Valentino's — Restaurant in Clintwood

This place doesn't look like much from the outside... well... or from the inside. It's not really in a great location. But the food is great and reasonably priced. My lady friend had the Manicotti. Obviously there's nothing too complicated to a noodle stuffed with ricotta, but the marinara sauce was definitely home made. Or at least awesome enough to pass as such. I had a small supreme pizza. I think the dough was epic. Somehow very fresh ingredients. We finished it off with a key lime pie, which wasn't the weird jell-o thing I usually eat at a diner or something. I don't think it was home-made, but it was quite good, with a graham cracker crust and a cheese-cake like consistency.

The environment is kind of lackluster... It's a very small dining area, maybe 6 or 7 tables. If the place is full, it would definitely be kind of loud and cramped. The decor sucks. There was some dead potted plant in the corner next to me. But they tried. This strikes me as a sign of a dying business, which is really a shame because the food was so good.

Now, service may be considered slow. But that's actually bonus points to me. It gives you plenty of time to talk with your dinner companions. You can hear your food being prepared in the kitchen right around the corner. You don't feel rushed. This is not a place to go with the young kids or for a quick dinner. The menu specifically states it's not a fast food restaurant, and it's not. I think this is a plus.

We were there on a Thursday night around 7:00pm. Like I said, there was no one else there. There was only one worker there... he seemed to be doing the cooking and the service. Cool. Refills were slow because of that, but so what, I'll just drink more slowly and enjoy it.

It's a cash only establishment, so bring cash. Speaking of, prices were reasonable. Dessert, tea, a soda, manicotti, small supreme pizza, for around $21. That's pretty good in my book.

We were...

This is old-school Italian that broke our travel dining rule of "an empty parking lot means the food is bad". My husband and I were hesitant to stop here because there never seemed to be any customers. After getting a glowing recommendation from the lady with the Commissioner of Renevue and from our hotel's desk staff (who all recommended calling ahead), we gave it a try. The owner does it all - waiter, chef, cashier - and the menu was right... this is fine dining food, not fast food.

This was one of the most delicious meals I've ever eaten in a blissfully soothing atmosphere. Softly playing classical music. White tablecloth topped with clear plastic. China plates. Glass salad plate. Water goblet, not a plastic cup. Yes, it does take some time between ordering and eating but it's worth the wait.

We ordered the herbed olive oil with Italian bread to dip for an appetizer. My husband ordered the baked angel hair pasta with marinara. I ordered the fettuccine carbonara and a salad with Mediterranean salad dressing. Both dinners came with garlic toast.

The olive dipping oil was wonderful. I wish there was more bread served with it & will probably order 2 portions if we make it back to Clintwood. Every vegetable in the salad was cut small enough that I didn't need to cut it again at the table. It had been tossed with the perfect amount of dressing so all I had to do was eat it. My carbonara was not what I expected since I don't make mine with an alfredo base nor do I add bits of broccoli - I use bacon, white wine, parm & an egg - but it was outstanding. The fettuccine was perfectly cooked & bathed in a creamy sauce with flecks of broccoli and tiny pieces of ham. (I would have licked the plate but we were in public.) My husband said his pasta was very good. He didn't elaborate but he did eat it all & it was a big portion.

If we ever go back to Clintwood, we will definitely be...

We were traveling through to visit family and had a bad experience at the subway so we stopped here. There was one customer finishing up and then we were the only ones in there. AC not much for such a hot day and it seemed to irritate the owner when we moved to a table farther back and under the fan in a cealinh and a/c outlet in the cealing although we left nothing at the first table and we pushed the chairs in politely he didn't feel like they were pushed him far enough I guess and seemed rude about it by shoving them hard against the table. Although the food was pretty good the service was absolutely slow! Took 25 minutes for the appetizer ( garlic knots) which was overdone and dry and a good 50 minutes to an hour for the food. We asked for as an appetizer because we were so hungry and it took forever to get them. Asked for ranch dressing to dip them in and never got and they were overdone and very dry. Would have been nice to have some garlic butter to dip them in as the little bit that was in the bottom of the plate it was served on was not much. Still had to ask for ranch dressing after our food arrived and finally got some but not enough for two people. My food was fresh and pretty good ( calazone) but my daughter wasn't crazy about her sub. Probably a better place for call in and carry out but way too small and tight for inside dining! A little too cheap on drink refills and the extras we asked for and should have already got with the order. Price was ok but not up to par for the very slow service and extras and refills not brought although we did get one refill after we were finished eating. Not recommended for...