens of other Italian restaurants.
Alarm bells started going off when I looked at the menu and it had advertisements in it. I’ll start with the Carbone Dealership please. And can I get I get the Aspen Dental as an appetizer? Bizarre.
The prices are the same as any other Italian restaurant, so there’s no incentive to go to save money.
It has a diner feel to it. I wasn’t over the moon about the service. So onto the food…
We started off with the Kennedy greens which was certainly the best part of the meal. It’s greens with potatoes, and they were excellent. I ordered regular chicken riggies as my entrée. They tasted like any other riggie dish, but the chicken wasn’t seasoned.
All in all, it was a fine experience but it wasn’t anything to write home about and there are a ton of other restaurants that are much better for the same price. I wish I could give 2 ½ stars, so I’ll round up.