Biaggio’s is a taste
of Italy in Lincoln
JJ. Harder
Staff Writer
Pane e Vino, one of Lincoln’s
best Italian restaurants, had a
decline in business and went out of
business a few months ago. I didn’t
think anything could help bring the
location back to life. It turns out all
it needed was a little Aguglia.
Scott Aguglia took over the
West O building and opened
Biaggio’s. He definitely took the
food, atmosphere and service and
kicked them up a notch. Aguglia, a
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
student and backup receiver for the
Huskers, kept the class and style of
Pane e Vino and added a few
touches of his own. He redesigned
the interior wife a new paint job
and a sharper, cleaner look. He
dimmed fee lights and brought in a
jazz singer for live music on
Thursday nights. And he put a few
new favorites on the mena
Biaggio s has a traditional
Italian menu, with a variety of
chicken, steak and seafood pasta
dishes. The restaurant has a tradi
tional Caesar salad and an Aguglia
special pasta salad, but I recom
mend the house salad. The home
made Italian dressing is a bit more
spicy and flavorful than you would
expect. Itfe a large leaf salad, so it’s
more difficult to eat It's made with
Romaine lettuce and not die Held
greens so many restaurants serve.
In the way of appetizers,
Biaggio’s has mozzarella sticks,
calamari and bruschetta. I tried the
scampi sautee - small shrimp in a
light butter sauce. The taste was a
bit sour, but overall good seafood
for a restaurant in Nebraska.
The menu has all the standard
dishes, but I decided to try the
items that weren’t as customary.
The Polio Dello Chef is a large
piece of chicken breast stuffed
with spinach and provolone,
served on a bed of small penne
Biaggio's
WHERE: 500 Sun
Valley Blvd.
mum bim iuiim
wiiMia iinw viol ion
dialog, $10-30 a Mai
BOTTOM LBfcUke
family, teas! of foam
pasta. I didn’t think anything could
rival Chicken Parmiagana, but this
dish was great. It’s basically an
Italian version of Cordon Bleu.
The Pasta Arriabiata is penne
with a spicy red sauce and bits of
bacon. It wasn't as good as the
chicken, but was an interesting
twist nonetheless. The sauce is
light and not terribly spicy, and the
bacon adds a nice amount of meaty
flavor.
oiaggio s oners apumorn ana
Tiramisu for dessert, again show
ing that it remembers the little
things. The good service, live jazz
and great menu come at a price,
though - it is a bit overpriced. But
its biggest obstacle is without a
doubt its location. The restaurant is
situated north ofWestO Street near
the Handy Man hardware store and
Big John’s Billiards - not exactly
elite company. But it Is out of down
town in an open area, providing a
nice view of Lincoln’s skyline (if
you can call it that) and the blue
Nebraska sky.
This is die kind of place that
would do huge business if it was at
40th & Old Cheney, but will have
troubles building clientele just like
Pane e Vino. But it deserves to have
dedicated, faithful patronage.
Aguglia will come out and shake
your hand, listen to the old man chi
the piano with you and make you
feel like you’re part of die family.
So even if it Is far from your home,
Biaggio’s will make you feel like
your there.
Old standard IHOP still pleases
IHOP from page 7
sausages wrapped in small pan
cakes. No this one isn’t necessarily
for the kids, it’s just a twist on an
old favorite.
Still, the pancakes bring home
the bacon in this household There
are ten different styles of pancakes,
including banana nut, potato, but
termilk and crepe-style. My
favorite is the chocolate chip pan
cake. If you ask nicely, the server
will probably bring you the “Funny
Face” - a chocolate pancake with a
whipped cream mouth and a cher
ry nose. Itfe a dessert and breakfast
two-in-one miracle of IHOP tech
nology.
Even though the pancakes are
the best thing on the menu, I
wouldn’t say that they’re outstand
ing. IHOP’s claim to fame is its
low, low prices and 24-hour menu.
This isn’t as much a place to eat as
it is a late night staple. IHOP has
this aura that attracts all sorts of
people for all sorts of reasons.
IHOP isn’t a restaurant, it’s just
IHOP. If you don’t go, you’re miss
ing out Maybe not on die food, but
(mi the experience.
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