Italian Table Restaurant

Went on a Saturday night and so had the pleasure of listening to the key board player/​singer belt out the cliché Frank Sinatra songs. I’m kind of making fun… but it’s also kind of fun/​cheesy to spend an hour or two in this gaudy parody of an Italian restaurant.
I was actually surprised by the prices. Most entrees, even the pasta dishes alone, were over $ 15. A pound of pasta costs $ 1 at the market… to charge that much for pasta dishes alone is insane.
We actually ordered the manicotti ($ 12) as an appetizer and then the wifey got the chicken parm ($ 14.50) and I got the gnocci ($ 16). The manicotti was good, fresh tasting. It is sometimes hard to bake a manicotti without getting the outside shell hard and crusty… but these were well made. The gnocci was also good, with a creamy sauce. They could have been a little more al dente… but I guess that’s my fault for not asking for it. The chicken parm was bland and very thinly filleted.
For $ 7 more, you can add a soup/​salad and dessert to any entrée. This was a reasonable deal. Though the Caesar salad was bland and had about 3 croutons in it. Again, maybe my fault for ordering a Caesar salad at an Italian restaurant. The Napoleon for dessert was average.
The marinara sauce, which should be every Italian chef’s pride and joy, was awful. It honestly tasted like it was out of a jar. I kept trying to look into the kitchen to see if I could see Ragu jars all over.
A 20 minute drive from Southern Pines… definitely not worth it. It appears they have their regulars and the hostess was very warm and welcoming… but if you are looking to venture out for some new Italian cuisine… you’d be better off checking out the Olive Garden’s new specials. Other than the hostess, it took about 30 minutes for our waitress to take our credit card and bring the receipt.
THM (Take Home Message): If you want really, really well made traditional, family owned Italian food in this area, then go to Raffaele’s on US 1 in Southern Pines. The prices are better, the food is better, the marinara sauce is definitely better… AND true to the notion of «family owned» Raffaele himself comes out and greets all the customers. And if that’s not enough to convince you… they offer a
gift certificate. Leave the Italian Table to all the old, rich, retired, Anglos who don’t know what good Italian food is supposed to be.

The Service was top notch!!! Micheal was a Pro!
The food and Ambiance was only three Unilocal stars or less. Here is what we had: Bread, Sorbet (Peach with a slash of Champagne), two Pasta dishes one with Bolognese (the sauce was better than most in Charlotte though that is not saying much), the Meatballs tasted fresh (NOT frozen — If they were frozen I’d be surprised, though they were as PLAIN as a chain burger joint burger!!!), Salad and Salad dressing were not what I would have expected (out of the three dressings one was a 3 Unilocal star (A –OK) the others were less than A-​OK. Other than the fantastic service the dessert broke the three Unilocal star rating for me, though not by much (not a star for sure) the Dessert was the Napoleon and looked like the best one they had!

Definitely worth the 10 minute drive from Pinehurst. Great service and delicious Italian food. Make a reservation and try it!