Dining Like the Godfather at Italianni's in Centrio

My posts on Centrio Mall restaurants continues. I've been to Cagayan de Oro's fanciest new mall a lot lately; so expect more of my thoughts on the restaurants found in that mall. The second of what I expect to be a multi-part series is the Italian-American chain restaurant Italianni's.

Italianni's is known for its large servings as well as the quality of their Italian-American menu. A regular serving is large enough to be shared by two but and can be pricey as well. A regular sized main course item could range from 450 to 795 pesos. There is a lunch-sized option though, so one need not break the bank to dine in Italianni's.

The reason I was able to eat at Italianni's despite my budget or lack of it, was that my dad wanted to try his new Premiere card which gave him 30% off the food bill if used on a Monday. So that was how my folks and I went on an Italian food trip.

Starters

One could not expect to have the full Italian dining experience without some starters like soup or salad; so we ordered Minestrone for soup and Insalata Rucola for salad. We also had a coupon for an additional starter and had Mussels Lombardi. The romaine and arugula lettuce salad and tomato soup were as good as expected. This wasn't the first time I've had Italianni's; I've been here before but still, the mussels were a pleasant surprise. I'm not sure if mussels were in season but it was one of better mussel dishes I've had.

The mussels were a pleasant surprise;
with rice they could be a meal by themselves.

Main Course

We all ordered three separate main dishes. I had the Spaghetti and Meatball, my mom ordered Roast Pork Ribs - Italian Style and dad had his Flatbread. Actually, it was mom who ordered the flatbread and dad wanted it instead so they switched. 

The flatbread with arugula. Not quite pizza but very close.

The flatbread was like pizza, only that it had a thinner and crisper crust, almost like cracker bread. The ribs were tasty but I had a lot of fun with my pasta. This was what I imagine dining Italian style was, a plate of al dente pasta and one huge meatball.

The winner! I just love their pasta
and this Spaghetti and Meatball was no exception.

We went into Italianni's looking to try the best Italian-American cuisine in the city and we came out satisfied and stuffed. It was expected since it was a six-course meal. The course we didn't had in there was dessert, which is another post for another time.

Inside, with vintage photos
celebrating Italian-American culture.

The salad was as good as expected.

The pork ribs looked good but I wasn't in a rice-eating mood.

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