What would order at an Italian restaurant?

[Georgepigismylife]

It's not a cuisine I'd choose as I'm not keen on pizza or pasta.

What dish would you recommend?

My local Italian does an amazing rack of lamb. They also do an amazing fillet of beef with brandy and cream

Most Italian restaurants also have good fish dishes.

There is so much more to Italian food than pasta and pizza, and even they are totally different in a proper Italian place.

An old Italian restaurant I used to go to before it closed down. Used to do the most amazing savoury pancakes filled with chicken and mushrooms and covered in a creamy sauce topped with Parmesan cheese. No idea if it was an Italian dish or not but they were absolutely flipping amazing!!

Arancini or assorted antipasto for a starter.

Risotto or fish if I wanted to avoid pasta (but I never want to avoid pasta).

Afrogato or tiramisu.

I'd have some sort of chicken with a beautiful sauce and vegetables or salad.
But if not -
Arancini.
Risotto.
Gnocchi.
There is so much more to Italian food than pizza or pasta.

If it's a proper Italian restaurant, rather than a 'pizza pasta' place, there will be loads of choice that's not pizza or pasta.

Fish is usually very good and if there's calamari on the menu, I nearly always have that, likewise something like king prawns in garlic sauce, with nice bread to mop up the sauce. These are often both starters or you can often get the calamari as a main, but it depends how hungry I am as to what I get.

There's also often arancini, salads, lots of different grilled meats or fish with different types of potatoes and vegetables or salad.

Have a look at the menu online to see what they have.

Maybe a beef stroganoff?
Scallops, bruscetta, Nice fish with mash and veg?

If it is a proper Italian restaurant they should have a decent selection of meat and fish dishes that involve neither pizza nor pasta. Unfortunately a lot of "Italian" restaurants are nothing of the sort and we tend to avoid them like the plague. We have a good one next door to our house, run by two Sicilian gents and they do really good food, but it's a real rarity.

Chicken parmigiana - it's chicken coated in Parmesan and breadcrumbs topped with a layer of tomato sauce and mozzarella, delicious.

I've cut out the pizza & pasta section...

Well there is plenty of choice… what do you fancy from that menu?

From there I would have Lobster Ravioli and a green salad

I'd go for the fish skewers. That menu looks lovely and no need to have pizza or pasta if that's not your thing.

Mushroom risotto

On a menu of that length I'd be hoping they had a daily specials board. I would imagine that nothing else will be freshly cooked - can't be, with that many choices. Our local Italian used to have a huge menu like that plus about 2 daily specials which were the good stuff.

Or the chicken and chorizo risotto

Mushroom risotto (risotto funghi)
It may be boring to some but it’s probably in my top 3 meals of all time if done well - absolutely gorgeous!

What are the starters like? Could you have two or three of them instead?
The Italian restaurant I used to go to when the DDs were young did beautiful Parma ham with melon, chicken in rosemary sauce, calamari with lemon, a platter of charcuterie with olives, ciabatta bread and a variety of good salads - certainly enough to make up a full meal.

From the menu I would have the Pollo Caprese (if avoiding pizza and pasta) and a rocket and parmesan side salad if they do it

Starter is always Arancini!

And a few glasses of white wine.

I'd probably have a risotto.
Not sure how you can not like ALL pasta though.

Those of you suggesting stroganoff---What region of Italy do you think that dish is from???

If a decent Italian then I would have Calamari. Delicious if done well.

Not risotto as a main, so boring to chomp through.

If they do those courgette sticks deep fried in batter that would be my starter.

Then some sort of chilli seafood pasta especially if there are mussels, chillis and squid involved .

Am easy on pudding. Will choose later.

Campari soda to drink if it’s lunchtime.

Saw this thread title and had a yearning for ossobuco ...

@viques

Not risotto as a main, so boring to chomp through.

If they do those courgette sticks deep fried in batter that would be my starter.

Then some sort of chilli seafood pasta especially if there are mussels, chillis and squid involved .

Am easy on pudding. Will choose later.

Campari soda to drink if it’s lunchtime.

You're going to the wrong places if you're getting boring risottos

intermittentparps ( great name, I have the same issue.)

I like risotto, as a starter, but I find as a main it is too much of the same texture and taste however delicious, I like differentiation in each mouthful!