Sunday, July 8, 2012

Oggi Italia Cafe ~ North Richland Hills, Texas ***CLOSED***

Last visit: Jul 2012

First visit: Sometime in 2003

Ugh. Closed. This was our favorite neighborhood spot for Italian.

Also note that the old Dal Italia is now Oggi Italia. New owner, but same cooks, recipes and menu. They changed the look and feel of the restaurant (for the better), but otherwise the below review still applies.

North Richland Hills is NE Tarrant County's largest and most diverse suburb. Stretching from the working class areas near Haltom City to the south, through the ostensibly middle class of Hurst and onto the McMansions of Colleyville and Keller that make its northern border. There is no similar theme that runs through NRH, nor do they sport an authentic, or even made-up, old town (though I suspect the area where the Cottonbelt BBQ stands will one day be just that, and with any luck at all, a stop on the proposed railway from DFW airport to Ft. Worth). The utmost northern reaches of NRH is where you'll find Oggi Italia Cafe, sitting quietly in a new, but small strip mall, overlooked by the gargantuan Super Wal-Mart and Super Target (yes, regrettably, they built them back to back).
 
Me and Mrs. RJG frequent Oggi Italia Cafe often, probably more than any other local Italian haunt. Some of this has to do with convenience, but more than that, Oggi Italia Cafe is a consistently good place to get Regular Joe style EYE-talian food. Oggi Italia Cafe is not the first restaurant owned by the couple (who names I've forgotten - and they have since sold this restaurant as well), and they once owned the Cafe Sicilia restaurant in Bedford. Oggi Italia Cafe are clearly an offshoot of the Moni's empire, right down to the similar menus and tomato based vinaigrette salad dressing. While there are no surprises at Oggi Italia Cafe, we've found it to be one of the more consistent of this particular breed of Italian restaurant. After sampling a variety of their dishes, I personally feel they excel at baked dishes. The food is uniformly hot, the ingredients fresh and the taste excellent. Service can be inconsistent, though there is at least one waitress there who is always prompt and friendly. Also recommended is their pizza, which is a NY style thin crust. It's fold down the middle style, with gooey cheese and a tasty sauce.

4/13/08 (new entry); 7/8/12

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