Lombardi's at Plaza

Its use in Italian cuisine is as prevalent as, let’s say, ranch dressing is in the South.

At Lombardi’s, in the Plaza Hotel & Casino, there’s no shortage of it.

Appetizers include sausage and peppers with garlic and white wine. The sliced lengths of sausage top a crispy flat bread. The dish could almost serve as an entrée, or a shared appetizer.

Other appetizers include fried mozzarella, fried calamari and a beautifully done little neck clams dish with crostini in white wine and garlic sauce. The sauce, though a bit on the salty side, is great for dunking the table bread in too.

A simple wine list with a few whites and reds is brought to the table.

Entrées include pasta options like pasta primavera, rigatoni, and traditional spaghetti dishes. A variety of pizzas are offered, including white pizza.

Lombardi’s porterhouse steak is a mammoth 22-ounce cut of beef, served with a spinach, mushroom and onion mix and fingerling potatoes. . .in garlic.

Traditional desserts are offered including tiramisu, cheesecake, and a banana split.

Lombardi’s offers downtown diners a nice alternative to the traditional coffee shop or noisy restaurant. Lombardi’s is quiet, tranquil and a friendly server will make dining at Lombardi’s a nice treat.

-- By Nikki Neu