By Jessica Miller
J1 Staff Writer
If you’re looking for authentic Italian food with a relaxed feel, San Vito offers the best of both worlds. This once family-owned, hole-in-the-wall place offers bigger portions and better deals than Olive Garden could ever dream of offering its customers. With one location in Burke, near Lake Braddock Secondary School (8944 Burke Lake Road, Springfield, VA, 22151), and one in Centerville (5653 Stone Road, Centerville, VA, 20120) it doesn’t have as much traffic as most places, but its generous portions, friendly staff, and a dessert tray to surpass any chocoholic’s expectations, along with a few that fit the chocolate hater’s creed make up for it.
Their menu features some simple Italian classics, such as Fettuccini Alfredo and Spaghetti with one GIANT meatball. Other dishes offered are special to this restaurant, like the Ravioli Formaggio, a three-cheese ravioli sautéed with their signature aurora sauce. Another dish that is unique to San Vito is Spaghetti Soprano, with marinara sauce, sautéed garlic, and their signature meatball. If you’re looking for a more vegetarian-style pasta, then the Lasagna Verde is perfect. It’s served with fresh spinach, béchamel, ricotta cheese and melted mozzarella.
They also serve pizza, meat, and seafood for you carnivores out there. The San Vito classic pizza, served with mozzarella, mushrooms, salami, olives and basil gives you an equal portion of meat and veggies in every bite. You can also get extras for less than $2.00, such as zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, onions, and pineapple for $0.75, pepperoni, ham, sausage, and salami for $1.00, chicken, bacon, and meatballs for $1.50 and anchovies for $2. Their meat, chicken, and veal are prepared to its best extent. If you’re looking for some seafood, then the Scampi Siciliana is just right. It comes with fresh jumbo prawns, sautéed with a spicy white-wine marinara sauce. The Pollo Michelangelo (or chicken, for you not Spanish speakers), is amazing. It’s stuffed with artichokes, fontina cheese and shrimp, then fried and served with cappelini and a sherry cream sauce.
Every time I walk through the door, I enjoy knowing that I don’t have to wait 30 minutes just to get a table. The waiters and waitresses are very good about only appearing when you need them, and not being there when you don’t. After they bring the drinks, they give you some bread and some olive oil to eat while you look over the menu. In very little time, after you order, they bring out your food, steaming hot, in huge bowls (or plates, depending on what you order). They always have take-home boxes on hand for you to use, just in case. If you have any room left, they’ll bring around the dessert tray; so many yummy treats to choose from, with or without chocolate. The prices are just as good as the food itself, with prices not going over $20 for regular meals (wine is different, but most of us are underage anyways). Overall, I believe that San Vito replaces Olive Garden as the king of Italian restaurants.
All in all, San Vito has great food, great service, and is a great place to bring friends. I think that you should try it, not because I say you should, but because you won’t really know how great it is until you test it for yourself. San Vito is one of those few places left that actually cares about the quality of their food, not just getting people food with fatty by-products like most fast-food restaurants. A place like that only lasts for a short amount of time, so enjoy it while it lasts.
Visit their website at http://www.sanvitorestaurant.com/.
