North End

I am looking for some help from my TA expert advisors.

I must admit dining in the North End is not my expertise.

I tend to be a little overwhelmed when I go to the North End to dine and end up eating elsewhere.

-I am looking for an inexpensive place for either lunch or dinner.

-I want a good red sauce pasta dish, a good lobster ravioli or a delicious veal served any way except not with white wine

-Prefer casual

-Prefer they take credit card.

-I do not mind waiting in a long line.

-Wine list / drink menu not important, since I do not drink

-Would prefer lunch over dinner but would like a recommendation for both lunch and dinner.

I have ruled it down to a few places but I will be easily persuaded to other suggestions:

-La Summa (seems to be my 1st choice right now)

-Giacomo%26#39;s - l suspect that I would have to get their famous Squash Ravioli but they don%26#39;t accept credit cards

-La Famiglia- mixed reviews but they are open for lunch

-Pagliuca -Open for lunch. How is their lobster ravioli?

North End

Antico Forno and L%26#39;Osteria are my favorites for cheap red sauce Italian, but I also like La Galleria 33 (dinner only).

North End

Remay,

If you don%26#39;t want to head into the North End, then consider going to Carlo%26#39;s Cucina Italiana. It%26#39;s on Brighton Ave in Allston and has recieved rave reviews from both the locals and the media. A true hidden jewel that seems to have everything your looking for concerning payment, price, casual. Although it serves lunch, the menu your looking for would be at dinner. It%26#39;s been on my radar now for a while and I%26#39;m definitely going to check it out soon, so I just thought I would give you a heads up if you need somewhere outside of the North End.

Lunch: Assagio on the corner of Prince and Hanover.

Dinner: Lo Conte%26#39;s on Salem Street.

Pagliuca is a good call. I think Saraceno%26#39;s on Hanover Street fits your criteria for lunch. Don%26#39;t think La Summa is open for lunch, is it?

La Famiglia gets ';mixed'; reviews? People are being too kind.

Rantipole- Thank You, you are right La Summa is not open for lunch but opens at 1:30 on Sundays but since I plan to go to the North End on Friday that does not help. Saraceno gets great reviews. I asked my coworkers for their opinions and I only got more suggestions. Gee, this is why I get so overwhelmed. Too many choices!

Will-Thanks for the Allston suggestion that is exactly what happens I get overwhelmed with the choices and end up eating elsewhere but I am determined to eat the North End!

Veronica- Thanks for the recommendation on Antico Forno- Their Arrosto Di Angelo- lamb sandwich looks delicious

Healey-Thanks I added Lo Conte to my list- They are running an amazing lunch special: all pasta dishes are $5.95

My list got bigger....

I only ruled out La Summa and La Famigila.

I am tending to chose Pagliuca because they have a lobster ravioli at lunch for only $10.50 but

I added Piccola Venezia, Saraceno, Antico Forno, and Lo Conte to my list.

more typo%26#39;s...

%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;%26lt; but I am determined to eat the North End!

No, really I am not, but I am determined to eat in the North End!

I think Piccola Venezia is one of those places that stays in business because someone started a vicious rumor that every restaurant in the North End is good, and for some reason, people believe it.

How%26#39;d it go?

Rantipole- here is my review of Pagliuca%26#39;s:

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I wanted to go to an inexpensive place in North End for lunch but I tend to be a little overwhelmed when I go to the North End. I researched places in the North End that are open and are inexpensive for lunch. I wanted a good red sauce pasta dish, a good lobster ravioli or a delicious veal served any way. I prefer casual and a place that would take credit cards.

I had ruled it down to Giacomo%26#39;s, Antico Forno, La Famiglia, Pagliuca, Piccola Venezia, Artu, and Lo Conte.

I finally ruled it down to 2. Lo Conte%26#39;s because of the great reviews and they were having a special (all pasta dishes $5.95 for lunch) and Pagliuca. I chose Pagliuca%26#39;s because they offered Lobster Ravioli for $10.50 during lunch. I was hoping to arrive at this restaurant for lunch but arrived too late for the lunch menu, so we settle for an early dinner.

It was 4 in the afternoon on a Friday. Two other parties were already sitting down. A party of 6 by the window and a party of two. Both parties arrived before us. There were 3 servers available for service. We sat down with our menus, the table was wobbly and my husband%26#39;s first mistake was to ask for another table. Very rude young waitress (I assume the owners daughter because she would not survive as a waitress otherwise due to her very poor attitude) gives us a new table then sits down at a table across from us. After about a ten minute wait, we are served our waters and our beverages. We wait and wait, finally an older waitress asks the younger waitress if we she had taken our order. The young girl continues eating and shakes her head, no. The older waitress takes our order. After she takes our order, the party of six comment that they never ordered. A few minutes later the party of two complained that he had ordered a cannoli a while ago and he is still waiting. The older waitress asks a young man (I assume the owners son) if he would get the cannoli. He acknowledges, yet he sits down with the young girl and eats his meal. The older waitress, who at first seemed like the only one who was working, sits with the other two and eats. Finally, we get our meal. My husband%26#39;s spaghetti with meatsauce was pretty good. My lobster ravioli was average. We were never asked if we wanted more drinks, more water, nothing! The three continue to eat.Finally our bill arrives. We will not return.

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Healey,

I promise to go to Lo Conte%26#39;s the next time I am in the North End

The wobbly table would have sent me out the door. Even if I have been to a place several times, first impressions are important. I would have asked for another table, but if attitude was given, I would have gone elsewhere.