Angela's is cute. No other word describes it better. I give it high marks for being close to campus (it's about 5 minutes away), but it is definitely a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The interior is cozy, and familiar, and is filled mostly by families and old friends catching up. From what I've heard, Angela's has a strong camp following of devoted customers that don't seem to mind the sometimes brusque wait staff.
There's something you should know about me. I'm really slow at deciding. Especially when it comes to menus. I think it's because I like to assess every option on the menu. I do this in other areas of my life too, like picking out an outfit or heaven forbid, a major. On this night, it took me an extra long time because the menu was packed with delicious options, and had Italian dishes to drool over. The menu at Angela's has a lot of authentic classic Italian staples, which isn't surprising because of the Italian owners.
My date and I both had house salads for starters, and I made the mistake of not ordering the house dressing, Italian, which I immediately regretted, because it looked fabulous. For an entree I chose the capellini pasta in a meat sauce, and my date had chicken penne in the house red mussel sauce. The portions there are huge, so be prepared to take extras home.
The cool thing about Angela's is that you can mix and match a lot of the menu items, which is daunting, but fun. There are about five different sauces that you can choose from, including their signature savory red mussel tomato sauce which buttery white wine mussel sauce. Another dish I considered was the pasta puttanesca. Literally "whore's pasta" in Italian, this dish typically has a flavorful sauce which includes capers, tomatoes, garlic, black olives, onions and oregano. Maybe it's just my casual caffeine addiction, but coffee after a good Italian meal in my opinion is a must. Angela's has a decent brew to offer, and my date even braved the espresso.
Overall, my date night wasn't the disastrous scene from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" that I half expected myself to recreate, and I actually had a lot of fun. The food at Angela's is authentic and tasty, and I'd definitely recommend it as a great place to have your parents or a gentleman caller take you.
Contact reporter Caroline Croasdaile at caroline.croasdaile@richmond.edu.
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