There is an Italian restaurant near my parents’ house that I have passed for almost 15 years when I visit. With each visit to see them I never made it over to Salutos. However, recently I got to try them because my sister had her rehearsal dinner there.
When I walked in I was greeted by a giant tree in the entryway. I was not expecting that.
I also noticed their large case of homemade desserts. After taking a glance I knew I would be in for a treat later.
We started dinner off with their homemade fresh garlic rolls. They were slightly sweet yeast rolls covered in garlic and butter.
Each table received a bowl of Salutos famous salad. What makes this salad so special is their “Secret Recipe” dressing. I completely understood why this salad is so popular. The dressing is green in color and is creamy with a slight tang. It was really addicting. I kept going back to the salad bowl for more. It turns out you can actually buy the dressing by itself so you can enjoy it at home.
Now since I was there with a large party our dinner was served buffet style. What I liked about this was that it allowed me to try several of their dishes. On the menu was:
- Chicken Griglia
- Shrimp Frankie
- Spaghetti with meat sauce
- Cheese Ravioli
It may not look pretty on my plate but each dish was delicious. The chicken was moist and seasoned really well. The shrimp came mixed with angel hair pasta. I could taste all the garlic it was sautéed in. The spaghetti with meat sauce was a staple. The flavor of the Italian seasonings in the sauce was a classic.
My favorite dish was the cheese ravioli. They make them homemade there. They were oversized. The pasta dough was light and they were stuffed with cheese. They had a sweet taste which was amazing. The sweetness balanced out the sourness from the tomatoes in the sauce. I would totally recommend this dish to everyone.
For dessert we had two choices:
- Flourless chocolate cake
- Carrot cake
I went for the carrot cake. The first thing I noticed was all the fresh carrots that they used in the batter. They really shined through. The cake itself was moist. The homemade cream cheese frosting was smooth, creamy, and not super sweet. On a side note, everyone who ordered the chocolate cake seemed to enjoy it. They all said it was rich.
Though my dining experience was set up differently than most customers I really felt I got to experience the best that Salutos had to offer. I would want to go back the next time I visited the area. Check out their menu at http://salutosofgurnee.com/
Enjoy!
T
