You ever have one of those places that has been perpetually on your list of places to try? That was Minneci's for me. There are a couple international groceries right next to Minneci's that I always visit, and every time I drive by, I always say to myself, "I should really try that place some time." They used to have this really bright and gaudy pink neon sign that wrote out "Minneci's" in this lettering that just looked like squiggles which would catch my eyes and cause them to roll. But a few months ago, they updated the sign so that it wasn't so much Miami Vice. So I figured that it was time for me to actually wander in there and have some food.
Now one thing that I really need to do is to make sure that when I'm looking to do a review is to bring along more than just one of my buds. Two people can only eat so much... though we always try to push those boundaries. Hey, we can always work it out in the gym later.
So, I'm off writing at Panera and CJ drops me a line, and dinner is on. The first thing that we notice is that we strolled in at 9, and they closed at 10. The place was pretty much empty, except for the staff, and a couple old guys who were drinking wine. This was sort of cool, actually. I half expected to see some goodfellas in the back, but we didn't. The decor was sort of plain - relatively understated. Except for one thing. Teal upholstery. Very old school. Very amusing. And still very Miami Vice. It was pretty much what I expected, though I didn't know it.
Now, the service was pretty decent. It wasn't busy, our server was pretty good about bringing refills and checking on us just enough to make us feel like we were being served without being intruded on. She gets props for that. She was able to answer my questions pretty well. In my book, if you don't notice a server, then they've done their job well. I didn't really notice her, so she must have done well.
In general, the food was solid, not spectacular. The appetizers looked pretty standard, but she did mention that they made the fried mozzarella sticks in house. So we tried them, but really, they weren't much different than anywhere else. The mozzarella was actually a little bland, and the breading wasn't anything special. Oh well. Even if they won't ever make Zagat's, they're still darned fun to eat. We also decided to get a small pizza with Italian sausage as an appetizer. This was actually darned good. Crispy crust on the bottom, with a little chew still there. Sauce was ample without drowning the pie. Nice and cheesy with plenty of sausage. Only downer - it was just a little bit on the salty side, but that was nothing that a couple sips of water between slices didn't fix.
For dinner, we went with pasta dishes. We split the meat lasagna and the mixed manicotti. In both cases, the portions were a little smaller than I would have liked and expected for the price, though it wasn't much of a concern given that we had already downed mozzarella sticks and pizza. The manicotti was pretty good. I think that I preferred the meat to the cheese, but both were done well. And really, can you go wrong with filling up pasta with meat and cheese, covering it up in sauce and baking it? Which, really is the same result with the lasagna. I really liked the taste and texture of the cheese mix (which presumably is the same for the lasagna and the manicotti).
In addition to the pasta, we also ordered a side of the the meatballs and a side of the Italian sausage. The meatballs were decent enough - maybe a little bit on the tough side, but they tasted good. However, the Italian sausage was a disappointment. It was the same crumbled sausage that went on the pizza, covered in sauce. I had just assumed that it was going to be a link. It tasted OK, but had I known that it was going to come like that, I would have passed. Oh well. Live and learn.
Dessert was mediocre. The cannoli's were decent enough, though not quite as tasty as I have come to expect. And we also tried the zabajone, which was served cold, and was light and creamy, but didn't have a great flavor to it. I think that a better bet would be to trek over to a different place for some sweets and coffee after dinner, rather than doing dessert there.
Overall, it was alright. Not a bad place for a meal, though not exactly a place for a special night, either with the ambiance or the food. Unless you're really into Crockett and Tubbs and have a burning need to relive the mid-80's. And, really, who doesn't?
-foodgeek
Rating: 0.5 stars
Minneci's Ristorante (217) 352-4425; 401 S. First St (NW corner of 1st and Springfield)., Champaign, IL 61820. Appetizers: $4 - $7; Pizzas: $7 - $18; Pasta: $8 - $15; Entrees: $12 - $20.
Long overdue update: Apparently, they remodeled the restaurant, and then opened a second location in west Champaign. The original location looks like it closed in 2014, and the west Champaign location closed in 2017.
Now one thing that I really need to do is to make sure that when I'm looking to do a review is to bring along more than just one of my buds. Two people can only eat so much... though we always try to push those boundaries. Hey, we can always work it out in the gym later.
So, I'm off writing at Panera and CJ drops me a line, and dinner is on. The first thing that we notice is that we strolled in at 9, and they closed at 10. The place was pretty much empty, except for the staff, and a couple old guys who were drinking wine. This was sort of cool, actually. I half expected to see some goodfellas in the back, but we didn't. The decor was sort of plain - relatively understated. Except for one thing. Teal upholstery. Very old school. Very amusing. And still very Miami Vice. It was pretty much what I expected, though I didn't know it.
Now, the service was pretty decent. It wasn't busy, our server was pretty good about bringing refills and checking on us just enough to make us feel like we were being served without being intruded on. She gets props for that. She was able to answer my questions pretty well. In my book, if you don't notice a server, then they've done their job well. I didn't really notice her, so she must have done well.
In general, the food was solid, not spectacular. The appetizers looked pretty standard, but she did mention that they made the fried mozzarella sticks in house. So we tried them, but really, they weren't much different than anywhere else. The mozzarella was actually a little bland, and the breading wasn't anything special. Oh well. Even if they won't ever make Zagat's, they're still darned fun to eat. We also decided to get a small pizza with Italian sausage as an appetizer. This was actually darned good. Crispy crust on the bottom, with a little chew still there. Sauce was ample without drowning the pie. Nice and cheesy with plenty of sausage. Only downer - it was just a little bit on the salty side, but that was nothing that a couple sips of water between slices didn't fix.
For dinner, we went with pasta dishes. We split the meat lasagna and the mixed manicotti. In both cases, the portions were a little smaller than I would have liked and expected for the price, though it wasn't much of a concern given that we had already downed mozzarella sticks and pizza. The manicotti was pretty good. I think that I preferred the meat to the cheese, but both were done well. And really, can you go wrong with filling up pasta with meat and cheese, covering it up in sauce and baking it? Which, really is the same result with the lasagna. I really liked the taste and texture of the cheese mix (which presumably is the same for the lasagna and the manicotti).
In addition to the pasta, we also ordered a side of the the meatballs and a side of the Italian sausage. The meatballs were decent enough - maybe a little bit on the tough side, but they tasted good. However, the Italian sausage was a disappointment. It was the same crumbled sausage that went on the pizza, covered in sauce. I had just assumed that it was going to be a link. It tasted OK, but had I known that it was going to come like that, I would have passed. Oh well. Live and learn.
Dessert was mediocre. The cannoli's were decent enough, though not quite as tasty as I have come to expect. And we also tried the zabajone, which was served cold, and was light and creamy, but didn't have a great flavor to it. I think that a better bet would be to trek over to a different place for some sweets and coffee after dinner, rather than doing dessert there.
Overall, it was alright. Not a bad place for a meal, though not exactly a place for a special night, either with the ambiance or the food. Unless you're really into Crockett and Tubbs and have a burning need to relive the mid-80's. And, really, who doesn't?
-foodgeek
Rating: 0.5 stars
Minneci's Ristorante (217) 352-4425; 401 S. First St (NW corner of 1st and Springfield)., Champaign, IL 61820. Appetizers: $4 - $7; Pizzas: $7 - $18; Pasta: $8 - $15; Entrees: $12 - $20.
Long overdue update: Apparently, they remodeled the restaurant, and then opened a second location in west Champaign. The original location looks like it closed in 2014, and the west Champaign location closed in 2017.
