Dioli's Trattoria: Asparagus Appetizer and Manicotti

In my humble opinion, Winston-Salem has been in desperate need for a good Italian restaurant and at last the folks behind Dioli’s have answered the call. I have been meaning to try them for a while and finally found the time and the perfect opportunity to pair dinner with a screening of the Italian film “I Am Love” playing at A/perture. The grilled asparagus appetizer was wrapped in perfectly crisp pancetta and drizzled with a red pepper pesto.

We all went with traditional pasta dishes and I had the Manicotti. They brought two of our dishes out first and it was a major act of will power to stop from digging in because it smelled so good. Tasted good as well--rich and cheesy. Definitely not a heart healthy dish, but a great treat. Also had bites of some fresh tagliatelle pesto and the pasta special which had tagliatelle with a Diablo sauce and clams. The sauces on both were very good as was the fresh pasta. Was particularly impressed with the Diablo sauce, which was actually spicy as it should be, rather than what I like to refer to as “North Carolina spicy” (i.e. not spicy at all).

-Contributed by Tari H.

Dinner at Dioli's

I have been a little lackadaisical in posting my food adventures, so this may seem a little redundant. I almost skipped this post altogether and then thought that if I was perusing this blog and saw post after post lauding a particular restaurant, I would probably be more apt to try it. O and I headed with some friends to Dioli's a couple of weeks ago for the first time and enjoyed everything. Our server (Kip) was friendly and efficient, the wine was great and the food divine.

We started the evening with a bottle of wine while waiting at the bar for a table. Once we were seated, we ordered the calamari and the polenta with mushrooms. The table agreed that they were both fabulous.
We all then ordered some terrific entrees. My friend L and I each decided to order a risotto and then split them each so that we could enjoy both. We ordered the mushroom risotto and the seafood risotto. They were both terrific, but we both felt the seafood risotto was a notch above the mushroom.



















The guys went with some different options. O chose the stuffed pork tenderloin and T opted for the swordfish. They both declared their dinners, "great!"














When we asked for some bread we received some very crispy, crunchy, thin bread sticks. Quite yummy.

Dioli's Trattoria: Pasta on the Patio

Back at Dioli's, but this time we enjoyed dinner on the patio on a rare July evening where the weather was cool. 

The table shared two appetizers, the calamari that is lightly breaded and served with fresh marinara sauce and lemon. Definitely squeeze the fresh lemon on the calamari first, it gives it wonderful flavor. We also tried the Polenta Diamonds which are made with Taleggio cheese (an aromatic cheese, with a mild nutty, fruity flavor and has a consistency similar to brie) polenta that is topped with a melted mozerrela and mushroom ragu.

I easily could have ordered the pork tenderloin again because it was delicious on my last visit. However, I decided to try one of the pasta dishes. I knew that I liked the marinara, as it came with the calamari. I chose the classic spaghetti and meatballs. The pasta was wavy, which made the dish more whimsical. It held the sauce well and the meatballs had wonderful flavor.

Joe ordered the Mushroom risotto which was an impressive portion of tender risotto with fresh mushrooms in a flavorful sauce that was savory and creamy. This dish could easily be shared, if you wanted to save room for one of Dioli's delicious desserts.

Once again, the service was fantastic. Our water glasses stayed filled, the focaccia bread for the table was warm and delicious.

The owners of the restaurant are present and hands on, a wonderful personal touch for a locally owned restaurant.  Oh, and the patio is perfect for watching the buzz of Fourth Street.

Dioli's Trattoria- Pacchieri stuffed with grilled vegetable pesto and Italian Chef Salad

I met my mom and some of her co-workers at Dioli's Trattoria on 4th Street for lunch today. I've been a long time fan of their first venture, Dioli's Market, and have been excited since the trattoria opened!

I noticed some familiar items (like sandwiches on their homemade foccacia) that I've had before, so I chose the Italian Chef Salad (it was 90 degress outside and somehow, pasta did not seem to go with the heat index today). The salad was deliciously arranged in a rectangular white bowl. Romaine tossed with red wine vinaigrette was topped  turkey, black forest ham, pancetta, roasted red pepers, scallions, cherry tomatoes and parmesan cheese. It was a light and yet filling salad, no one taste too overpowering.

My mom got the pacchieri stuffied with grilled vegetable pesto. This was one of their "small plates" listed on the menu. This dish was delicious and garlic-y! Short tubes of pasted filled with grilled vegetable pesto and topped with homemade marinara and Parmesan. YUM.

I'll definitely be back at Dioli's for lunch this summer while I'm working downtown.

Dioli's Trattoria: Italian Comes Downtown

My friend, Dieter, and I joined another couple, the Bray's, at the new Dioli's Trattoria downtown for dinner. The patio was full, even though it was a hot, June evening; we dined inside where it was a little bit cooler and got to enjoy the dining room that has wonderful family photos adorning the walls, several small tables, and the buzz of happy diners.

One thing that I really liked about the wine menu is that all of the bottles, Italian wines, were the same price: $25. All wines were also available by the glass or carafe, another nice touch.

We stared with two appetizers, Calamari and Pancetta-wrapped cheese. The calamari was lightly breaded, which gave the tender pieces a nice crunch. The fresh marinara was delicious. The mild, salty flavor of the pancetta was a nice compliment to soft cheese inside. (Sadly, we dug in as soon as the appetizers as soon as they reached the table so there are no pictures. I will go back very soon to remedy this situation, however.)

For the second night in a row, with competely different diners, the women ordered identical entrees, as did the men.

The ladies enjoyed the stuffed porkloin which was butterflied and rolled with polenta and mushroom stuffing, then roasted and served with mixed vegetables. The pork was so tender, you could cut it with a fork. It was perfectly seasoned and the mixed vegetables were delicious in the light gravy topped the porkloin. This is a very generous portion and could easily be split if you want to enjoy an appetizer and dessert.

The gentleman had the veal picatta which were three veal scallops, breaded and sauteed with a lemon caper sauce. A side of linguini in a garlic cream sauce substituted for the mashed potatoes, and grilled asparagus. Both gentleman commented how delicious their meals were, which was evident when conversation slowed, ever-so-slightly, as we ate our entrees.



And then there was dessert. I am a lover of tiramisu and my friend agreed to share one with me. Our dinner companions ordered the same. Another waitress emerged from the kitchen with a tiramisu for the table next to us and I knew that I had made the right decision.  Our lovely server returned from the kitchen moments later to say that they just served the last tiramisu. My eyes immediately went to the next table where the couple eating the LAST tiramisu looked really, really happy. (Heavy sigh)

Our waitress recited the other choices available and Dieter and I decided to try the chocolate mousse torte. The Bray's chose a raspberry torte that they allowed us to sample and was quite delicious with a haint of almond in the pastry portion and a nice layer of raspberry puree at the bottom. (The picture that we took does not do it justice because I took the photo with my phone. I have learned that a proper camera is needed to take this photos and I will start carrying it around with me.) I will update with a much better photo, soon.)

The staff at Dioli's was very impressive for a restuarant that has only ben open for a couple of weeks. From the knowledgeable waitress, who helped us select a delicious red wine, to the bus boy who kept our table clear of clutter. The owners stopped by the table, which was a personal touch that we enjoyed. Dioli's is a welcome addition to Fourth Street and we look forward to our next visit.