New restaurant serves great food, great service

Before this review begins, I must admit that Italian foods are my favorite dishes.

Even though Toscano's, 4 Depot St., carries excellent choices of Italian delicacies, high marks have little to do with the food itself. In today's fast-paced society, friendly service mostly is overlooked, but this Italian restaurant makes it a top priority.

Toscano's is located where Sylvia's used to be. The architecture and furnishings are similar to Sylvia's, as is the food, but with a more authentic Italian taste.

The main improvement in this "cucina italiana" restaurant was the overall service. The three servers who waited on my dinner partner and me treated us like royalty.

As soon as we were seated at the table, they handed us a wine list. After a brief explanation about a few wines, we decided on a favorite white bottle. When the wine arrived, I was asked to sample it to make sure the taste was satisfactory.

At that moment I felt far from Athens. After giving our waitress a thumbs up on the wine, we ordered the artichoke dip and cristinis (baked bread) as an appetizer, which was enjoyable.

The waitress then took dinner orders. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and suggested some dishes she thought would compliment the white wine selection.

I had the chicken Florentine. It was tasty and the large portion was too much for me to finish. The Alfredo sauce tasted as authentic as a sauce my Italian grandmother used to make. All right - not quite that authentic. Regardless, I was pleased with my selection.

A quick scenario that occurred later in the night best sums up the dining experience. I was enjoying a few drinks at Pig Skin Bar and Grill, 38 N. Court St., later that night when a woman approached me. It was my waitress from Toscano's, and she asked me if I had enjoyed my dinner. She also said she hoped to see us in the future.

Imagine that. Very few servers would care if a customer enjoyed a dinner ••after•• the credit card had been charged and the tip filled.

In short, Toscano's makes eating out relaxing again. The servers make people feel like real customers, the food is authentic and the wine is fresh. Although I don't recommend Toscano's as a daily eating spot (about $50 dollars for two people), I do suggest it for special occasions. With Valentine's Day around the corner, and Dad's Weekend in three weeks, make your reservations now.

8.5 out of 10 overall.

- Chris Congeni