Food lovers, if you are looking for an amazing Italian meal, look no further than Corleone’s Ristorante and Bar. The Parma establishment — a shining jewel situated in an otherwise modest shopping plaza — offers a a rare and refreshing fine dining experience in an area dominated by chain restaurants and fast food. Great for happy hour (calling all employees of Rockside Road!) or for any special occasion, Corleone’s serves up excellent, authentic Italian eats from the antipasto to the dolce.
For antipasti starters, we highly recommend the stuffed peppers, a spicy trio of enormous banana peppers overflowing with savory sausage and topped with fontina and marinara. Seafood lovers will also enjoy the scallops, perfectly seared and beautifully plated with roasted zucchini and a fresh tomato bruschetta relish. Diners could easily make their meals from one or two of Corleone’s generous antipasti plates — but why stop there?
Bursting with traditional Italian flavor and paired with rich sauces and bright, house-made marinara, the entrees at Corleone’s are not to be ignored. In addition to its pasta specialties, Corelone’s features a number of delicious seafood, veal, chicken, and even vegan options. The veal Trivisonno (pictured) matches generous cuts of perfectly-tender breaded veal medallions with salty prosciutto and creamy mozzarella. The dish is topped with portobello mushrooms in a sherry cream sauce. The chicken Luciano stars lightly-floured and delicately-fried artichokes and costars tomatoes, spinach, and capers in a rich, roasted red pepper sauce. The vegan portobello steak, drizzled with a traditional balsalmic reduction, features a huge portobello cap atop a generous bed of garlicky tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, and squash. And for classic Italian fare, no one in the Greater Cleveland area beats Corleone’s eggplant rollatini, a flavorful, endlessly-layered, three-cheese masterpiece of a dish.
Corelone’s main dining room, with cushy booth spaces and small, candlelit tabletops, offers the perfect backdrop for an intimate date night meal. Larger parties can gather in either the private dining room or in the dine-in bar, a space dominated by gorgeous floor-to-ceiling wine storage and chic chandeliers. And the patio at Corelone’s — one of the most beautiful in the area — is a lush oasis of countless flowering plants, large-scale artwork, and overhead garden lighting.
The verdict? Mikey likes it!
#CLEchow rating: 4.25/5.00
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