Dining a la Carteret
Everyday Italian
by
Sherley Buckland
If
you are a working parent like me, the last two things you want to think about
are “What’s for dinner?” and “I need to go to the grocery store.”
When
I get home from work, I just want to be with my family.
Feeding our families is a necessity, and nothing excites me more than
when someone else does the cooking.
I
discovered a new restaurant in downtown
Not
only are the selections large, so are the portions.
The entire family can enjoy a meal at Everyday Italian, with delicious
food, a friendly atmosphere, affordable prices and a children’s menu—there
is something for everyone.
During
my visit I saw many tempting entrees and pizzas leave the kitchen.
I also learned the difference between stromboli and calzone.
Calzones
are made with a thick pizza crust that is folded over the contents once,
creating a half moon shape. Stuffing
choices for the calzones are similar to those of the stromboli.
The house calzone at Everyday Italian contains pepperoni, Italian
sausage, mushrooms, and ricotta and mozzarella cheese.
Both
calzones and stromboli are brushed with garlic butter and served with tomato
sauce for dipping.
To
my good fortune, the owners’ wife made some wonderful suggestions for our
review. Everything at Everyday
Italian is cooked to order, and made from the freshest ingredients possible.
The
bruchetta appetizer is fresh-diced tomato, spices and olive oil, served over
toasted garlic bread and topped with parmesan and melted mozzarella cheese.
With
six large slices per order, the bruchetta at Everyday Italian is enough for a
meal, and with each bite, you can taste the freshness and love that goes into
every dish.
Following
the bruchetta was the chicken cacciatore.
Marinated chicken is grilled over wood chips, and then blended with
sautéed mushrooms, onion, red and green peppers and fresh diced garlic,
folded into the wine marinara sauce and served over ziti pasta.
The
wonderful flavors of the red and green peppers blend beautifully with the
chicken and pasta. The wine
marinara sauce is robust in flavor with just a hint of “sweet” on the
finish. The pasta is cooked to
perfection.
I
am so glad Angela suggested this entrée; it is wonderful.
I will admit that I was a tad bit skeptical going in.
Having
an Italian grandmother, I am quite familiar with good Italian cooking.
Much to my delight, my skepticism left after the first bite.
I even asked owner/head cook, Ehab Ghareeb, what his secret was. He
would not share recipes, but he did share his love of cooking, commitment to
using the freshest ingredients, and desire to please his customers, as well as
his desire to be a part of the charming community of 
“All
the food here is fresh. Nothing is
‘pre-prepared’, everything is created the moment the customer orders,”
Mr. Ghareeb stated.
Mr.
Ghareeb has two partners at Everyday Italian, Mohamed Abraham, and Mohamed
Ali.
Both
share his sense of community and commitment to providing the best Italian food
possible. All three met in the
All
agreed they wanted to open a restaurant near the coast, preferably in a
community that did not have an existing Italian restaurant.
They feel blessed to have found
Mr.
Ali prepares all the pizzas, calzones and strombolis.
His mother is Italian, and he grew up working in his family’s
restaurant.
Mr.
Abraham operates the grill and makes most of the deliveries.
Yes, they deliver to businesses in
The
next time you are thinking, “What’s for dinner?” consider Everyday
Italian.
Mr.
Ghareeb and his partners would like one chance for everyone to try them, and
believe me, you will be glad you did.
Quick
Bites
Location:
Hours: Sunday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to
10 p.m., and Friday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Reservations: Not required.
Payment options: Cash, MasterCard and Visa.
(Sherley Buckland photos)
7/07/06
See the previously reviewed restaurants on the Restaurant Archive page
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