After hearing and reading about Daniel's my husband and I decided to dine there last night (Fuquay Varina).
If you are not looking for this restaurant, you'll pass it. It is set back from the road and not well lit.
There is a bar just beyond the front door which is not at all inviting. I'm sure that is why it was empty. The dining area is divided by a half wall. One side has booth seating and the other has tables and chairs. The atmosphere is busy and noisy like a cafeteria.
The wait staff is friendly and accommodating. That is as good as it gets.
We were presented with a 3 page wine list. However, when I ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio I was not offered a choice of labels. I was served a glass of inferior white wine.
After hearing the "specials" recited by our waiter, I decided to try the Italian Wedding Soup for an appetizer. It looked very nice with fresh spinach leaves and 3 "meat" patties. Unfortunately, it tasted like warm water mixed with a jar of oregano. Progresso is far better!
My husband had the Baked Sausage and Peppers. The sausage was pretty good. The sauce was very acidic and tasted like it came out of a can.
I tried another "special"; Pumpkin Ravioli. There were 5 or 6 large ravioli with a very tasty pumpkin filling. Unfortunately, they were drowned in a huge bowl of cream sauce with cranberries and walnuts. Way too much of a good thing! I had to hunt for the ravioli then scrape off the sauce. A small drizzle of the cream sauce would suffice. Or serve it on the side.
Midway through the meal our waiter brought a small plate of mass produced bread (I've seen it at Sam's). No butter, no olive oil, just a small bowl of that same tomato sauce for dipping.
We will continue to wait for a good restaurant to come to Fuquay Varina.
Until then, Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill will satisfy our Italian food cravings.
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