Restaurant Review #1

Some of you may know that I'm a closet foodie. As a public service, I bring to you Restaurant Review #1 of my life here on Blogger.

Restaurant: Vinny T's of Boston (formerly known as Vinny Testa's)
Address: 7 Boston Turnpike, Shrewsbury, MA
Website: www.vinnytsofboston.com
Rating: B

Vinny T's of Boston is a local restaurant chain with locations in Shrewsbury, Dedham, Brookline, Back Bay, Seekonk, Lexington, and Danvers. Last night I visited the Shrewsbury location because as anyone in central Mass can attest to, all of the best ethnic restaurants in central Mass are nestled in between route 9 strip malls. I've also dined at their Dedham, Seekonk, and Brookline eateries.

Vinny T's offers a basic red sauce assortment of favorites, including chicken parm, veal marsala, and ravioli. While Vinny T's wins no awards for originality, their food is remarkably consistent and not priced out of the stratosphere. Because Vinny T's believes that the secret to customer happiness involves giving them each a pound and a half of pasta in addition to their entree, it is not unreasonable for two people to split a meal, thus making Vinny T's an even better bargain.

As a former waitress I often scrutinize the service I receive when I dine. My waitress at Vinny T's passed all of my tests with flying colors: my water glass was promptly refilled, all four entress were brought out at once, and my left overs were boxed up in under 5 minutes.

Even though I had an overall very positive experience at Vinny T's, they got gigged on my grading system a bit because of the lack of originality in the menu. They are also a bit weak on seafood, which for a New England based chain is not acceptable. Vinny T's was recently acquired by the Bertucci's corporation, so I have to imagine a menu revamp is forthcoming.