If you believe the movie and pop culture cliches about Italian restaurants, then the best will be small and dark. All seating will be away from the windows and quiet booths lining the walls. They’ll be the perfect place to enjoy a large, traditional meal, all in surroundings perfect for plotting violence against a mob rival, bribing a local politician or conducting an illicit amorous rendezvous.
Plus the classic Italian meal piled high with pasta and protein will be served from a family-operated kitchen. And your table attended by waiters who give you attention without hovering over your table and talks.
If that’s also your idea of a great Italian restaurant, then drop into Provino’s in Kennesaw, one of seven family-owned locations operating in the Atlanta area since 1977.
Friendly Service, No Rush
We stopped in for a Friday lunch, our first return visit since the pandemic. The fact that much remained unchanged about the location, food and service was one of the delights of the visit. We were greeted and attended by friendly staff. Service was prompt and consistent without feeling rushed, and the large variety of classic dishes were just what we craved on a cool winter day.
Settling into a large, comfortable booth, we appreciated that we were surrounded by other diners, but still able to enjoy private conversations. Families, shoppers, seniors and businesspeople surrounded us. In other rooms, a few large parties enjoyed birthday parties and other gatherings. We didn’t witness any plotting, bribing or illicit activities, but then, we were focused on making food selections from the broad menu, so who knows?
Decisions, Decisions
Since we were having difficulty making decisions about our Italian meal, our friendly waitress took our drink orders. Then she returned with the family-style salad bowl and fresh-baked garlic rolls. Once I got reacquainted with the bowl of steaming rolls swimming in a garlic sauce and topped with fresh grilled garlic, I wondered if I would even need a lunch order.
Meanwhile, my wife dove into the salad bowl, which included lettuce, tomatoes, onion and peppers, plus a generous serving of beets.
We pulled our attention from the accompaniments long enough to make food decisions. Glenda selected her all-time favorite, chicken parmesan. Keeping it in the parm family, I chose eggplant parmesan. We both chose a side of spaghetti, topped with meat sauce rather than the marinara choice.
Our plates arrived a few minutes later, filled and steaming, topped with that beautiful deep red tomato sauce. To our surprise, despite already consuming salad and rolls, we indeed were ready for the main course.
Our Parm-apalooza
My eggplant parm featured lightly fried eggplant slices layered generously in ricotta, meat sauce and mozzarella. It completely filled the large round serving bowl, and I knew immediately I’d be carrying out a take-home plate.
The same preparation delighted my wife with her chicken parm. Her dish was served on the same plate as the spaghetti and meat sauce side, while mine was a true side dish.
At first bite, the warm, soothing dish met our every expectation for taste, texture, and comfort. If there was a perfect choice on a cool day, this warm meal in friendly surroundings was it. But despite our best and determined efforts, we finally surrendered to the massive servings and asked for carry-out boxes. That also meant we passed (this time!) on our favorite tiramisu and spumoni desserts which we had enjoyed on prior visits.
When our check arrived, we were delighted again. Our per-person meal cost was no more than outings with our grandkids to the nearby Olive Garden. But suffice it to say our Italian meal and experience at Provino’s were substantially different, superior and delightful to that forced-family-fun at the chain restaurant.
Before you go to Provino’s Kennesaw or other locations for an Italian meal, check the operating hours. Some locations open for lunch, while others offer only dinner service. And be aware that at Kennesaw, while they are open for lunch, only a dinner-portion and price menu is available.
My wife and I absolutely agree… after moving to Acworth from upstate NY, we realized just how much we missed our favorite Italian food! Provinos filled the bill. We,ve been going there for the past 14 years, sometimes several times a month, and have never gotten a bad meal or poor service. Very rarely we would go across the street to the (now defunct) Ippolito’s for their pizza and calzones (which Provinos doesn’t do), but the next week we would be back at Provinos. We’ve also gone to Maggiano’s a few times, and while it’s nice (in a different way), Provinos always gets us back. We have even got to know one of the managers there (hi Steve!) but we receive the same friendly treatment, and good service, that all the other diners receive. We were so worried that like a lot of restaurants, they’d succumb to the Covid 19 loss of business, but fortunately they survived, and appear to be doing well. Mangia!