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Friday, January 21, 2000
Valenari's: Italian food prepared with care
Rockport venue has pasta, chicken, seafood, veal and beef on its recently updated menu
Almost three years after first opening in the back of a small Rockport shopping center, Valenari's continues to impress diners with carefully prepared Italian cuisine and fine wines.
A few outdoor tables offer a natural dining experience among sparking white lights and lush, green plants, while inside the mood is warm and intimate. A gallery of changing artwork hangs on the interior walls, with a recent display featuring gilded framed oil paintings of angels, landscapes and wildlife scenes, priced as high as $950.
Acoustical tiles overhead are painted a deep forest green. Diners fill two small rooms, where white linens cover the tables and hardwood floors add to the cozy feel. Customers frequently are treated to live piano music, with soothing background music heard at other times.
Our waitress, dressed in a crisp white shirt like the rest of the staff, took our orders and brought us complimentary pesto-like bread that got our meal off to the right start. The thick chewy bread was rich with the flavor of garlic, basil and salt, and we eagerly dipped it into a saucer of smooth olive oil.
While the bread was appetizer enough, we opted for another starter - the marinated portabello mushroom. This grilled, generous mushroom had been marinated in olive oil and pesto, baked with goat cheese and served with a smoked tomato cream. Entrees also come with soup or salad, and we couldn't resist the recent soup de jour - a crab and corn chowder. Delicate bits of crab meat combined with sweet corn in a warm, creamy blend.
Valenari's offers a number of daily specials in addition to the pasta, seafood, chicken, veal and beef on the its recently updated menu. We recently tried the tenderloin tips with mushrooms and marinara sauce and while in our view the meat was a bit undercooked, the dish was a delicious mix of peppery spices in a hearty sauce.
We also enjoyed the pasta dish listed on the menu as "Chef's choice" - a tremendously rich combination of gorgonzola cream sauce with grilled chicken breast, toasted walnuts and fresh tomatoes. An aromatic sprig of rosemary graced both entrees and added to the elegance of our meal.
After a relaxing meal of bread, soup, appetizer and entree, our waitress appeared with the dessert tray to end the meal in style. The cheesecake we ordered came in a muffin-sized serving, with a mild, pleasant taste. Yet at $4.25, this minimal portion seemed a bit pricey.
But overall, Valenari's offered us a soothing night out with satisfying food and comfortable surroundings.
Valenari's Italian and Gourmet Restaurant and Art Gallery
105 N. Austin St., Rockport
(361) 727-0717
Entrees: $12-$21
Hours: Opens at 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday
Checks: Yes
Credit Cards: All Major
Wheelchair Accesible
Food: ***
Atmosphere: ***
Service: ** 1/2
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