Patranella’s - Washington Corridor - Italian

Menu Selections: Fried Calamari, Angel Hair Crab Meat, Shrimp Diavola Primi

Tucked away off a side street from the hustle and bustle of Washington Ave, is a standalone house renovated into a restaurant, Patranella’s.  I heard great reviews about this place so had to check it out for myself.  Turns out, they were right.  Greeted instantly upon arrival, I was sat in a warm and inviting room full of character.  The scene was a mixture of families, young couples and friends, dressed casual and “business casual” alike, supporting the “come as you are” attitude.  We ordered the calamari as an appetizer, which was topped with banana peppers.  The slight spice of the peppers jazzed up your original calamari quite nicely.  This was anteceded by the angel hair crab meat pasta dish.  I confess it’s not what I originally wanted to order since I have a rule about ordering the same thing as someone else at the table:  it’s simply not allowed so you may try other dishes and decide who ordered best.  Apparently, he beat me to the punch and ordered the shrimp diavola pasta dish.  The butter garlic sauce and the crab meat in my order went together perfectly, however, it tasted as expected.  The shrimp diavola, on the other hand, (of course I asked for a bite!) was not your ordinary pasta dish.  Shrimp, mushrooms, and spaghetti noodles all tossed in a tomato based sauce with just the right amount of red pepper that definitely stepped in up a notch…or two…or five.  This was a “favorite” of the restaurant and I would highly recommend you to go with the crowd pleasers as it turned out to be a favorite of mine as well.  Wrapping up the meal with exceptional service, Mr. Patranella himself greeted our table and brought us a free ice cream dessert. 

Will I be back?  Definitely.  Can’t wait to try other dishes due to an immense amount of order envy.