Torino's — Restaurant in Springfield

I've been coming to Torino's since before it was Torino's, back when it used to be called Charlie's Steakhouse in Oak Grove, Kentucky. My parents used to take me on special occasions. We probably went once a year but I remember those days like yesterday. This was almost 30 years ago. However, Charlie's burned down a while back and that was the end of our tradition... Until one day I found another review of the current Torino's in Springfield, TN. I was Googling details of the fire and one reviewer mentioned they sold Charlie's steaks here. And the rest is history.

I can't comment on the other food here because I only get the steak and traditional sides that come with a Charlie's Steak: salad, baked potato and bread. What I like Torino's is that the menu is expanded a bit and obviously so. It's not a steak place any longer but a Greek and Italian restaurant. I like Greek and Italian food but the temptation of the steaks are too much.

When you're seated, you can help yourself to butter packets and various crackers. Something so simple can be addictive. I find myself eating about 3 packs of butter & crackers before the food comes out.

I typically get the porterhouse, a honking massive steak that weighs about 30 ounces, medium rare. I get a baked potato with butter only and a random salad (house, Charlie's, Greek, etc). The salad and baked potato is typical (you can hardly mess those up). The bread is just a simple sesame seed loaf. But because I want to make sure I eat all my steak, I usually only nibble at the other items until I finish the steak. Then I'll eat what I can (if my appetite can handle the rest).

Now for the steak review. It's a porterhouse, so you can expect it to be large. I've been to dozens of high end steakhouses where they have steaks in the 60$ range. And while those are good, sometimes you want a larger steak for that beef-loving appetite. This is what these steaks are. Always cooked to the right temp and simply seasoned with their own garlic powder seasonings, these steaks really hit the spot for those with big appetites. I've seen other reviewers complain about the "quality" because their steaks have too much fat. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a quality issue but rather the way they've been trimmed/cut. The beef is still really tasty and that's all that matters. I think these steaks are great and that's why I've been enjoying them...

We have been hearing a lot about this place from friends and decided to check it out on a Sunday.

For starters we ordered the Greek Spanakopita and they were very tasty. Crispy phyllo dough surrounded a tasty blend of spinach and feta cheese...and the tzatziki sauce for dipping was cool and refreshing.

I ordered, after friends recommendation, the ribeye and baked potato. I know that the steaks come highly recommended as they derived from the old Charlie's Steakhouse in Oak Grove, Kentucky. My wife and mom ordered the chicken parmesan and spaghetti & mushrooms respectively. My side said (with blue cheese dressing) came out first with what looked like thousand island dressing. A very interesting take on the blue cheese dressing by adding paprika to it. Personally, I prefer traditional blue cheese, but this was a pleasant surprise.

Out came the main meals, only our server brought my wife some chicken alfredo rather than chicken parmesan. We informed her of the mistake and it was quickly fixed. My steak was very tasty, not quite cooked how I asked (more medium well than medium) but tasted every bit as good as the steaks did at Charlie's. My baked potato was good too (but I believe it's hard to mess that up). However, the pre-made sour cream mixture had imitation bacon bits in it (yuck). My wife's chicken parmesan was cooked nicely and was the cheesiest chicken parmesan she had ever eaten. The sauce was definitely made in house and was extremely flavorful. The side order of spaghetti...well, that was not so good as it was a bit too heavy, but cooked well and not overcooked. My mom's spaghetti was pretty much the same as my wife's side only with mushrooms, mushrooms from a can no less. If a restaraunt prides itself on house-made items, I would prefer fresh mushrooms as it's not extremely difficult to cut some up with an order.

Much like Charlie's, the steak is the star here. Sides are...

Egregious. I'll not be back. I was told long ago by my Uncle Stefano that whenever you go to an Italian restaurant for the first time, to always order the spaghetti and meatballs. He said that the entire restaurant can be judged by the quality of the sauce and texture and composition of the meatballs. So, as Uncle Stefano suggested, it was spaghetti and meatballs for me. When the food was prestented, the sauce was dark and looked burnt. Also, the meatballs were extremely small, about the size of a gumball from a 25 cent dispenser. But, instead of just sending it back, I swirled my fork in the noodles and went for a bite. Before I could get it in my mouth, I noticed a pool of grease and water at the base of the bowl. This was off-putting. But, I went for the bite anyhow. I can't even begin to describe how awful the sauce was. It was comparable to chef boyarde, but worse. I almost spat it out. To save my pallet the anguish, I thought I'd go after the meatballs. They were equally just as bad. I've had larger and better meatballs from the grocery store freezer. Even the jarred sauces are better. By this time, my spaghetti was more of a noodle soup, which was disgusting. So, I left my full plate and placed my napkin on the table. The server asked if I liked a box and I said no. She should have asked me if I was pleased with the food, given that I still had a full plate, but, she didn't and placed the check on the table. So, I got up and went to the checkout station to pay and the girl there didn't even acknowledge me. She didn't say one word. Only took my card and then slid the receipt across the desk as me. I paid my fee to get out of there. I thought about asking for a manager to let them know about my experience, but, I feel like I had already sacrificed enough time there. Don't go here for Italian food. Just make it at home. Or, grab some canned spaghetti. It has...