Nina's
8801 Leadmine Rd,
Raleigh, 27615
(919) 845-1122

July 5, 2005
By Mimi (ZSpotlight Restaurant/Nightlife Editor)

What makes a good Italian restaurant? Is it hearty portions of pasta with a rich red sauce and plenty of bread to sop it up? Is it the warmth and friendliness of Mama loudly greeting you at the door as if you were family? Is it the too hot to sip cappuccino, or the free-flowing red Italian wine? Is it the posters of Italian scenery on the walls, and candles burning in old Chianti bottles? Well, if you come to Nina's Ristorante expecting any of those typical things, you are in for quite the surprise.

Upscale and subdued is how Chef Nina Psarros respectably recreated this tiny bit of her native land of Sicily in Nina's Ristorante. Yes, it's Italian. Yes, it's large portions of pasta and lots of sauce. And absolutely it's plenty of rich red Italian wine to savor and wash it all down. What it's not is predictable, all the way down to the menu that seems to change, and improve, almost nightly.

Nina's, from beginning to end, is about Italian elegance. The starters are light and delicious, and without hesitation I recommend the Fried Calamari for its tenderness and succulence. The entrees are all more than generous, and since each is made to order, they can be altered for any almost dietary requirement or whim you have in mind. But who cares about diets when you're dining out? I say go for Veal Scallopine and live it up. Or try a big plate of pasta with the sausage in it, since Nina makes it in house herself. And while we're talking about living it up, here's a little secret: Ask for the Tartufo for dessert. It's not on the menu, but if you can talk your way into getting one of these creamy gems, you'll be enjoying the best anyone in the Triangle can offer.

The bar can be a bit stuffy at times, but it's a good place to eat if you forgot to make the mandatory reservations or missed your reservation while lost trying to find the place, since it's hidden in the back of a strip shopping center off the Lead Mine Rd extension. If it's your first time visiting, make sure to program their number into your phone just in case. This is one meal you don't want to miss.

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