Chow Time: Angelo's & Vinci's

I know our last wacky tacky culinary adventure left you perfecting your pasta twirling technique and it may seem a bit redundant to feature another Italian restaurant so soon.  Nevertheless, we are certified, spaghetti fiends and we just couldn't stay away from one of our favorite Italian grub hubs, Angelo's & Vinci's.

Angelo's & Vinci's Ristorante - Fullerton, CA

Opened in 1972, Angelo's & Vinci's is a wacky tacky masterpiece.  Located on bustling Harbor Boulevard in historic, downtown Fullerton, even the entry to this mecca of manicotti is festooned with with all things wild and wonderful from the old world. 

A detail of Angelo's & Vinci's front door

Miniature suits of armor stand sentry

I have no idea what activity is being depicted in the figure on the left, 

but I don't think the cherub approves.

We're serving dessert first in this addition of chow time and showing one of the best parts of the restaurant immediately.  Angelo's & Vinci's has a basement (trust me this is pretty unusual and exciting in Southern California)!  Lurking in said basement is a collection of aberrations so peculiar, so dangerous, so horrible that they must be locked in cages. 

Spooky!

Demented clowns and caged monsters are not really the scariest part of the basement;

the scariest part is the smell - sort of old refrigerator meets moldy carpet. 

Frankenstein's monster & dismembered bodies

Gorillas & Vampires - Dracula, you don't have to put on the red light!

The best part of the basement is the fact that the space is dedicated to such a silly exploit.  Our favorite A&V pastime is to lead the uninitiated down to the basement and hide around the corner so we can jump out and scare them.  Juvenile?  Uh-huh.

As frightening as the basement might be, the centerpiece to the entire restaurant is the main dining room known as the Piazza Fantasia.

The Piazza Fantasia

The Piazza Fantasia really is a fantasy of color, light, soaring ceilings and a truly-wonderful assemblage of junk!  Aerialists and acrobats swing from the ceiling.  Cured meats, pirates, Santa Claus, Italian poster art, The Phantom of the Opera and twinkle lights are only small parts of the larger wacky tacky equation.  There is so much visual stimulation that I see something new every time we go.

Dinner guests enjoying the atmosphere

Sometimes it is difficult to tell which part of the building is the scariest.  

I'm not so sure the basement would win.

Just one small corner of the room includes street lamps, puppets, a pirate and Pinocchio!

A wall of faux food helps recreate the atmosphere
of food stalls in an old Italian Piazza

Taking a page out of The Godfather, "The Family" is given a place of honor.

Speaking of family, the place is usually packed with hungry families.  Moreover, there is almost always a wedding reception being held; there are multiple banquet areas and the absence of a private party or wedding reception is an exception to the rule.  The first time I saw that people were hosting their reception at Angelo's & Vinci's, it seemed to me rather odd.  The regularity with which these celebrations are held there has me questioning my initial judgment.  Apparently, A&V's knows how to throw a party and the revelers seem to leave the festivities happy and full.

What does it all mean?

I'm not sure if we mentioned, but the food at Angelo's & Vinci's is pretty good too.  Their Italian dressing is amazing and every meal is served with delicious homemade rolls.  Pasta can be eaten many places but why not eat it in the under a tightrope walker?  Why not masticate your mostaccioli with monsters?  Why not slurp spaghetti where Santa Claus can see that you're being nice this year?  Why not go to Angelo's & Vinci's?  You'll be glad you did!

Angelo's and Vinci's Ristorante
550 North Harbor Blvd.
Fullerton, CA
(714)879-4022

Hours of Operation
Sunday-Thursday: 11am-9pm
Friday & Saturday: 11am-10pm

www.angelosandvincis.com


Cheers and Ciao!

Mr. Tiny

Chow Time: Vince's Spaghetti

Vince's Spaghetti - the Original (est. 1945)
(photo by Bea White)

Where have all of the spaghetti joints gone?  In a world (or region, at least) overrun with Italian restaurants, why is it so hard to find an inexpensive, hearty spaghetti dinner.  Maybe spaghetti is too pedestrian.  Maybe most people feel they can make better spaghetti at home.  Maybe spaghetti can't find a home in one of the three categories which contemporary Italian restaurants seem to fall: pizza delivery, mediocre chain restaurant and hoity-toity trattoria.  There is a time and a place for each of these but I'm-a  hungry for-a spaghetti right-a now-a!  At Vince's Spaghetti in Ontario, CA, the namesake dish is inexpensive and hearty and is being twirled at the rate of 15,000 miles a year.

Vince's opening day 1945
photo by (Bea White)

Vince's started as a sandwich stand in 1945.  Spaghetti wasn't even on the radar until it fortuitously became a menu item and subsequently became the star of the show.  You will not find lasagna, fettucine alfredo, chicken cacciatore or many of the other items that you are likely to find on a standard-issue Italian-American menu.  In fact, the menu options are limited to noodle choice: spaghetti or mostaccioli and choice of sauce: marinara or meat.  Most dinners come with soup, bread and a green salad.  When I say "green salad," I mean green; while it was just a bowl of lettuce, it was surprisingly satisfying.  Diners can still order the original french dip or meatball sandwich.  The biggest surprise on the menu was that every item could be ordered with a "bowl of cheese."  The least surprising thing was that "bowl of cheese" was not a creative menu name it was a bowl of shredded provolone cheese.  In performing a quick scan of the surrounding tables I noticed that every table opted for the bowl of cheese.  We even saw people sprinkle it with grated parmesan; leave it to American diners to cheese their cheese!

The menu
(photo by Bea White)

Missing thought bubble - "Oh, boy, oh boy, oh boy,
oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...SPAGHETTI!"
(photo by Bea White)

(photo by Bea White)

The dining room screams 50's spaghetti or at least "ciao!"
(photos by Bea White)

(photos by Bea White)

Vince's Bella Notte
(photo by Bea White)

Don't go to Vince's looking for fine dining, premiere service, romantic lighting or pasta primavera.   In fact, don't go unless you want spaghetti.  It seems like this would go without saying, but Mary had a particularly difficult time deciding what to order.  Her indecision upset our waitress who looked (and acted) like she had been slinging spaghetti for at least 40 years.  Go to Vince's when you want a spaghetti dinner that sticks to your ribs!

(photo by Bea White)

I know the obvious choice of video would be the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp, but my favorite spaghetti scene is from I Love Lucy.  No matter how many times I see this episode I still laugh.  Although it has been edited out of this clip, I can't explain the joy I get every time Lucy orders her spaghetti with extra meat sauce - what a woman!

She doesn't start eating spaghetti until about 6:14 but it is worth the wait!

The Original Vince's Spaghetti
1206 West Holt Blvd.
Ontario, CA
(909)986-7074

vincesspaghettirestaurant.com


Cheers & Buon Appetito!

Mr. Tiny