Have you Hurd.... About one big reason I wished I lived closer to Reynoldsburg?

Probably not the least amount of suspense in that title question...  You know the answer somehow revolves around great food that is offered somewhere in Reynoldsburg.  Plus, if you have ever been willing to sit still long enough for me to tell you in person about my new almost favorite place.  Almost favorite because I don't live quite close enough to dine there often enough to count myself as a "regular."  It's a small family owned and operated restaurant called Scali Ristorante in a strip mall near SR 256 and E. Livingston.  They are open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday and lunch on Thursday and Friday.

The first time I heard about Scali, I was skeptical.  Mostly because the person who was recommending the place to me was a bit of a skinny runt.  Yes, he will be reading this and I have indeed called him that to his face.  I suppose everything is relative though, given that I am well over 6 feet tall.  I didn't earn the moniker Big Mike as a clever play on words.  I really am a big guy and many other seem small by comparison.  *smile*  We were scouting locations for a small company gathering and I told him I wasn't going to recommend it without trying it first.  Since that first memorable lunch visit, I have returned a handful of times in the company of several different parties and they have always exceeded my expectations.  Another good friend once told me that when people love that they do, it shows in the quality of their work.  The folks at Scali all must love what they do and it definitely shows.

Tonight, we were hosting a friend and co-worker in town from South Dakota for training.  I received an email earlier in the day with the weekly specials and like a little kid I began asking every five minutes "is it time to go to dinner yet?"  We opened the meal with a couple of their signature appetizers, the asiago and prosciutto grill (sliced prosciutto wrapped with asiago cheese grilled and served with a calmata and roasted pepper sauce) and the stuffed mushrooms (capicola, salami blended together with a mixture of Italian cheeses and baked in a light butter sauce).  Both plates went back to the kitchen empty and left smiling faces in their wake.  I was prepared to arm-wrestle for the last portion of the asiago and prosciutto grill.  Thankfully, nobody else was really feeling competitive and they let me have it.  I glanced at the empty plate and for a moment I wondered "was any of that supposed to be a garnish or was it all meant to be consumed?"  *grimace*  It all tasted good, so I am going to go with 100 percent edible and 0 percent garnish.  Furthermore, I let someone else have the last stuffed mushroom.  I know that sounds strange coming from me, but it was Random Act of Kindness week recently.  I also stared at it longingly before wistfully letting it go.
 

Stuffed Mushtrooms

Asiago Prosciutto Grill

The salads arrived quickly on the heels of the appetizers.  It was a pretty even split in our party between the Italian (house) and the Caesar salad.  I opted for the former with the crumbled blue cheese added.  It was a pleasant mix of greens, with tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, kalamata olives, house made croutons, crumbled blue cheese, and Italian dressing.  I am sure it would have been wonderful straight up, but I found it hard to resist the container of fresh grated Parmesan on the table any longer.  It was even better than a shaker with large slots in it.  A nice size glass of it with a lid and serving spoon.  An invitation to to go bat **** crazy with the cheese!  Know what I mean?    I put a generous sprinkle over the top.  WOW!  Rabbits wish they had food like this.  Not to belabor the point, but more clean plates and the excitement builds for the main course.


When I received the email of weekly specials, just like Jerry McGuire they had me at "Pork Ragu."  It was pork tenderloin coarsely diced and sauteed in olive oil and onions, slowly simmered in tomato sauce and served with pasta.  The pasta was similar in shape to rigatoni, but it was much bigger around.  An ideal platform for the sauce and other enhancements.  I just had to hit it with a good dose of Parmesan cheese.  The tomato sauce had a robust tomato flavor, the chunks of pork were well seasoned and fork tender.  I resisted the urge to lick my plate clean, but managed to almost lick it clean relying on a spark of creativity with my dinner fork and sheer determination.  YUM!

Progress?   Remembered
halfway through the gelato..

I was already feeling caloric overload when the waitress quietly slipped the dessert menus onto the table and let us know the gelato flavors of the day.  When I was a young boy and my Grandparents lived on Sandgate Road in Sharon Woods, my sisters and I would walk over almost daily during our summer time visits to the Friendly's ice cream parlor and grab a cone from the take out counter.  I don't think I ever ordered anything but strawberry.  It was just a matter of whether I ordered a single or double scoop.  The strawberry gelato at Scali reminded me of those daily summertime trips. Amazing strawberry flavor for this time of year and I even found a couple of big chunks of fruit in there.  -smile-   Maybe it's a lot colder outside tonight...  Maybe I am a lot older now...  My Grandparents don't live on Sandgate Road anymore and the Friendly's has been gone from that location for years, but...  It made me feel a little younger... and a lot warmer...

As I headed back out into the cold and dark.  Only question I had is "when are we going back to Scali?"