Polinori’s Palm Garden Inn — Restaurant in Alliance

It's really not a bad place but it's definitely not authentic Italian. Sadly when the actual Polinori family ran the place it was before my time, so I can offer no comparison. Probably the only truly Italian joint Alliance ever had was Pisanello's; sadly long gone. I can remember the late Italian-born nonna Mafalda Pisanello in the kitchen within view of the cash register stirring the homemade marinara on the stove-- the mouth-watering aroma of which filled the whole tiny place. Such a shame it's gone. Great old school pizza too. Back to Polinori's- as previous reviewers have noted the 'antipasto' platter is merely American cheese singles slices & low-grade cold cuts.. laughable. The NY strip isn't bad but skimpy for the price. Pasta is mediocre as is the gravy.. definitely NOT authentic Italian nor homemade. I remember reading an article about the place in the Review about how Joe Muniz went on about how the gnocchi was homemade and an arduous days-process fron scratch but I'm certain it's not made on premises-- boxed or frozen like the rest of the menu because years prior I read where Muniz was reassuring clientele because they switched providers and went with a different brand of gnocchi. Am not trying to knock the place but it's definitely more of a bar with a 'restaurant' attached as an afterthought. The best place in town who truly puts their heart and soul into their home-cooked fare has always been, in my humble opinion, Pancho's uptown.. sorry but Polinori's is maybe nostalgic at best; but not authentic Italian by any means. I don't even think they'd...

We live within walking distance of Polinori's and I so want it to be a great place to walk to and eat. In 12 years of living out here it is sadly only our third visit. We gave it two attempts several years ago and we were let down both times; my wife more than I. I barely remember those experiences and have been begging her to try again.

So, last night, we did. I was itching to just sit at a bar and relax. Despite all the cars outside, there were only a couple people at their very traditional bar. Bartender came right over and took our drinks. Mine was small, but tasty. Wife liked her mixer. Menu was clean and simple. Salads and entrees ordered. Bread came out reasonably quick, which was tasty.

Now, any other day of the week, I would have been frustrated at the speed of the salad and entree, but my wife and I were having a good time chatting for the first time in weeks and drinking, so ultimately it worked great. This may have been designed on purpose by the staff; those at the bar don't necessarily want their food quicker. Anyhow...

Salad was pretty good. Entree came out correct and timed well at the finish of the salad. Also tasty. Nothing amazing, but all above average, especially considering the reasonable prices on everything.

Two entrees, salads, four drinks total, $42. I had a great time. And will give it another shot in a week or so. Like I said, I'd love for it to be my quick drink spot at the end of our...

I know this place has been around forever and it has a lot of regulars. It had been recommended to me a few different times. I did not find a great old school mom and pop Italian restaurant though. My wife and I went and started with the antipasto platter and that didn't start us well. It was the most sad, disgusting "antipasto" I'd ever seen, containing American cheese, low grade Oscar Meyer level salami, pickled eggs, with lots of wilted brown iceberg lettuce. Not a great start but I was willing to give them a shot and ordered some ravioli with garlic bread. It was the equivalent of what you might find in High school cafeteria. It tasted like Chef Bogarde. Overall it seemed like a family run place that may have been great at one point in time, but the next generation running it was having a hard time staying afloat and had cut corners about every way possible. One of the worst restaurant meals I have ever had. As far as atmosphere, it again just seemed like a place that was way past its prime and in desperate need of renovation. I will never go back nor would I recommend...