Arrabiata’s Italian Restaurant
6169 Mayfield Road
Mayfield Hts, Ohio 44124
440-442-2600
I’ve pontificated previously about my lack of enthusiasm when it comes to Italian food. Usually it is doughy pasta served with crappy canned tomato sauce, but if you’re really lucky, you’ll also get a meatball that has more filler in it than meat. Not so in Arrabiata’s in Mayfield Hts. As Jessie and I found out, Arrabiata’s serves delicious, fresh-made Italian favorites with excellent portion sizes for the money.
To be honest, the only reason we went to Arrabiata’s last night was because it was the best sounding place in our coupon book. Not only that, but the lady-friend really digs Italian food and I thought it would be a nice treat for her to break up some of the continuous wedding planning to which she has been seeing. Who knew committing the rest of your life to someone could be such a pain in the ass? (50 million divorced people simultaneously raise their hands.)
Even though we got out to Arrabiata’s near 7 p.m. the restaurant was still quite full. Luckily, there was absolutely no wait. We were seated near the front of the restaurant and quickly brought a basket of bread to enjoy while we perused the menu.
Arrabiata’s has an extensive offering of Italian favorites as well as many specialty Italian dishes that you won’t find at that cesspool known as Olive Garden. Being someone that doesn’t particularly like pasta dishes, I was pleased to see that many of the specialty items on the menu included pasta as a side only.
With that the great items on the menu it was actually hard for me to decide, but my stomach would eventually succumb to the Chicken Italiano ($14). The Chicken Italiano is described on the menu as, "Chicken with salami, onions, mushrooms and olives. Sauteed in garlic and served in a white wine butter sauce with a touch of Romano cheese." I couldn’t pass on that.
The Chicken Italiano was so freakin’ good I could have eating three helpings. There were two large pieces of chicken that had been coated with flour and sauteed amid a pile of onions, mushrooms, salami and Kalamata olives. Everything was coated with a butter sauce that was nothing short of divine. I made sure to get every last bit of the sauce by mixing my side of pasta in with the rest of the ingredients. Knowing how good the Chicken Italiano was, I’m going to have a difficult time ordering any other entree when I visit again.
Our server for the evening was John and he could not have possibly done a better job. He deserves to be commended. He was polite and friendly throughout the meal, but he was never a pest like some waitstaff are when itching for a tip. At one point, he even brought us refills before the drinks we had were finished. Truly a class act. You rock John!
Arrabiata’s was perfect. We were seated quickly, had excellent service and enjoyed an unbelievable meal. Most importantly for me though, I got to spend the night with the woman I love. (Brownie Points +275)
Click here for Arrabiata’s Dinner Menu
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August 6th, 2007 at 10:51 am
For the past year, my boyfriend and I have driven past it. And with the crazy construction, we almost still do but having gone there several times, I’m very impressed with the food and prices. Anywhere else you’d pay upwards of $19 -$21 of the food they serve–not including the salad. I’m typically not one to like butter and bread, but there’s is fantastic with sundried tomatoes and garlic. Try the Pasta D’oro or the fettucini alfredo.