Review Kansas City Restaurants
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Cascone's Italian Restaurant
ReplyDelete(North Oak Trafficway)
Excellent, consistent American-style Italian food, enormous portions at affordable prices.
We have been going to Cascone's for three years and have never had a bad meal. Some were not as good as others, but never bad.
We inevtably arrive on Sunday evening and the soup selection (all entreess come with soup or salad and a loaf of fresh baked bread) is very limited, rather predictable, and mostly boring..chicken of one sort or another.
The salad with the house dressing (an olive oil and vinegrette) is alawys good, but inconsistent. Sometimes you get olives, artichoke heart, and croutons, sometimes not. I order the blue cheese crumbles on the side and get a twist of fresh cracked pepper.
The antipasto selection is limited and non-traditional, including the "Italian Nachos" a huge concoction that looks filling, but not appetizing. With the size of the entrees and the soup/salad, you will not be needing an antipasto anyway. If you do, get the steamed artichoke when it is in-season).
I love veal and their veal parmigiana is superb. Pounded thin, lightly breaded, and pan fried, you get two large escallops on a bed of spaghetti (I order the mastacioli instead, a type of large penne). I don't like that the meat covers the pasta and inevitably have to dig the pasta out to scrape enough sauce together to cover the matacioli, sometimes having to ask for extra maranara to cover the white bits. The waitresses are skimpy on the hand grated parmigianno-reggiano cheese, so I ususally have them fill up my bread plate and scatter the cheese as I see fit.
I have had the veal marsala and it is not like any marsala dish I have ever tried. They use green (bell) peppers and onions in addition to the more traditional mushrooms, a combination that doesn't quite work with a delicate marsala sauce. I would not bother if I were you.
The chicken spedieni is very good and bountiful, but everything comes with pasta and RED sauce, so if you want alfredo or olive oil and garlic, be prepared to pay extra.
Pasta dishes are good and my wife usually orders the totrelonni savina maria, large shells stuffed with veal and cheese in a white sauce with mushrooms, peas, and pieces of proscuitto (cannot tell if it is cotto or crudo). It is very good and enough for one very hungry person of two light eaters (be prepared to be charged if you share, they charge for everything not priced on the menu).
I have never had room for dessert, but the choices are traditional and look good.
The wine list (and menu) change as often my brother's underwear, so do not becoame too attached to any particular maker or vintage. The house wines are pretty good and come in various varieties and at $6 per glass, are a relative bergain.
As I said, we have been going to Cascone's practically every Sinday for three years, so you would think the wait staff would know us by naqme by now. They do not. The receptionist is quite friendly and know us by face, but do no expect to be call ed by name my ay of the staff, no matter how long you have been going there. Service is friendly enough and things get done on time (mostly), but they do not chit chat and seem to care less who you are.
In all, CombatCritic gives Cascone's (North Oak)a score of 7 bombs out of 10.