The typical Italian fare was reasonably priced, the atmosphere was quaint and the server was terrific. Palermo’s has a corner bar that overlooks the dining area, allowing those to imbibe on beer, wine and liquor.
What we had:
We started with Palermo’s salad with Italian (house dressing) and Connie opted for bleu cheese. The lettuce was crisp and cold, the veggies fresh. It came out quickly, which wasn’t surprising since we were just about the only ones there. “I’m a little worried about this,” Connie offered. She felt the lack of customers was a warning this may not be a great place to eat.
“Unbutton your coat and relax,” Sandy urged. “I’ve been in here before, and it’s always packed. It’s early. People aren’t even off work yet.”
Sandy ordered the Stuffed Shells with cheese sauce. It was perfectly cooked, and there was, of course, enough to take home for leftovers — which she did.
Connie had a harder time deciding, finally choosing the Eggplant Rollatini, a whopping portion stuffed with spinach and onions covered with tomato sauce and a thick blanket of cheese, with a generous portion of spaghetti as a side dish and a garnish of several asparagus spears.
“I can taste the fresh garlic,” Connie said on the first bite. “You have to hunt for the eggplant, but it’s in there.”
While word associations turned Connie’s thoughts to warmer days and Easter egg hunts, Sandy remained alert to the surroundings, particularly when the woman at the window offered the divas a Palermo’s coupon. “I have an extra coupon if you want,” she explained. Holding up two, she weighed which one she was willing to share with strangers. “This one,” she decided, “Here. Five dollars off. I’m keeping this one,” she chuckled. (It was a buy-one-get-one-free, we think.)
We struck up a conversation. Tom Troxel was dining with his sister, Beth Warner, who grew up in West Carrollton and discovered Palermo’s last year. They told us they love it.
“The food is great,” Beth said.“It’s reasonably priced…” and her brother chimed in, “And I have lunch tomorrow,” noting the large portions. No entree is over $18.99, with 12 dishes to choose from, and different varieties of each entree.
Tom told us some of their friends recommended Palermo’s.
The regulars streamed in during our meal, the floor filling up quickly. "Wow! This is a man's restaurant!" Connie exclaimed. She was right. Nearly all the patrons who came in after us were of the male variety. We surmised that the delicious, home-cooked food, extra-large portions, friendly staff and well-stocked bar were appealing to them. Later, couples and families made their way in.
The bar offers buckets of beer for a special price, a small number of drafts, wine by the glass ($5-$7) and by the bottle ($15-55.) You can get their menu online at www.PalermosDayton.com. They've recently added Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza to their offerings.
The best part of the meal was the fresh garlic roll with the salad and the meal. It’s a warm, fist-size portion drizzled in butter. It has the look of a pretzel, but not that flavor. It’s a good thing they don’t put a basket full on the table, or we would have filled up on the bread and missed a fabulous meal.
Palermo’s has a website where you can see their menus for dining, carryout and lunch, served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day except Sunday. The prices are lunch-size, too. From a $5.99 personal-size version of their regular pizza (additional toppings just 50 cents each), salads from $4.99 to $6.99, including Greek and grilled chicken. The shrimp salad is a bit more at $9.99.
The place: Palermo's
The info: 2667 S. Dixie Drive, Kettering; www.PalermosDayton.com (check out the Email Coupon Club); Facebook: Palermo's Restaurant; 299-8888. Hours: Monday – Thursday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Closed on Sunday.
Final musings: Sandy Collins and Connie Post are not food critics. They’re just two gals who love to discover the best places to eat. If you have comments, suggestions or a coupon for us, email life@coxinc.com.
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