Valentino's

Just in time for Valentine's Day

90 Commercial Street, Worcester 767-1900
Wed.-Sat. 5-10 p.m.
Major credit cards (and lira)
Full bar
Handicap Accessible

by Jim Johnson

Usually I don't re-review a restaurant after just a few months, but I'd heard that Valentino's had scaled down its menu and prices. Since I'd enjoyed my first visit so much, I jumped at the chance to return. While the experience was among the better I've had in the past 200+ reviews I've done, this was not the Valentino's of 1996.

But I don't want to suggest that the food is less tasty or of lower quality than before. It's simply less adventurous and with less stunning presentations. (This may be as much due to the departure of chef extraordinaire Jimmy Shannon as to the pricing-down.)

Then again, most entrées ranged from $15 to $20, while today they fall between $8.95 and $12.95 -- the cost of survival in a market that flinches at prices much over $10.

During my first visit, a couple at the next table had let out groans bordering on orgasmic and multi-octave sounds of culinary ecstasy. My guest and I echoed their response with each course thanks to appetizers like black-peppercorn mozzarella with sliced tomatoes and fresh basil, grilled pears wrapped in prosciutto, and grilled portabello mushrooms with a balsamic honey glaze. Today's menu offers fried calamari, mozzarella stix, fried pepperoni stix, and chicken fingers -- fairly pedestrian fare.

On the entrée side, we had swooned at dishes such as filetto Di Manzo (tenderloin of beef presented with a sauce of pungent calamata olives, tomatoes, and capers and served with a bean-and-garlic pancake), gamberi Dante (jumbo shrimp sautéed with hot peppers, plum tomatoes, and scallions and flamed with brandy and billed as an "endorphin rush"), and pasta melanzana (diced eggplant sautéed with tomatoes, herbs, and Italian cheeses). In their place: grilled chicken, chicken and veal parmigiana, baked haddock, lasagna, Italian sausage, and steaks, most served with or over pasta.

Two friends and I sampled four appetizers. The baked-stuffed clams ($5.95) consisted of whole, rather than minced clams, topped with a moist stuffing of spinach and garlic. We enjoyed them heartily but couldn't detect the capers and sambuca listed on the menu.

Five large stuffed mushrooms ($5.95) were fresh and firm and filled with an herb, pepperoni, and Italian-cheese stuffing. Surprisingly, the pepperoni added real depth to the flavor without adding grease.

Fried ravioli ($5.95) previously filled with ground lamb and herbs came instead filled with tasty cheese and hot pepperoni and coated with a light herb breading. The contrast of the slightly crisp pasta and the creamy filling was delicious.

(We'd also ordered soup, which never came -- the only flaw in otherwise right-on service.)

The romaine and Gorgonzola salad ($6.95) was a meal unto itself. Crisp lettuce was tossed with a perfect balance of walnuts, cheese, and hearty balsamic vinaigrette.

If my scant Italian is correct, "scallops bella boca" ($11.95) means "scallops beautiful mouth." Whatever. These scallops were small, sweet, and tender and mixed with artichoke hearts and sweet red peppers. Large capers added just the right tart saltiness to the buttery, lemon, garlic, white-wine sauce that coated a huge portion of penne pasta.

Another penne dish featured chicken and broccoli Alfredo ($11.95). The broccoli, served with sliced mushrooms, was fresh and firm, while the chicken was grilled just right. The cream sauce seemed thin, perhaps because the pasta was not sufficiently drained.

Veal parmigiana ($12.95) was also served with penne. A light herbed breading coated two large, tender pieces of veal. Atop them, a variety of cheeses (browned crisp on the outside and gleefully gooey inside) hid a secret cache of fresh tomato sauce.

Desserts, while not as awesome as earlier, were still good. A generous portion of cheesecake ($2.95) was rich and creamy, topped with whipped cream and a walnut, and surrounded with swirls of raspberry and chocolate sauces. The pistachio cake ($3.95) seemed to make more use of green food coloring than pistachios, although it carried a light nut coating.

Would I return? Definitely! Plan to spend $15 to $20 per person, more with beverage.