Local Flavor: Magnifico! Casa D’Angelo in Macedonia serves delicious Italian cuisine
I’m just going to say it: Casa D’Angelo is a wonderful place to dine. Everything is top notch, including the food, service and atmosphere.
My wife, Susie, and I had a really nice experience on our first visit to the Italian restaurant at 893 E. Aurora Road (Route 82) in Macedonia.
Local Flavor: Coventry Diner offers homestyle food in cozy atmosphere
We went on the recommendation of our friends Kristin and Brian, who go there for special occasions. From what I can tell, every night is a special occasion when you dine at Casa D’Angelo.
The busy corridor near Interstate 271 is famous for fast-food chains, but this family-owned restaurant is worth seeking out. It’s located in an unassuming plaza that also contains a sushi place, beauty salon and nail parlor.
It’s far more spacious inside than you would imagine. The main dining area looks quite inviting with burgundy walls, wooden floors, dark paneling, wooden tables and cloth-backed booths adorned with a wine and grape pattern.
Wall decorations include framed mirrors, Italian paintings and, most interestingly, vintage portraits of Italian wedding parties.
A gorgeous wooden bar, modern in every respect, is the centerpiece of an adjacent dining room that’s equally charming.
Origins of Casa D’Angelo
Although the restaurant was new to us, Northeast Ohio residents have been customers for more than 30 years.
Jimmy D’Angelo opened Casa D’Angelo in North Royalton in 1989 with his brothers Sam and Paul, sister-in-law Donna and parents, Sam Sr. and Josephine.
In 1994, the family moved the restaurant to Macedonia. In 2004, they opened D’Angelo’s Italian Ristorante at 7995 Darrow Road in Twinsburg.
Jimmy learned the ropes from his uncle James P. D’Angelo, who owned Casa D’Angelo in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and shared the family’s authentic Italian recipes from the Cunetto House of Pasta, a St. Louis landmark since 1972.
The menu is incredible. Frank Sinatra sang a love song on the piped-in music as we sat in a booth and decided what to order.
Pasta dishes include more than 20 variations on Italian favorites such as lasagna, spaghetti, ravioli, shells, penne, fettucine, gnocchi and angel hair. And there are another 20 specialty dishes featuring chicken, veal and fish.
We were there for dinner, but the lunch menu also has a variety of Italian-themed sandwiches, including meatball, chicken, sausage and veal. Those are served with one side and are available until 4 p.m.
There are delightful-sounding appetizers (bruschetta, toasted ravioli, calamari), salads (tomato, Italian chicken, Insalata D’Angelo) and sides (spaghetti marinara, garlic broccoli, asparagus). And there’s a children’s menu that includes pizza, mac and cheese and french fries.
Let’s start with an appetizer
We started with an artichoke appetizer ($8), a summer special that features artichokes and mushrooms in a garlic wine sauce topped with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
“It’s very tasty,” Susie said. “I think you’re going to like that.”
“Boy, is that good!” I blurted out after the first bite.
Served in a metal dish that keeps it warm, the appetizer was smooth and sumptuous, a tender, garlicky delight.
A home run on the first at bat. This was going to be a great night.
Did you know that Italian wedding soup isn’t traditionally served at Italian weddings? Neither did we. In Italian, it’s called “minestra miritata,” which translates to “married soup” because it’s a marriage of delicious ingredients.
That’s the kind of thing you learn on a smartphone while waiting for a cup of homemade Italian wedding soup ($4). It was served steaming hot with a glorious mixture of orzo, chicken, meatballs, carrots and celery. Really, really yummy.
Between mouthfuls of soup, I enjoyed a slice of thick, crusty bread, slathered in soft butter, served complimentary with our meal.
We asked our server, Katie, for some suggestions for the main course. Her recommendations included Chicken Palermo (breaded chicken breast topped with a lemon wine sauce with cheese, peas and fresh mushrooms) and Chicken Parmigiana (breaded chicken breast topped with marinara sauce and a blend of cheeses), which happen to be two of Kristin and Brian’s favorite dishes.
A self-described “cheese freak,” Katie also recommended the Penne E. Formaggi ($14), a baked dish of ricotta, Parmesan, provolone and mozzarella folded into pasta and served with homemade meat sauce.
She guaranteed that we’d have leftovers.
Challenge accepted, Katie.
Penne dish is ‘boatload of pasta’
“Oh, my gosh. Look at that!” Susie gasped when my food arrived. “It’s like a boatload of pasta.”
Between the deep dish, pasta and glistening cheese, it had to weigh more than 5 pounds. I wasn’t sure whether to eat it or perform bicep curls.
I tried to dig in right away, but it was so blazing hot that I resumed nibbling on the artichoke appetizer. I couldn’t wait any longer. I poked a hole in the cheese and skewered a couple of penne.
“The cheese just oozes off your fork,” Susie said.
Let me tell you, it was absolutely, completely, utterly delicious. The perfectly cooked pasta, bubbling cheese and sweet sauce were a divine combination.
Oh, and Katie was right. There was NO WAY I was going to finish this dish in one sitting. I gave up about halfway through. You really get your money’s worth for $14.
“It’s really good heated up,” our server said.
Susie really enjoyed her main course of Chicken Palermo ($18).
“It’s a large helping of chicken,” she said. “A lot of mushrooms. The sauce is flavorful. You can definitely taste the lemon.”
There were mushrooms on the appetizer, mushrooms on the chicken and mushrooms on Susie’s side plate of Grandma’s shells.
“This is a very mushroom-intensive meal,” she decided.
I couldn’t finish my penne and Susie couldn’t finish her shells. We also took home two pieces of crusty bread.
Sweet treat for dessert
The Casa D’Angelo dessert menu features tiramisu, cannoli, cheesecake and ultimate chocolate cake.
Yes, we were already full, but when we learned that the cannoli ($3) was homemade, we decided to split one. We soon learned that cannoli isn’t easy to split. It shattered under the knife.
No matter. It didn’t take away from the sweet joy of a crunchy shell dusted in powdered sugar and stuffed with creamy filling and chocolate chips.
Don’t tell anyone, but I licked the knife to get the last bit of filling.
Our server Katie was friendly, attentive and helpful. We greatly appreciated her menu suggestions since it was our first time there.
There are so many other things we want to try on future visits.
With drinks, our total bill came to $56.13, not including tip.
If you don’t live near Casa D’Angelo, it’s well worth the drive. And if you do live close, consider yourself lucky.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com.
Details
Place: Casa D’Angelo, 893 E. Aurora Road (Route 82), Macedonia
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and 4 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday
Alcohol: Yes
Gluten-free options: Yes
Catering: Yes
Private parties: Yes
More info: 330-467-9699 and https://www.casadangelo.com
Sea World revisited: Vintage photos of Ohio marine park
Geauga Lake revisited: Vintage photos of lost amusement park
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Local Flavor: Casa D’Angelo in Macedonia is magnifico
