Nonna's of Lillington

Overall, I don't have a problem with this place. The food is very reasonably priced and usually any pasta dish is spot on. The star of the pasta menu I would venture to say is the Putanesca. I know, anchovies, but do not scoff...explore the world with your taste buds, I promise if you are not deathly opposed to anchovies or are adventurous, you will definitely appreciate this journey! A+. The star of the pizza menu is the Sicilian supreme!

Now the appetizers- a different story. I think they are all frozen. The potato skins I had seriously were frozen (tasted just like the frozen Ruby Tuesday ones I make at home) but it had a half slice of American Cheese slapped on top. ewwww. They were reasonable about giving me a refund on it though.

The visit I made their just last week though was somewhat a disappointment. I got the Chicken vegetable soup and the chicken gyro. They do not offer a soup and sandwich menu, only soup and salad (oh and the salads are iceberg-minimal but the added onions and tomatoes make it a winner to me-the right light bite with the huge portions you get). The soup, which we waited 20 minutes on, while my companions had their food almost immediately, 20 min. into lunch and I was still waiting for both the soup and the gyro. Finally when it came, the soup was very bland. I'm not sure what the problem was really, as I had tasted it before when a friend ordered it and it was thick and hearty, this time it was thin and blah. The gyro- well, if it had cucumber sauce on it, I couldn't find any. And I love cucumber sauce. The chicken was ok. The meal overall was disappointing compared to everything else I'd ever had there.

I say Nonna's .....worth a visit. The pasta-never had a bad one from here and I've been working my way down the menu since they opened. Stay away from the potato skins. Oh and the Stromboli's are fabulous too! See...so many good options that totally outweigh the negatives!

Sandra Lee- it has to be said...

Ok, let me get this out of the way first and foremost--Foodnetwork- my favorite channel with Bravo running a close 2nd.

God knows I love a cooking show...and an easy to do one, well that's even better. So I am in the kitchen, I'm there perpetually btw...and Home Made Easy is on. I am distracted by the pink and orange curtains, table stuff, food stuff, Sandra's outfit, towels, etc....and I am thinking it looks like a hot pink flamingo vomited oranges in there.

I just caught the tail end of it where she is making a whiskey cocktail that is---you guessed it-organe (oranges) and pink (cherry juice) and whiskey. It's for a tailgating party. Only when we are subjected to the tablescape :::cringe:::where there are children's favor. It is at this point we learn the tailgate is for a 6 year old little girls soccer game. Really?? Whiskey cocktails at a 6 year old's party?

Now before you say it..I know the cocktails are not for the children, but the idea of adults getting gollywhomped at a kids birthday party is just disturbing to me.

As disturbing as Sandra's matching clothes/curtains/tablecloths and all that crap on the tablecape..who wants to clean up all that crap??? Not me sister I tell ya...

but I do like some of her recipes.