Dino's Ristorante Italiano

Came in for dinner last night with high hopes but left disappointed. We started with the Zucchini Flowers stuffed with cheese for an app, which was one of their specials for the night. In my experience, these are typically very light and delicate, but they came out heavily battered and doughy. Nonetheless, it was one of the better things we ate here. For drinks, we got an orange cosmopolitan and a strawberry banana martini, both were pretty good, not too sweet or too boozy. I decided to give the shrimp a chance for my entree despite some older unfavorable reviews and ordered the Shrimp Palermo which includes tortellini and broccoli in an alfredo sauce. The shrimp were a little tough, possibly frozen or just overcooked. The broccoli was great, and the tortellini were decent, but the sauce was way too thin and watery for my liking. My date got the Veal Saltimbocca with spaghetti, which was served in a red sauce that was also very thin. The veal itself was pretty average. The portions were generous, but both dishes were lacking in flavor and presentation. Service was a little slow despite the place being relatively empty on a Wednesday night. Not sure I’d be back again soon.

My parents had their first date here back in 1970 and it's been a family staple for celebrations. Our last visit was for graduation for our middle child from WPI, and none of us left disappointed or hungry. The pizza was phenomenal. I had the baked gnocchi and it was also amazing. Like I said, no one was hungry or disappointed. Outrageous portions, wonderful classic atmosphere and beyond kind and attentive service.

Alicia is the best waitress!! I am gluten free and she made sure that my meal was perfect . She made our experience so pleasant. She answered all of our questions and made sure our meal was perfect. She was so attentive. I highly recommend Dino’s and if you’re lucky, you’ll get Alicia as your server.