It’s in the sauce: Vote for your favorite Midlands Italian restaurant in The State’s poll
“In heaven, after antipasti, the first course will be pasta.” — musician Steve Albini
Though it may only seem like heaven, the Italian restaurant remains one of the staples of the American night out. People seek them out for birthdays, graduations, anniversaries and all manner of special occasions. Perhaps more than any other culinary genre, Italian restaurants remain synonymous with family, friends and the communal ritual of breaking bread with loved ones.
In Columbia and the Midlands, there are a number of Italian restaurants where customers are known to line up for spaghetti, lasagna, wine and more. Now, The State wants you to vote for your favorite Italian spot in the Midlands from a list of 10 places, selected by the newspaper’s staff, in the poll below.
OK, so, some ground rules. First off, we tried to keep this poll to locally owned places or very small chains, rather than include the big mega-chains. (Sorry, Olive Garden and Carrabba’s fans.) Also, this is not a poll for pizza places or spots that largely have pizza at the center of their menus. We did a pizza poll previously, and you can read about the results here.
To be absolutely certain, this is not an exhaustive, comprehensive list of every Italian restaurant in the Midlands. Rather, it is simply a sampling of some of the many Italian places in the area, chosen by newspaper staffers.
And, yes, unfortunately we have to leave Al’s Upstairs out of this poll. That long-running Italian joint planned to close its doors on Dec. 19 after 44 years in business.
You have until 11:59 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24, to vote in the poll below.
So vote early and vote often, and don’t forget the Parmesan cheese.
This story was originally published December 18, 2023 at 9:59 AM.
