The Best Red Sauce Italian?

[Alice Levitt]

I've gotta say Junior's. It is the only area restaurant of its kind where I can reliably expect noodles to be al dente. While the service can sometimes be spotty, no one else around can quite satisfy my New York tri-state area parmigiana cravings. The cheese gets just the right amount of brown over my hearty portion of perfectly fried chicken. I'm quite fond of the chicken florentine and creamy veal specials, too.

[Morganna]

We've never tried the veal there, need to give it a go sometime.  I have to agree about Junior's.  They also have the best pizza (by which my husband means the pizza most like what he grew up eating on Long Island )

[tonyo]

This is one thing that us former "flatlanders" seem to agree on: there are few options for red sauce (aka, gravy) in this "neck of the woods".  Junior's is certainly good, but some of the prices have gotten a bit out of line.  You certainly can't complain about the prices at Papa Frank's and the food is decent. If someone could open a place that fell in between Junior's and Papa Frank's (in ambiance, pricing, type of cuisine), there would be lines out the door.  You know the type of place: red and white checkered tablecloths with wicker basket bottles of chianti candles on the table, Sinatra playing in the background, huge antipasta salads, chicken parm served on turkey platters, piping hot bread, meatballs made by a 70+ year old man/woman that are the size of softballs, carafes of decent house wines, brasciole and cavatelli, all priced between $8.95 and $14.95.  Lorretta's in Essex Jct. has potential, but the service is all over the place and it has an odd vibe. Another unexpected place is the Rotisserie which makes a real good chicken parm. There is also Pulcinella's in South Burlington and Sarducci's in Montpelier (which would kill in the Burlington area I'm sure).Whenever I get the hankering for a big bowl of pasta, it's our home kitchen that gets the nod.

[Morganna]

I have to say I really like the sauce (and the other foods) at Sarducci's.  I don't go there nearly enough, but I'm still having my honeymoon phase with Skinny Pancake, so I when I eat out, I tend to head there these days.