Angelo’s Ristorante
Whether it’s when they’re stirring the sauce.
“We make it every morning.”
Or rolling out the meatballs, cutting fresh pasta and stretching creamy mozzarella.
“So I am just trying to stretch it and get all of the lumps out of it.”
There is one ingredient always used at Angelo’s and it’s love.
Located on Main Street in Stoneham, Angelo’s is a classic Italian spot you wish you had in your own hometown. And that’s because all of that authentic fare comes from time tested recipes made by Chef Angelo Caruso and his father Salvatore.
“My father’s here every single day. We make everything that we can. Chicken cutlets are made here. Meatballs are made here. Fresh mozzarella is made here fresh pastas made here. So anything that we can make. Working with my dad is great. I enjoy it. We sit down, we have an espresso and then our day starts. He always does all the cooking during the day. I do all the cooking at night that we keep him busy and we keep him young.”
And since travel to Italy is currently prohibited, Phantom put away his passport and picked up his fork in search of the PERFECT MEAL.
Appetizers at Angelo’s range from classic to creative.
There are tender lamb loin chops marinated with garlic and rosemary.
Succulent pan roasted shrimp with garlic, radicchio and lemon.
And of course that Italian mainstay, meatballs.
“We buy the meat and then we grind it ourselves. We add the parsley, the garlic the onion, Milk, mix it all together, add bread crumbs, and then we roll them by hand. So the meatballs are always in the sauce sitting in the sauce all day long. Nice soft. You get the nice meat with the sauce. It’s just something that everybody enjoys and people just like.”
And not only are the meatballs made by hand- the mozzarella is too.
“Our hometown in the Naples are is known for fresh mozzarella. We make fresh mozzarella daily. And it’s a process that I learned in Italy…Curd comes to us and then we use hot boiling water added to the curd has to be salted water, and then just form it the right way. We just keep stretching until it’s nice and smooth. When it’s nice and smooth and certain consistency, that’s when he added it to the cold water and shape it.”
And not a single ball of mozzarella is served without first being inspected by Salvatore.
“As soon as it’s done, he likes to eat a piece because it’s nice and warm and the milk comes down and it’s delicious.
“Nice soft juicy.”
“He’s my quality control.”
So THE must order app has to be the grilled prosciutto di parma stuffed with all of that melty mozzarella and served with roasted peppers, mixed greens and balsamic.
“When you grill it, you’re getting the little bit of salty and then you have the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, just altogether just great combination.”
Since the pastas are also made in house- you should plan on ordering a plate.
There’s fresh lobster sauted with porcini mushrooms and shallots and served over fettuccine. And Gnocchetti with spicy sausage and garlicky broccoli rabe in a white wine sauce. But an Italian restaurant is only as good as its Bolognese, and at Angelos it’s outstanding, served over lasagna.
“The Lasagna Bolognese. It’s got a layer of fresh ricotta with some meat sauce, another layer of pasta and then meat sauce on top and then we put a sauce on it with the mozzarella cheese baked in the oven. It’s nice melted. It all comes together. It’s delicious.”
The entree selection is ample with fresh seafood selections like Cioppino- overloaded with a little bit of everything.
“So you get a little bit of clams, a little bit of mussels, some scallops, some shrimp, some calamari, some baby octopus and lobster. If you like seafood, it’s a delicious dish to have.”
Other entrees include this beautiful sirloin topped with gorgonzola cheese and finished with roasted shallots. And this exquisite 20 ounce drenched long bone pork chop, pan roasted with vinegar peppers. But sometimes you just want a good ol’ chicken parm. And at Angelo’s they’ve got you covered.
“I think that once in a while everybody needs to have a chicken. It’s like, you know you can eat all the nice fancy food that you want but once in a while you just need back to that comfort. Like I just need a chicken parm.”
And you most certainly need a sweet before leaving, and at Angelo’s a cannoli is the way to go.
“Cannolis we make here. So it’s a original Sicilian dish. We got the recipe from a Sicilian old guy that we know and it’s just delicious.”
Grilled Prosciutto and Mozzarella,
Lasagna Bolognese,
Chicken Parm and a Cannoli make for the PERFECT MEAL at Angelo’s Restaurant.