Oro media try out Italianni's delectable cuisine

IF YOU are planning to impress a date or give your family a treat on your first payday, or if you simply want to spoil yourself with palatable food, then fret no more as the recently opened Italianni’s Restaurant in Cagayan de Oro, known for its Italian-American goodness, will surely satisfy your penchant for good food.

The 102-seater restaurant nestled at the first level of Centrio Mall is Bistro Group’s 16th store and the chain’s fifth branch outside Metro Manila.

Kagay-anons will surely enjoy the Italian-American cuisine, which is best for romantic dates, family get-togethers, meetings and all kinds of celebration, not to mention the extra special feel of dining in an Italian-inspired setting.

Recently, members of the local media were given a treat by Italianni’s Restaurant headed by Bistro Group Marketing Manager Jerusha F. Matias, who came all the way from Manila just to meet and greet with friends from the media.

During the lunch date, we started our meal with a complementary basket of warm, freshly-baked Focaccia and Tuscan, which were served with herb oil and aged balsamic Vinger dip, as we waited for the main dish.

Matias says the complementary basket of Focaccia is an all-time favorite of most of their dine-in costumers while still deciding for the main dish in their menu.

As we were warming up, another set of appetizers was served in our table to tease our penchant.

Among Italianni's signature appetizers are the lightly coated and tender Fried Calamari and Spinach and the Artichoke Formaggio, a creamy combination of spinach, artichoke and mushrooms in a rich blend of cheese, served with garlic bread.

They also served us an array of green salad intended for the health conscious among us.

Another set was served to leisurely satisfy our tummies, this time the resto’s core cuisine, which is the variety of pizzas and pastas.

It was a perfect menu for sharing, as we were given a taste of everything like the Baked Ziti, Penne with Italian Sausage, creamy beef ragout baked with parmesan and mozzarella cheese, seafood Cioppino, spaghetti pasta topped with mussels, calamari, clams ad shrimps complimented with a white sauce and finally, the spaghetti with meatballs.

We thought it was all too much for them to offer but our eyes went wide as they served us with sumptuous entrees such as the roast pork ribs that comes with green beans, garlic rice and peppercorn sauce and the all-time Filipino favorite, frilled pork chops grilled to perfection in pepper-crusted with black peppercorn sauce, crisp fried spinach, seasonal vegetables and garlic rice.

We were all satisfied and bloated tasting the served hefty meals, but we were warned to leave some room for dessert.

Personally, I made up my mind not to have too much as I made a New Year’s resolution not to consume beyond my need.

However, upon seeing their bestselling dessert, the creamy Panna Cotta, Italy’s famous vanilla custard made fresh with blueberry sauce, my diet was set aside.

The simple gathering at Italianni’s gave us a very memorable dining experience. Aside from the superb menu, we were able to bond with our peers.

Until next time!