The front of the two-sided menu at Bagheri’s Italian Restaurant would have you believe that you’re dining in a cliff-side restaurant on the shores of Italy – which is ironic given the fact that the actual restaurant itself bares no such pretentions.
Portraits of Sophia Loren and Al Pacino adorn the walls and your meal is made by a guy who looks like Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid, so don’t expect Bagheri’s – which shares a parking lot with Metzler’s, Mable Peabody’s, and includes a conjoining hookah bar just a few doors down sharing the same name – to transport you anywhere.
Their menu is very traditional with pretty much any pasta dish you could possibly want ($7.95-$8.95) and some house specialties ($9.95) like Cavatelli Pomodore and Fettucini Carbonara. Don’t look for a drink menu because Bagheri’s is BYOB and there’s no corking fee on wine – they’ll even bring you chilled glasses if you bring in a six-pack of beer.
A complimentary plate of toasted bread greets you once you order and I didn’t really know how to feel about it. Instead of the usual hot fluffy garlic rolls you’ll get at most places, Bagheri’s gives you thick, crispy slices that my dinner date for the evening and I couldn’t quite figure out what to make of at first.
I settled on the Tortellini a la Parra, which was just a bowl of cheese tortellini in alfredo sauce with sautéed broccoli. The tri-colored tortellini was fine and the fresh broccoli was a nice touch to the dish, but I was slightly underwhelmed with the alfredo sauce, which was a bit thin and not as flavorful as I would have liked.
The aforementioned date ordered the Eggplant Parmesan, which came out nicely presented on a flat dish served on a bed of penne pasta. But she too was underwhelmed, describing the eggplant as bitter and tough and not able to hold together with the breading and cheese.
The atmosphere is endearing and friendly, as regular customers walk right up to the kitchen to pick up their order, exchanging pleasantries with Sid, the owner and chef. If anything, a place like Bagheri's just goes to show you that no matter how much love goes into the food, the results can still be mixed.
