Sandra D's Italian Garden — Restaurant in Auburn

Highly recommended to us, two of us went to Sandra D’s. The interior is cozy/small, and the co-owner on the wait staff was very pleasant. Service was quick. There were a few surprises, though.

What looked like elegant silverware was plastic, and the meals are served in metal pie tins that are nestled into metal bakeware. The plasticware had a tendency to hold onto the cheese in my meal in a rather unnerving way. When we asked for water, it was served in bottles at about $2 each.

I really liked the taste of the spaghetti and meatballs (sounds like a beginner dish, but it had a wonderful zesty sauce), and the serving size was very generous. I was taken aback when it was delivered to the table under a thick layer of Parmesan. I generally limit how much cheese or dairy I consume—quite a trick in an Italian restaurant, I know. But this “topping” was not mentioned on the menu. Extra cheese (and a whole lot of it) is a bonus for some; if I had known it was served that way I would have asked for it to be held back.

The other meal was chicken carbonara, which had an intensely rich sauce with egg and cream. Both meals were served piping hot. The carbonara was a much smaller portion. Too rich? For this patron, maybe so.

One other surprise is that nothing came with either meal—not even a dinner roll.

The “atmosphere” rating is low for a few reasons. First, the background music (first Elvis, then several country songs by one artist) was quiet enough that it did not provide any buffer between the spirited discussions at an adjacent table and the rest of the area. We felt like we could not avoid their conversation, as we heard every word of it. And though the interior is pleasant, the exterior of the building is rough, with rotting doors, rough metal doors and an almost-completely-faded mural that would look better...

Sandra D's is the best kept secret outside of Fort Wayne. My friend and I drove by and she mentioned she's always wanted to try it. So after our excursion, we stopped at Sandra D's.

Best Decision Ever.

We ordered the jalapeno poppers for an appetizer. They were literally mouth watering, phenomenal homemade poppers. The jalapeno is sliced in half and stuffed with a homemade cheese blend and battered in delicious breading, cooked to perfection. I wish we were smart enough to get two orders of them, I definitely could have eaten my own!

For the main course, I got the Fettuccine Alfredo. The sauce was absolutely incredible!! I've never had a sauce like Bentley's (that's the chef's name). If I could bottle that sauce and take it home, I would!

After telling the waitress how phenomenal the food is, we found out our waitress is the, Sandra D!! To our surprise even more, the head chef came out to introduce himself. His name is Bentley. He told us the alfredo sauce is made fresh to order. We also found out Bentley and Sandra are married and the only employees in the restaurant. I was shocked!! For the prompt service, generous portion size, and incredible food, I was shocked to learn they are doing it all alone!

We loved this place so much, we came back a few hours later for dinner.

This time we got the bruschetta for an appetizer. Let's just say, their food does Not disappoint! The bruschetta had the perfect amount of garlic and toppings. It was divine.

I did get the fettuccine alfredo again. Yes, again. It was that good!!

Next time I visit my friend in Fort Wayne, I will be stopping at Sandra D's for some...

Quite frankly, I had my doubts about this place as we drove up. It doesn't look like much from the outside and the inside isn't anything to write home about but the service and food was absolutely phenomenal!

Upon entering, we were warmly greeted by a lovely lady (Sandra) who seemingly welcomed us into her home. Our party of 8 [from the Toledo area, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles] was easily accommodated in the dining room as one of the tables magically expanded to a large square perfect for conversation.

The menu options were vast and had us oooing and ahhing as we struggled to make our selection. After ordering, we raised a glass of amazingly delicious Chianti to toast our father, patriarch of the family and WWII Veteran, in honor and celebration of Father's Day.

After a bit of conversation and laughter, our food arrived and more ooo's and ahh's filled the room only to be replaced by mmmmm as we tasted our first bite. Everyone was in awe of the culinary masterpieces put before them and prepared by Chef Bentley. It was one thing to visualize the result of the menu description but to see it masterfully presented was like looking at art on a plate.

As we prepared to leave, many of the patrons rose to shake the hand of the 96 year old WWII Veteran we call Dad, and to thank him for his service. It meant so much to our dad to be honored by so many. I don't think we will ever forget our experience...