Michael Angelo’s recently opened on James St. in Eastwood between Sacred Melody Plaza and Wegman’s. This location has been the site of many restaurants, almost qualifying as a restaurant graveyard. I did my share of whining when the Melt Shop closed, whose service and simple fare I enjoyed and rooted for. But by now it’s almost morbidly fascinating to see every brave soul who tries their luck in this karma-challenged spot. I know none of you could have guessed it, but they offer Italian fare.
We made our way over to Michael Angelo’s on a very cold night recently. As some already know, the owner was previously a very longstanding chef at Antonio’s, and some favorite recipes from that former hotspot came along with him. I went for the Riggies to cut the winter chill. This Utica-styled pasta favorite was appropriately spicy, the sauce was good, and the portion was quite massive. Lonnie opted for the fish sandwich, and we were both impressed with the flavor and how refined and delicate the breaded coating was. Our server was very pleasant and friendly.
It’s a small, modest place, not comparable to somewhere like Antonio’s, a fairly fancy restaurant. The new decor is tasteful, though. It’s almost surreal to have seen such a long sequence of decor changes in that building. We’ll see how they make out – they don’t appear to be doing a lot of advertising, so I’m guessing that their success will depend on whether they can attract former fans of Antonio’s who might enjoy a somewhat more modest meal price.
I’ll try for lunch tomorrow. Chicken Riggies and Utica Greens are two of my three favorite dishes.
Ok, initial reaction:
Holy mother of God, it looks like I ordered butter with a side of Utica Greens. Now, I love me some flavor, but that’s a bit much. I’m eating something green, I want to actually try to fool myself into thinking that it’s semi-healthy. Also, I like my greens with a lot more spice. I think Gentile’s is till the Utica Greens champion of Syracuse.
It looks like they went the route of riggies with a red sauce, as opposed to pink. *dives in* The flavor is pretty good. It’s got a nice kick due to (I believe) a friendly use of dried red pepper. The chicken is more than bite-sized, which means you either have to bring a knife to this fight, or you have to eat like a savage (which I am shamelessly ok with). I’m a bit disappointed that there are two whole (not stemmed, obviously) cherry peppers in there. I’ve never seen riggies that did not have it’s peppers in chunks and spread amongst the dish. Like the chicken, you either need to cut it up yourself or take about 3 bites to take out each one. Also, the green onions are in rather huge pieces as well; you get one of those suckers on something you’re eating, your taste buds are going to get a whole lot of onion all at once. I picked the rest out.
I got take out and the quarter-loaf of bread I got was, somewhat sadly, plain. Maybe I’ve become spoiled, but I kind of like it when my bread comes with a little butter or something already in there. Michael Angelo’s seems like something of a cross between an italian restaurant and a diner, so I won’t knock them for that.
Ultimately, I’d go back for the riggies. For it’s faults, it’s still quite the tasty dish. I’ll probably pass on the greens in the future. Thanks for bringing this place to my attention. I grabbed a menu to scan and send to cnymenus, hopefully they stick around!
Jim!
Great review, lots of colorful detail! You have, I believe, become the resident pizza and greens expert. Lonnie may like those greens, as her love of butter rivals Julia Childs’.
The giant portion thing can be really fun if you’re famished, yet I often wish that the places doing that would put the $ and effort into slightly better quality instead of quantity. I don’t mean miniscule portions, just a bit smaller. In this town, I realize that it would be a very hard sell. Still, I think we can easily think of places where you get the monster portion, but you can see where corners are cut to make up for it. I would go so far as to say that in the US in general, quantity is king, and we have our kingly size as a result. Somebody has to keep personal trainers in business, I guess.
Gentile’s, indeed! They are the local kings in several categories, IMHO.
Went there this winter too and had a basic pasta dish. Tasted like it was homemade and didn’t mind the big portions. I hope it stays open.
I’m told that the owner or chef was the chef at Antonio’s back when it was open and before it went downhill.