Eatery - Angelo's and Vinci's Ristorante (CA)

550 N Harbor Blvd, Fullerton, CA 92832
Pricing - $$ | Dining - Casual to Dressy | Cuisine - Italian
http://www.angelosandvincis.com/

A while ago, Duc told me that he wanted to check out a location for a client for a future wedding so we finally went to this Italian restaurant in downtown Fullerton. It looks fairly dinky from the outside but once inside, you become immersed in everything that one might think is old Italian. The interior was very cluttered with traditional Italian representations such as old paintings, figurines, jesters, and so forth. There were multicolored lights everywhere, and everything was quite cozy. I liked the atmosphere a lot. We were promptly seated and given large menus to peruse.


Bread came out first. It was quite some heavy stuff. I enjoyed it but could not have more than half a piece after I saw how huge the appetizers were when they arrived (service was quick!). For drinks, we tried their Italian soda. I wanted to give hazelnut a turn and my oh my was it fantastic! His cherry Italian soda was a nostalgic trip to happy childhood days too.


The appetizers that were ordered were the triple combination platter (onion rings, battered mushrooms, and fried zucchini) and their garlic bread topped with tomatoes, pesto, pine nuts, and parsley. The appetizers were fairly standard but not overly greasy. I really liked the onion rings because of how clean they were. The zucchini's batter was light, giving more flavor to the vegetable itself which I appreciated. As for the bread, wow. It was an entire loaf of just tantalizing smells and tastes. Since it was so huge, we only managed to have one piece each before digging into our entrees but it was just divine. I'd be excited about coming back to see what the other garlic bread toppings are like seeing as they had quite the variety!


For the entrees, I unfortunately cannot remember the exact names of our dishes. They were in Italian which was awesome because I got to speak Italian briefly again, hah. However, it was a few nights ago so the names escape me. I had a baked mostaccioli with pepperoni, baked ham, and homemade sausage (on top). It was pretty good but not out of this world. What DID sate me was the sausage because it was just perfect. I could even tell it was homemade. The pepperoni was impressive as well. Duc's dish was a hodgepodge of goodness. I recall there being roast beef, asparagus, tomatoes, red onions, and loads of mushrooms in it; all was doused in a creamy, cheesy sauce. The intensity of flavors hit me hard when I had a bite but it was really good. It definitely hit all the spots one could think of and probably even all the food groups!


What was great about this place aside from the food and atmosphere were the prices for the portions! These were intense portions; blame the American mentality. We had to take four takeout boxes home (well, we split everything) and those fed other people for full meals too. Next time I'll make sure to split an entree and have maybe just one appetizer. At less than $45 before tips, this was a very nicely priced place as well.