Scioletti's

If you don't clean your plate, it's not because you didn't try

by Margaret LeRoux

Scioletti's 32 Lyman Street (Westborough Shopping Center) Westborough 366-9044 Hours Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sun. noon-10 p.m. Major credit cards Full bar Handicap accessible

What if you're stuck in the suburbs and crave a Shrewsbury Street, Italian restaurant experience? If you're in Westborough, Scioletti's is your choice. In fact, the decor is a lot prettier than many of our Shrewsbury Street favorites. Warm, burnt-orange walls are decorated with colorful pottery; booths and banquettes line the walls with plenty of room for large groups. If you're an opera fan, you'll be pleased by the background music; it lends an air of authenticity to the mostly northern-Italian menu.

Four of us dined at Scioletti's recently, and if we didn't clean our plates it was for no lack of trying. Even our sometimes-hard-to-please vegetarian friend was more than satisfied with the non-meat options.

We started with a complimentary plate of deliciously crusty bread (baked on premises), some of the best I've had. It vanished almost immediately. Our waitress cheerfully brought us more, but she warned us not to fill up on bread because, "there's a lot more good things coming." She was right.

From the appetizer selections we chose grilled portobello mushroom ($5.95) and vegetable risotto ($4.95). We were impressed with the size of the portobello mushroom -- large enough that we each had a generous sample. It was grilled, thankfully with no additional marinating to mar the mushroom's meaty taste. Presented with melted Asiago cheese on a bed of mixed greens with roasted red pepper -- balsamic vinegar and rosemary spiked olive oil are served on the side -- it combined the best of both salad and appetizer. The vegetable risotto was a nice mixture of Arborio rice with peas, chopped carrots, peppers, and mushrooms.

Two of us sampled from Scioletti's wine-by-the-glass offerings, each choosing a different pinot Grigio. Cantine ($4.50) was light and sprightly, while the Bortoluzzi ($5.95) more fruity.

We bypassed the salads, though Scioletti's antipasto ($4.95 small; $7.45 large) was tempting; mussels as well as pistachio and pesto tortellini are added to the standard spread of Italian cold cuts and cheese. A grilled vegetable antipasto ($6.95) includes eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, portobello mushrooms, and mixed greens.

House specialties include many familiar pastas that will please your budget as well as your palate. More than a dozen offerings are less than $10, including aglia olio ($6.45), Alfredo ($8.95), clam sauce ($8.95), and lasagna ($7.95). There's an assortment of parmigiana-style cutlets: eggplant ($8.95), chicken ($9.95), and veal ($11.95). Chicken and veal are also served piccata or cacciatore style, with marsala wine or in a light egg batter.

Two entrées I noted for a return visit are chicken massimo ($10.95), with black olives, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms. Then there is chicken Dijonnaise ($10.95), sautéed in a mustard cream sauce with veggies.

I selected one of the specials of the night, shrimp sautéed with roasted red peppers and spinach in a sherry cream sauce over fettuccine ($15.95). It was as rich and elegant as it sounds; the size of the shrimp was impressive -- these are not the little pop-in-your-mouth-and-eat-them-whole style you find in many seafood entrees: these were the jumbo size requiring a knife and fork. I did my best, but by the end of our meal, I had a sizable portion to take home.

Veal saltimbocca ($14.95) appealed to another in our party; this classic Italian dish featured medallions of veal layered with proscuitto, topped with melted cheese, and served in a sage-flavored wine sauce with mushrooms over pasta.

The mushroom lover in our group honed in on fungi á la gorgonzola ($8.95), which included more of the portobello mushrooms, along with artichoke hearts, diced tomatoes, and chunks of gorgonzola cheese, in a lightly seasoned wine sauce served over ziti. We all sampled from this dish and declared it a winner.

Pasta primavera ($8.95) was another hit: more artichokes, zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms in a light herb and garlic sauce over ziti.

With such abundance unfinished on our plates, we couldn't in good conscience order dessert, though Scioletti's assortment of gelato and sorbets are definitely worth a try. Our bill, including tax but not tip, came to $76.70.