We had the right address; the only problem was it had the wrong name. But our wrong ended up to be the right choice.
Confused? So were we, when we were wandering Indiana, looking for a Highland restaurant that no longer existed. In its place we found Donatello`s, an Italian newcomer that has all the right stuff.
Donatello`s, which opened in January, is a large restaurant, with stained glass hanging lamps attempting to add intimacy to the high-ceilinged room. Diners are also apt to be seated in the sprawling bar; they get to hear the musical competition from the bar and the dining room.
The menu covers a lot of ground: pizza, pasta, sandwiches, salads, seafood, and meat and poultry dishes.
There`s spaghetti ($8.25) and lasagna ($8.95), of course, but other pasta dishes have a lighter touch. Angel hair pasta ($8.95) uses just a bit of olive oil to create the sauce, relying on fresh garlic and basil and chunks of tomato to take starring roles.
Beef braciole ($10.95) combines two favorites, Italian sausage and beef. The beef wraps around the sausage and is topped by marinara and mozzarella. The beef is a little dry, but the sauce and the nicely spiced sausage make up for it. The side of potato vesuvio is french fries grown up.
Other menu highlights include chicken vesuvio ($9.95), veal and peppers
($12.95) and scampi primavera ($12.95). Eggplant parmesan makes the transition to a sandwich ($4.25).
Pasta fagioli and thick bread sticks with garlic and parmesan get things off to a good start.
Pizza ($4.60-13.15) offers toppings from mushrooms to pineapple to shrimp. A simple sausage is a good showcase: mild sausage and sauce, plenty of cheese, and a wonderfully crispy crust. The pizza just may become the restaurant`s headliner.
Service is inconsistent. We ordered a small pizza as an appetizer; it arrived with the check, with little explanation-and no compensation-offered.
———-
Donatello`s, 2907 45th Ave., Highland, Ind.; 219-924-8888. Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., to 11 p.m. Fri. and Sat.
