The Search for Italy Is Over…

To be quite honest, when I walked inside di Paolo, the Alpharetta restaurant recently rated number one in Italian cuisine by Zagat, I felt as if I was walking into a family’s holiday dinner. The warm, welcoming ambience offering a very simple décor with rich colors and an open kitchen set-up made me feel right at home.

I began my culinary journey into di Paolo’s Italy with an insalata caprese, which I had heard was a must considering that the restaurant makes its mozzarella fresh each day. Actually, “fresh” doesn’t even begin to describe the relationship between di Paolo and its cheese. Here, the mozzarella has a firm juiciness paired with an addictive fl avor that made me battle it out with my husband for the last bite.

Next we tried the pizza con salsiccia e funghi, a wood oven pizza made with Italian sausage, spinach, portobello mushrooms and asiago cheese. The main difference between this pizza and nearly every other pizza claiming to be of Italian descent is the sauce—or, should I say, lack of it. Di Paulo doesn’t try to mask its fl avors under a layer of sauce, and I admit, I didn’t even miss it! The intense flavor of the asiago crust, the rich, Italian sausage with herbs, and the succulent mushrooms made this pizza a truly unique and satisfying experience.

While each dish I sampled was wonderful, the most exciting was the freshly made pappardelle con frutti di mare. Rumored to be a customer favorite, this handmade pasta topped with fresh seafood in a light, white wine butter sauce was one of the most delicious dishes I have had in a long time. It featured plump, sautéed shrimp, well-cooked scallops and herb-infused, buttery lobster—(nearly a sensory overload!)—served over widely-sliced, paper-thin pasta.

Another favorite we tried was the bistecca di manzo, which translates to ovenroasted beef strip steak over truffl e-infused mashed potatoes, caramelized Vidalia onions and asparagus topped with a rosemary pan au jus sauce. This dish was the icing on the icing of the cake. Not only were the Vidalia onions causing me to second guess whether I was eating apples or onions, but the steak was perfectly cooked, and the truffl e-infused potatoes were, in one word, heaven.

The zabaglione con frutta di bosco, which included white chocolate and dark chocolate cream layered with marsala marinated berries served in a chocolate cup, is a classic dessert choice, also a specialty of the house. The creaminess of the dish was as enticing as it was delectable. Both the tiramisu and torte di caffe, an expresso cupcake filled with strawberry cream, chocolate gelato and a strawberry coulis, looked very tempting.

I have spent time traveling through Rome, Naples, the Isle of Capri, Florence and Sicily, and I can say it’s rare that a restaurant at home offers an authentic taste of Italy. Di Paolo offers an Italian dining experience that many restaurants boast of, but few can actually pull off. This is one place you must experience for yourself.

Di Paolo is located at 8650 Holcomb Bridge Road in Alpharetta. Dinner is served nightly Tuesday-Sunday beginning at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Call 770-587-1051 or visit www.dipaolorestaurant.com.  Allison Overmon is a local freelance writer.