THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512120442
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BROWN H. CARPENTER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
FAZOLI'S RESTAURANT boasts that it serves ``real Italian. Real fast . . . '' So quickly, in fact, that the rapidly growing chain flirts with being placed in the fast-food category.
Nobody waits tables at Fazoli's. You order and get your food and beverages at a counter. Cash only, please; no credit cards are accepted.
You can even drive up to a window and order. Just like at McFast Food.
And the utensils and plates are plastic.
Don't order a glass of chianti with your broccoli fettuccine. Alcoholic beverages aren't on the menu.
But Fazoli's isn't entirely counter-oriented. A server makes rounds, placing hot breadsticks on diners' plates.
Here, booths are more comfortable and private than tables the burger places. And the atmosphere isn't as hurried.
Two of us recently dined at the Fazoli's at 11739 Jefferson Ave. in Newport News. A second Hampton Roads restaurant recently opened at Chesapeake Square Mall.
Fazoli's is great for folks with small children. It could even be the bridge between the burger joints and full-service restaurants when you think the small fry are ready to take that step. The prices are hard to beat: kid platters of pizza or spaghetti are $1.99, including drink.
The fare is simple - pasta with tomato sauce, meat sauce or meatballs; lasagna; ravioli; fettuccine Alfredo; chicken Parmesan; baked ziti, pizza.
The pizza is served whole ($7.99 to $10.99 for a 15-incher) or by the slice ($1.69 to $1.99, depending on the toppings, which include cheese, sausage, pepperoni, onions, green peppers and mushrooms).
Aside from a whole pizza, the most
costly item on the menu is broccoli lasagna ($4.09). Salads and soup are extra but still inexpensive. If you're down to your last five bucks, order the ``lite'' pasta with tomato sauce ($1.99, or $2.89 for the regular); tea or soft drink (99 cents with free refills) and a garden salad (99 cents). Or substitute a bowl of minestrone ($1.49) for the salad.
Probably the best bargain Fazoli's has is the ``Feast for 4,'' to go. Spaghetti and meatballs for a quartet costs $9.99. Salad for four is $3.89, and 12 breadsticks are $2.99.
And that's the most expensive of the Feasts for 4.
The food at Fazoli's is familiar and filling, though not particularly innovative. We ordered the Sampler Platter ($3.99 for a portion of lasagna, spaghetti with meat sauce and fettuccine Alfredo) and cheese ravioli with tomato sauce ($2.89).
The lasagna, ravioli and fettuccine Alfredo were good; the spaghetti meat sauce was uninspiring.
Two garden salads (99 cents each) tasted like fast food.
Surprisingly good were two 99-cent cheesecakes, one chocolate and one plain. If you like, add a strawberry topping for 30 cents (we didn't). The cheesecakes were small and manageable, nice for today's slim-thinking diners. MEMO: Reviews of chain restaurants with stores in Hampton Roads are based on a
single, unannounced visit by a party of two or three, unless otherwise
noted. The Virginian-Pilot pays for the reviewer's meal and those of the
guests. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
ROY BAHLS
Fazoli's Sampler Platter, above, includes the classic Italian
dishes: lasagna, spaghetti and fettuccine Alfredo.
Graphic
CHAIN REACTION
Fazoli's: 11739 Jefferson Ave., Newport News. 1-804-596-4324.
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m.
to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Prices: Italian specialties from $2.99 to $4.09; pasta entrees
(``lite'' and regular) from $1.99 to $3.79; pizzas from $7.99 to
$10.99; pizza slices from $1.69 to $1.99; submarine sandwich, $2.99;
and ``Feasts for Four,'' $6.99 to $9.99. No credit cards.
Reservations: for special occasions only.
Smoking: none.
Owned by: Pasta Isles Inc., Lexington, Ky., which has about 150
restaurants throughout the country. A store recently opened at
Chesapeake Square Mall in Chesapeake.
by CNB