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When you feel like: Olive Garden
Go here: Valenza Restaurant
Most Edinboro students probably don't make their way out to Albion very often. But there is good reason to, especially if you find yourself craving seafood alfredo or cheesy lasagna. Valenza Restaurant, a standout local Italian place in Albion, serves up daily lunch specials (none of which are more than $6.55) and dinner specials, alongside their incomparable freshly baked bread.
Patrons can enjoy their meals in one of two dining rooms, both of which are cozy and welcoming, with little candles at each table. There's a small wine and beer list, if you are of age to imbibe, and both options are reasonably priced. The menu features an array of appetizers along with the standard Italian dishes, such as spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli and lasagna, and a variety of different pizzas. All the pastas are excellent; the aforementioned seafood alfredo was my choice, and I've gotten it at least twice before.
The soups are superb, especially the clam chowder. My boyfriend ate his potato and bacon soup so quickly he remarked, "Mmm, the soup is getting in my beard." The salads that accompany the dinners have a great bed of greens, what looks like a colorful spring mix - not just your average iceberg lettuce.
If you'd like your carbs in bread form, there are the calzone, stromboli or wedge options, along with Valenza Restaurant's warm-from-the-oven bread. Believe me, it is good, and especially so for the colder days coming. If you can't decide among all the Italian fare, there are burgers, too.
After you've finished - if you still have room left, as the portion sizes are excellent, worthy of a second meal - there is a delectable dessert list. The two choices which received the most interest from my party was the tiramisu and the fried cheesecake. Fried cheesecake? We would have tried it if only we'd had the room in our stomachs. It was one of those "read the description aloud for the entire table" kind of desserts.
Valenza Restaurant is a molto fantastico choice - with its all-around reasonable prices and no shortage of either quality or quantity - for a gathering of friends or a casual date. And it is well worth the drive.
Check out Valenza Restaurant at 10220 John Williams Ave, Albion, PA 16401; you can call ahead at 814-756-5727 to make reservations. Hours are Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from noon until 9 p.m.
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