I need to preface
this review, by telling you that
Visconti’s Ristorante was the first restaurant I visited when
I first moved to Folsom five years ago. I’ve pretty much tasted
all the cuisines available in Folsom now, and I still have a huge
place in my heart and stomach for Visconti’s Ristorante. Being the
first restaurant I patronized in Folsom, Visconti’s Ristorante
gave me a great insight as to the friendly atmosphere that many of
the “professional” restaurateurs in the area want to create.
Visconti’s is in the strip mall across the street from the DMV at
322 East Bidwell. The outside of the center is pretty dated, but
once inside the atmosphere is purely Italian.
Visconti’s has a huge menu of pastas, chicken, veal, seafood and
vegetarian dishes. I could go on and one about the Parmigiana, but
based on my last Italian restaurant review, I don’t want you to
think that is all I ever eat, but both the veal and the eggplant
are both excellent. My favorite dish at Visconti’s Ristorante is
the Veal Visconti, which is veal folded with ham, mushrooms, white
sauce, marinara sauce then baked with lots of mozzarella cheese on
top. My most common order though is the steamed mussels in white
wine sauce. This is an item listed in the appetizer section but
judging from my many visits, an often order item for dinner. I
usually get one of their terrific dinner salads and have the
mussels with lots of the great bread to dip into the white wine
sauce.
All the meals are served with soup or salad and come with
wonderful fresh hot bread. Visconti’s Ristorante has pretty much
any type of pasta that you would want, with a great variety of
sauces including marinara, meat, Alfredo and white wine.
Visconti’s also make wonderful pizza as well. But be prepared when
you pick it up, that is one heavy pizza, not one of those wimpy
chain pizzas. The homemade dough and very generous toppings make
my list of one of the two best pizzas in Folsom.
The Visconti Family atmosphere is not just in the magnificent
smells and Italian pictures on the walls. It includes the Visconti
family’s table towards the back of the room, where you will often
find Mama Visconti giving directions or visiting with staff. The
atmosphere is also in the nightly walks of Mr. Visconti as he
strolls from table to table visiting with his guests and shaking
everyone’s hands. Even on busy weekends, he takes the time to
visit with the guests and often his wife will leave her seat at
the family table and supervise its’ reset for a large unexpected
crowd. Now that is atmosphere. I love dining in Folsom.
Style of food:
Italian
2-person dinner incl. wine: $ 38.00
Overall rating (out of 5): 4.5
Review By
Randy Aspinall
