Gratzi! offers promising Italian cuisine

The areas surrounding campus offer a variety of foods that can satisfy anyone's appetite. From your typical American food at the bars, sub shops, and cafes to authentic ethnic food including Chinese, Tibetan, Thai, Indian and Mexican, one has enough choices to try something new everyday. A recent addition to these close to campus restaurants and one I have been eager to try is the Italian restaurant Gratzi!\nOpening this winter, Gratzi! is located downtown off the square at 106 W. 6th Street, less than a ten-minute walk from campus. With a variety of Italian dishes offered, one is sure to find something on the menu to call their favorite. \nThe menu includes a variety of pastas and sauces you can mix and match to your own liking. If that doesn't sound like enough to fill you up, try something from the "Classic Recipes," which include wild mushroom and spinach lasagna, chicken parmigiana and even apaghetti and meatballs. Or if you want to go all out try one of the Specialties, which range from shrimp scampi, manicotti, veal scaloppini and chicken picatta. And if you're in the mood for some wine, try one from the recommended wine list above each section of the menu.\nAt an Italian restaurant you can't seem to go wrong with the calamari appetizer. This holds true at Gratzi! Served with a marinara sauce and a hint of pepper, the flavors complemented one another, and I couldn't resist finishing this dish, which tasted so good. \nFor the main course I had the opportunity to try two main dishes -- fried tortellini with prosciutto and the oven roasted salmon fillet. Both had interesting flavors, neither of which I am really a fan. At first the tortellini and prosciutto dish appealed to me, but as I ate more the flavors in the dish seemed to clash. The sweetness of the herbs and balsamic vinegar did not go with the saltiness of the prosciutto and pasta. I felt the same way about the salmon. Though cooked perfectly, the herbs that topped the fish did not complement the flavors of the salmon and the salad on which it was served. \nAlthough the two dishes I tasted did not appeal to me overall, I do not feel that this should stop me from going back to Gratzi! The prices were reasonable, at about $20 for an appetizer and two entrees. With a variety of foods to choose from, I'm sure to find the one that best appeals to me. So put your own taste buds to work and form your own opinion by going to Gratzi! the next time you are craving Italian food.