There are a lot of places out there claiming to have “real” Italian cooking, when in reality they are serving up American dishes with vaguely Italian names. Some of the essentials for authentic Italian cooking may be hard to spot if you’re not looking for them, but once you do, you’ll never look back.
If Alfredo sauce is the pride and joy at an “authentic” Italian restaurant, or they’ve misspelled “Panini” on the menu, then you should probably head out. Restaurants aiming to have authentic cuisine should focus on accuracy and building credibility, so an attention to detail is vital. Using olive oil exclusively or correctly labeling dishes and wines in the menu are just a few ways to determine the authenticity of a restaurant, but the list doesn’t end there.
Don’t Be Saucy
Beware! Dishes that are over-sauced are not only tough to get through, but they’re also not authentic. American dishes with Italian names often employ too much sauce and too little pasta. The result is a catastrophe and a fraud. That being said, having a small gravy boat on the side for extra sauce is acceptable.
Avoid Cheesy Imitations
Cheese is an important factor in Italian food and in American food, so it’s not surprising that restaurants that combine the two cuisines might over do it, or do it incorrectly. Italian Restaurants Orlando that employ inauthentic ingredients in their dishes often substitute real Italian cheese for American knock-offs, and it’s no secret. If it’s not an authentic Italian cheese, it’s not an authentic Italian dish.
Stinky Ingredients
As delicious as garlic is, not every Italian dish has it–but you wouldn’t know that from some menus. The slogan for these places seems to be “a little garlic here, a lot of garlic there.” An authentic Italian restaurant knows that not every dish calls for heaps of garlic, or any garlic at all! Even in the cases when garlic is necessary, a “real” Italian restaurant remembers that a little garlic goes a long way and certainly doesn’t try to rely on garlic to save the dish.
Don’t fall for the imposters! You’ll end up with yet another round of mediocre food calling itself authentic Italian. At Christini’s, you’ll find the freshest ingredients, traditionally prepared for you and your party. Make a reservation today at our Orlando Convention Center restaurant, and step into a piece of Italy in your backyard.
