My Experience with Toscano Italian Grill in Athens, Tennessee

While my family and I were in the process of moving to Athens, Tennessee, we had to spend a few nights in a hotel before our house was ready for us to occupy. On our second night in the Comfort Inn, we asked the hotel desk clerk about pizza delivery options. After suggesting nationally known brands he suggested that we try Toscano Italian Grill and gave us a menu.

We chose Toscano because it was a locally owned restaurant, and were delighted with our choice. The menu offered every kind of pizza that you can imagine, plus appetizers and other items. The phone was picked up on the second ring when I called to place our order.

About 45 minutes later a knock on our hotel room door announced the arrival of our pizza. It was hot, fresh and delicious. The delivery person from Toscano Italian Grill made sure to bring the plates, napkins and other items that we requested.

The minute I opened the box I could tell the pizza was made by someone who knows their stuff. The smell of this hand tossed pizza took me back to childhood with my Italian family. It was fantastic. The cheese pizza was as warm as you can expect with delivery. The tasty slices were even able to be folded. After our first bite we knew that we would soon be dining in at Toscano.

That finally happened a few nights ago. My family was in the mood for Italian food, so off to the Toscano Italian Grill we went. The address is 925 Decatur Pike in Athens, TN 37303. (It's easy to find. Look for it just a few doors down from Ingles Grocery in the same shopping center.) There is plenty of parking available. Chances are that you'll be able to find a convenient space right in front of the restaurant.

Take out, delivery, and a limited dining area are offered at this location. We opted to eat inside and were surprised at how small the place is. There seemed to be only about 8 tables. It was hard to tell for sure, though. A couple of parties occupied more than one table.

Toscano Italian Grill isn't a place for upscale ambiance. Don't expect violins or soft music. They offer Italian food in a very casual atmosphere. It's the type of place where you can meet with friends, share a pizza and catch up with each other.

A lot of the customers at Toscano Italian Grill order for takeout or delivery so we didn't have to wait for a table. All we had to do was pick one and have a seat. The server was with us in less than 30 seconds. She had our drinks out to us about a minute after that.

Several times lately I've been pleasantly surprised at the quality service offered in unexpected places. The service we received at Toscano Italian Grill rivals any of the fancier places that we've visited lately. Servers backed each other up, answered questions, suggested menu items and did a good job.

In addition to the classic items of calzone, pizza and stromboli, Toscano Italian Grill has a number of specialty dishes. These include hot subs, salads and other items. There were shrimp dishes, chicken salads, gyro salads, hot meatball subs and more.

At the server's suggestion we ordered the fried mushrooms. The order of 20 was steaming when it hit the table. They came in a paper lined plastic basket along with a package of Ken's Ranch Dressing. She also brought out a Styrofoam cup for us to put the dressing in.

I was equally pleased with my cheese calzone. Normally it comes with Parmesan, cheddar, provolone and ricotta cheeses. I asked them to add Italian sausage and spinach to the cheeses in the calzone. It was steaming when it arrived. Toscano Italian Grill uses only fresh ingredients, evidenced by the flavorful spinach in my calzone and the mushrooms in our appetizer. It was perfectly cooked and delicious; something I would definitely recommend to anyone!

Hubby ordered the Italian Penne. It came with ham, spinach, mushrooms and chicken over penne pasta. This was covered with a pink sauce that was made of mixed alfredo and marinara sauces. I tasted it and may just order the dish the next time we go to Toscano Italian Grill in Athens, TN.

Our daughter was delighted with her Regular Stromboli with pepperoni, mushrooms and Italian Sausage. It looked good. She said it tasted great but I personally wouldn't know. She wouldn't share any of it. The stromboli and calzone were each served with a side of marinara sauce.

Both of our experiences with Toscano Italian Grill were good. The service both times was good and the food was excellent. The ticket for the appetizer, 3 entrees and 2 drinks came to about $35 with tax and tip. The next time we want Italian food we are definitely going back to Toscano Italian Grill in Athens.