Salvatori's Auburn — Restaurant in Auburn

Let me preface this by saying that my husband and I are extreme foodies with pampered pallets. We have dined at fine dining establishments - Michelin star winning - restaurants run by top celebrity chefs and frequently cook up things in our own kitchen that most people would never consider trying to accomplish. Top tier quality culinary experiences are not what one would expect to find in the middle of nowhere northern Indiana nestled beside a sketchy looking Marathon gas station.. And yet... Here we are. Salvatori's blew us completely out of the water with not only their swanky, intimate panache, but the flavors and quality of the ingredients used to create food that transcends into art.

Our family of 5 ordered a cheese pizza for our sons, ravioli (split beef and cheese), chicken parmigana, house salads, Italian wedding soup, tiramisu, cheesecake, and a cannoli.

... Oh! And we threw them a curveball by requesting an off the menu type of calzone - and they rose to the ocassion with gusto.

Let's be real. Cheese pizza is the number one way to test an establishment's pizza quality. You can't hide behind toppings. Naked and afraid, the cheese, sauce, and crust need to stand on their own. This isn't your average pizza. This is pizza styled the way it is served in Italy, not Americanized, and it is delightfully refreshing with bold hints of basil and top quality cheese in a light, airy, knife thin crust. Unbeatable and beautiful in presentation. New York's finest couldn't hold a candle and should run to hide in shame.

Chicken Parmigana is one of those staple Italian dishes that is so easy and yet so easy to screw up when it comes to seasoning and either over or undercooking. It's my personal go to when trying a new (to me) Italian restaurant, and also my favorite dish. The presentation? Beautiful. Perfectly golden brown chicken creasts lightly braised in red sauce, nestled into a bed of al dente spaghetti and carefully smothered in a blanket of mozzarella. You can see the basil. You can smell the garlic. First bite, I admittedly made an involuntary noise that left my husband joking that I'd died and gone to heaven. He was right, but the richness of the flavors resurrected me. It's sheer perfection.

The raviolis? Once again, this is a dish that is often readily screwed up with poorly drained ravioli that weeps all over the plate and waters down sauce. Not a chance here. Both the beef and cheese varieties were sampled, and they were paired with the same magnificent sauce as the chicken parm. Just... Wow. Flavor explosion once again. Don't like sauce on your ravs? No dramas. These would stand up and shout just as loudly if they were served in melted butter.

The soup? Divine. The salads? Chock full of cheese and carefully diced tomatoes. There's nothing wilted here. Nothing cheap. It's crisp, cool, delicious - and the salad dressings certainly taste homemade.

And do not let the coffee liqueur free tiramisu frighten you. Whoever decided to soak mixed berries in moscato and pair it with delightfully light marscapone cream and short cake deserves a nobel peace prize. It's light, fluffy, summery, and yet decadent. Let them smother it in the raspberry reduction/sauce they serve it with. You will not regret it.

The fact that the kitchen is run by two teenagers and one 40 year old gentleman with no executive chef to speak of is nothing short of miraculous and awe inspiring. We had the priviledge of meeting the two boys this evening... They are humble and completely clueless of the talent they possess. Someday, they will rise to super stardom. Of this I have no doubt - but I believe the current star of the show is Annette. She is sweet as sugar cream pie and just as smooth. She knows how to make a restaurant work, and she's not afraid to bust her behind to keep things rolling. Her attention to detail and love of the restaurant is beyond the pale. Our server, Elizabeth, was charming and so willing to go above and beyond. I truly hope they know how lucky they are to have their entire...

I didn’t know where my bf was taking me for dinner. It was one of those get in the car and drive and you’ll see when we get there. As we were pulling around to enter, I noticed it was attached to a shop and a gas station. I was like….ok. But I also knew my bf had excellent taste when it comes to taking me to different restaurants to try. So we ended up here, at Salvatori’s. He knows I absolutely love Italian food. We walked it and were greeted right away. It is a smaller restaurant. Seats about 50 max occupancy. The staff were super friendly. It did not take long at all to receive our appetizer and entrees. Let me tell you about the food. My bf got the chicken parmigiana and I got the lasagna. Both were shareable. His looked like they served him a pot of spaghetti… it was a lot. You couldn’t tell he ate any of it. It was a mound haha. The food was excellent. The lasagna had ricotta cheese. I am not huge on ricotta but this one had great flavor. It was delicious. We each had a glass of wine and shared bosco sticks. The garlic butter dipping sauce was excellent as well. Our waitress was on top of clearing plates, refilling our water and making sure we had what we needed. She also offered to pack up our leftovers for us. They treat you like you were at a 5-star restaurant here. That saying, “don’t judge a book by its cover” was definitely perfect for this “attached to a gas station” restaurant. You will not be disappointed eating here. And of course…unless you share, you will be leaving with leftovers. It was a great experience. We will definitely be returning. It was worth...

Do not let the description on Google deter you. It is in the Marathon plaza but not part of the gas station. It has a warm and cozy, inviting atmosphere. Friendly greeting at the door and very clean inside. Annette was our waitress and she was very attentive and informative about the menu, portion sizes and flavors. We started with salads and bread sticks. The salads were crisp and the dressings just the right amount. The bread sticks were fresh, soft and well proportioned to be delicious, but not overfilling before you got your main course. The Romano (white) and marinara dipping sauces were fresh and flavorful. For mains we had the fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli and Spicy Meats calzone. Both were large portions and the freshness of the ingredients shone through. Annette told us the Alfredo is made per order. The spicy meat calzone was indeed spicy in the best of ways. Full flavor and perfectly baked crust. I had a glass Pinot Grigio and was delighted to find that all their wines are Italian. I want to mention that the appetizer, the salads and the main courses came out at good intervals, we had time to enjoy each before the next was served. While eating the desert menus caught our eye. They have a berry tiramisu that sounds delicious and was in fact heavenly! A nice light but fulfilling finish to the meal. I would recommend this place to anyone who enjoys food prepared fresh...