Enzo's proves it can hold its own
    By KATHLEEN EVANOFF
    With several years of service to the Warren area, Enzo's Restaurant and Lounge on Elm Road has become a familiar face to the community.
    The restaurant, owned and operated by the Cantalamessa family, serves not only Italian and American cuisine, but also offers family oriented and popular appetizers, salads and sandwiches. From pizzaburgers to BLTs, you can get just about anything you like at Enzo's. They even offer dishes with an Asian flair on their specialty menus on occasion. Opened more than 30 years ago by Enzo Cantalamessa, who passed away earlier this year, the restaurant continues to thrive under the management of Enzo's wife, Lina Cantalamessa, and their sons, Enzo and Mauro.
    My husband and I enjoyed a quiet dinner at Enzo's Saturday evening. Although we had been to the restaurant for lunches and banquets, this was our first dinner experience at the restaurant.
    Guests are welcomed into the foyer, where a large lighted fountain greets customers with an Italian flair. The lounge area is captivating with dark woods and decorative accents. A large bar is accompanied by tables and is separated from the main dining room. The dining room is large enough to accommodate several families of diners and at the rear of the building is the banquet hall that can seat up to 300 guests or can be partitioned into two smaller rooms.
    Although it was a Saturday night and the parking lot was full, we didn't have to wait to be seated. The room was well-lit, and our server was prompt in attending to first our drink choices and then our appetizer orders.
    We began with clams casino at $6.95 and Italian potato skins at $5.95. I have had potato skins at other restaurants, and we were curious at what would identify them as Italian. The scooped out skins of large, russet potatoes were filled with a mixture of cheese, green and yellow peppers and Italian sausage, and were served with a large bowl of marinara sauce. The sauce was delicious, with chunks of tomato and just a hint of basil and garlic.
    The clams were delicately mixed with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and herbs. The mixture was placed in half clam shells and broiled until golden brown and bubbly. They were delicious, and my only regret was that I had to withhold making them my entire meal to save room for the next course.
    In lieu of salads, we ordered soups. I preferred wedding soup, while my husband ordered the specialty, steak and potato. The wedding soup was flavorful and bursting with spinach and mini-Italian meatballs. The steak and potato soup was, to my husband's surprise, not a white cream or clear broth soup, but a reminder of one of his favorite childhood comfort foods, beef tips and noodles. While those noodles were replaced with potatoes, the broth was a thick, creamy gravy that he said reminded him of Sunday dinners on cold winter days when he was young.
    I chose an entree of angel hair giardiniera. I don't usually order angel hair in restaurants as I have a strong aversion to overcooked pasta. As angel hair is very thin, it is easy to overcook, but I had to see how Enzo's angel hair stood up to the competition. The pasta was served tossed in olive oil with snow peas, sundried tomatoes, bell peppers and romano cheese. It was served with a pasta spoon for twirling and to my delight, was done perfectly al dente. There wasn't a mushy noodle on my plate, and once again, it was difficult to save room for dessert.
    My husband's entree was veal parmesan. The veal was a breaded pressed patty, deep fried and topped with mozzarella cheese and red tomato sauce. Although disappointed that the veal was ground, it wasn't a surprise as the menu clearly describes each dish and its preparation. My husband said it was delicious and I agreed after trying a bite from his plate.
    For dessert, I ordered the homemade cheesecake and my husband had the tiramisu, a coffee flavored authentic Italian dessert that can often be found prepared in a number of different ways. The cheesecake was rich and flavorful as was the tiramisu, which in this case, was a rich creamy pie, drizzled with chocolate and topped with strawberries in sauce.
    Mauro explained that all the dishes at the restaurant are homemade by the restaurants two chef's trained at the Pittsburgh Culinary Institute. The restaurant even boasts its own pastry chef who makes the many pies and desserts offered.
    Now that we have sampled just a few of Enzo's offerings, it will be easy to return to try other items on the menu. Some of those include a wide array of appetizers from chicken wings to steamed mussels; soups and salads that include antipasto, chef and grilled steak or chicken salads; pasta entrees including lasagna, fettuccini, mostaccioli and gnocci; the parmesiana choices as well as steaks, chops, chicken and veal specialties.
    The restaurant also serves pizza by the slice, pie or sheet and sandwiches for the lunch crowd, including meatball, reuben, cajun chicken and hot sausage. There also is a children's menu that consists of chicken fingers, hamburger, fish dinner or pasta.