Italian food is often a difficult food to spend a lot of money on. It is hard to justify dropping $15 on a meal when I can easily boil pasta, microwave some Classico sauce and sprinkle some parmesan on top. C & O Trattoria, however, is a place that exceeds anything I could provide in my own kitchen.
The ambience itself makes you feel like you really walked into a restaurant in Italy, with outdoor seating, a fountain and strings of lights. Even the walls are painted to make it feel like you are sitting out on the street rather than inside a restaurant. I took my seat and started looking at the menu when the waiter began bringing out my unlimited garlic knots. The waiter could hardly bring them out fast enough for me to eat them.
From the massive menu, I finally chose the Rigatoni Tomato Cream, which is made with tomato-cream sauce, sweet basil, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. For added happiness, I had them throw in some grilled chicken. Despite filling up on garlic knots, when my meal came I was able to fully enjoy it. Everything was cooked to perfection and I can even attest to the Rigatoni Sausage, which I tasted from a friend’s plate. As for the portion, I was splitting it with a friend, but otherwise I would have had plenty to take home for a second delicious meal.
Another great thing about C & O is that if you show up on the right day at the right time, they will bust out into a rousing rendition of “That’s Amore.” It can’t hurt to have a few glasses of wine before singing.
You forgot to mention the awesome house wine. They keep it in multiple giant gatorade dispensers so you can fill your glass at will. You then mark how many you’ve had on the your paper table cloth, but it’s the honor system, so you can fudge it. Food pun intended.
ahh, we call the garlic knots “crack balls”- they alone make the meal!