Italian restaurant close to being something really special

Every town needs a good Italian restaurant and now Forsyth has one of its own. Minori’s Italian Ristorante, a lovely little place on the charming square, plays old-style accordion music and is lowly lit by candles and small fixtures throughout the brick-walled former hotel.

Our meal began with a bowl of soft bread in garlic butter plus a salad to share. While I would like to see each of these stepped up, they were sufficient while we waited for our appetizer. We chose zucchini di fritto, a generous serving with marinara for $7. Other appetizers include deep-fried, hand-breaded mozzarella; mushrooms stuffed with spinach, cheese, and house-made Italian sausage; veal, pork, and beef meatballs with ricotta; and calamari with roasted red pepper sauce.

For my entree, I had the lasagna Napoletana for $13 with plenty left over for the next day’s lunch. The pasta dishes are very reasonably priced, like the fettuccini grassi (their take on Alfredo) for $11, baked ravioli for $12, and carbonara Bella with pancetta for $13. My guest’s filet mignon was not quite to his liking, even at $30. It was cooked as ordered but was a bit bland in spite of its mushroom demi-glace and the vegetable sides came out much later than the meat. Other entrees from the specialties part of the menu include eggplant rollatini, pesto shrimp skewers, pan-seared scallops, and Osso buco, all ranging from $16-$32.

For dessert we had the tiramisu and a cup of coffee, but other choices include cannoli, creme brulee cheesecake, zeppole, and lava cake. Our service was friendly, but at this point in our meal, all of our plates — from bread and salad to dessert — were still piled on our table.

Lunch features their dinner pastas plus panini such as a meatball sub for $8, a caprese grilled cheese for $7, and a grilled chicken panini for $9. Kids can have cheese ravioli, spaghetti, fettuccini, or a grilled cheese for $6 any time of the day.

With a few tweaks, Minori’s will be packing the place every night. For now, it is a pleasant place to have a pasta dinner, a shared dessert and a glass of wine.

This story was originally published February 21, 2018 at 1:55 PM with the headline "Italian restaurant close to being something really special."