Adriatico Trattoria

This authentic Italian restaurant reminded me of an episode of the Soprano's...minus to low down, dirty, mob mentality of Tony AND the drama. It's so quaint, I felt like everyone in the main dining room was all part of one family, sharing a meal. Adriatico Trattoria is 100% "mom and pop." I  LOVE THAT and the romantic ambiance!
It was just what the Mister and I needed after a long week. We found ourselves back in College Park. This neighborhood  lacks the chain restaurants and food some of us have unfortunately grown accustomed to in Orlando. The hostess at Adriatico Trattoria was VERY sweet, and nice enough to re-seat us inside after I got a whiff or urine on the outdoor patio. Weird, I know. But very true story. Perhaps, someone used the wall nearby in the early morning or overnight hours...

The hostess who seated us, was also our waitress. Initially, frustrating because she had at least one other table. And as the night went on, business picked up.  It took  her a while to return for our order, and with water and bread. But I watched as she juggled: her tables and hosting duties at the front door. I was tired just watching her!! And then I felt sorry for her. In the end...I realized that's one thing I like about "mom and pops.." Not only are they quaint and usually serving up the BEST food...the employees are usually family members. And I LOVE the idea of building something for your family to OWN.  We tipped her well..and I sure hope everyone else did. She deserved it. After all, Adriatico Trattoria did appear to attract smart-looking, business savvy individuals and professionals from the College Park neighborhood.

For whatever reason, I can't get the Mister to eat anything BUT Fettuccine Alfredo when we eat Italian.  And he likes it with NO garnish. Just the noodles, Alfredo sauce and chicken. Bring it with the garnish (yes, the green stuff) and we will send it back. In his words..the Fettuccine at Adriatico was DIFFERENT. The chef uses REAL egg noodles at Adriatico Trattoria. That was impressive. Hence, one of the best F.A. dishes he's had. I'll try just about anything..so when the waitress suggested the Linguine Fra Diavolo being featured as a new item on the menu, I couldn't resist. I could taste EVERY spice and what impressed me...they didn't skimp on the shrimp! I could've tried every dish on the menu, and plan to. I'll be visiting this spot again and again and again :)

Nice touch: The wife of the ownership team, stopped by our table to make sure everything was just right. She stayed busy herself, working the bar area and keeping the chef (her husband) on track with getting food out fast! Gotta love the spirit of the owner of a locally own placed!

Cost for two: $30-$50 ..more with wine (many are sold by the bottle)
Parking: Street or lot behind the building