Hearty Eaters Will Fare Well at Trendy, Upscale Pizzeria

by The Kitchen Critic
Published: May 18, 2006

You might want to keep the phone number for Candelari’s handy.

Not only do they have a killer pizza pie selection, they will deliver it to your door if you live within the designated area.

If you don’t, don’t worry, the new restaurant located across from Home Depot in a fairly new strip center has a hip, upscale interior and several seating options.

We ended up sitting at the bar with plenty of room on the granite countertop. If that doesn’t suit your fancy you can choose a table in the dining room or get comfortable on the expansive deck.

I recently ran into a friend enjoying a glass of wine with her lunch and
she remarked about how pleasant it was to have a nice outdoor space to
relax with a friend on a pleasantly sunny day.

From the looks of her pizza and antipasto plate I made a mental note to make a trip myself. And I did.

That night I decided to try Candelari’s for dinner with a friend. We looked over the menu that features several salad, antipasto, pasta, grinders and sandwiches and decided to stick with that amazing sounding pizza.

We weren’t sorry we did.

We chose the Papa Albert’s Pizza with the Chicago (deep dish) style crust. Heaped high with Candelari’s sausage, black and green olives, pepperoni, onions, bell peppers and mushrooms, it was a pizza connoisseur’s dream. And for me, that sent-from-heaven crust made all the difference in the world. Boy is it good. The sizes are 12 and 16 inch and the prices range from $15 to $22.

My companion agreed and as we boxed up the remaining pizza we knew we could enjoy it for a few days to come. Who doesn’t love leftover pizza?

We did have a young diner with us and she selected the Little Buddy’s Mac & Cheese.

The very large shells were smothered in a buttery cheese sauce and it scored an A triple plus. Kids can also choose a two topping cheese pizza,
chicken tenders, fried chicken or a simple pasta with butter. They are all priced at $4 and $5.95.

Now, with all this great food it would seem almost criminal to offer dessert. But guess what.

Hearty eaters can partake in a chocolate layer mousse cake (nirvana
to me), dolce de Leche Cheescake, crème brulee cheesecake or a chocolate
pecan cluster. And although we did take a slice of chocolate cake to go, I’m afraid to even think about opening it.

Our service took a little while but we did have a few large parties in
front of us. The staff was friendly and we enjoyed our drinks while waiting.

A wine list offers wine by the glass or bottle and frozen drinks in the way of peach bellinis, margaritas, and sangria margaritas. Awfully tempting after a long, hot day.

A sign proclaiming Monday through Thursday Happy Hour from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. listed domestic beer for $2, imports and micro brews for $3 and frozen drinks for $2.50.

Another sign brought a lunch buffet for $8.49 Friday through Sunday
to our attention.

Candelari’s was definitely a pleasant surprise and if someone will point
me in the direction of the closest Weight Watchers I will definitely be
able to go back. Just not as often.

Well, on second thought, they also have a thin-crust option. Either way, I can honestly say, it’s pure Amore.