Scotti's
Family photos, sauce from 'the tip of the boot' make for one-of-a-kind dining downtown
JULIE FITZGERALD | CIN WEEKLY CORRESPONDENT
If you're a food enthusiast - someone who savors the history and family traditions behind an entree almost as much as the taste - Scotti's should be a stop on your local culinary tour.
Named after a popular Italian opera star, Antonio Scotti, this family eatery has been serving up traditional pasta dishes for more than 100 years.
The current owners, brother and sister duo Marco and Rina DiMarco, are the fifth generation to operate the Scotti's restaurant. And they're more than happy to share stories about the family photos and news clippings lining the walls, which, for me and my guest, made the Scotti's experience.
RUMORS ...
It was pure curiosity that drove me to (finally) eat at Scotti's.
I've heard so many stories about this place: It has great tomato sauce. It's a favorite with celebrities. It was a hot spot in the early 1990s with "lines out the door."
Hoto avoid any lines or celebs, we dined late on a Wednesday evening. Greeted by Marco DiMarco, we were welcomed and seated near the back of this narrow restaurant, where he personally lit our drippy wax candle and handed us the menus.
AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Scotti's was quiet that evening, except for a large party of 10. So, we had the luxury of turning to DiMarco's table (where he adds the guest checks) and interrupting him all night with our questions.
We found out that the restaurant's sauce is a homemade southern Italian recipe, Tom Selleck ate here during his Magnum P.I. days, and people did wait in long lines for a plate of spaghetti. However, DiMarco feels business hasn't fully rebounded from city boycotts. But he'll never leave his downtown location. "There's too much history here," he says.
STARTERS TO SAVOR
If you're dining for the first time, try the garlic bread ($2). It's the perfect appetizer. Heaped with chopped garlic cloves, it's a delicious way to ease into the meal.
There's also a few off-beat offerings, such as pepperoni sausage and pimentos in olive oil (all $6.50).
Most entrees include salad and soup. The homemade minestrone was delicious. It's Rina DiMarco's recipe, and it's a hearty serving of beef broth with beans, celery, carrots and pasta shells.
SPECIALTY PASTA DISHES
The menu is huge and so are the portions. I settled on the meaty cannelloni ($18). My co-foodie had the spaghetti marinara made with garlic, olive oil and oregano ($16.50).
Both dishes had a "mom's kitchen" taste. My cannelloni - pasta tubes stuffed with unseasoned meat, topped with cheese and marsala cream and tomato sauce - was good. And by the time we finished our tiramisu ($5) and Italian red wine ($23 bottle), we felt like we discovered something truly unique to Cincinnati.
