ZAGATSURVEY

January 2004
NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT

IL LOCALINO

THERE ARE PLENTY OF RESTAURANTS that offer a cozy atmosphere and make you feel at home, but very few places truly welcome you with open arms and make you feel like family. A visit to Il Localino, the little Inman Park trattoria, is like a holiday meal at a favorite aunt's house-loud, overwrought and accompanied by plenty of hugs and huge platters of homestyle cooking. Il Localino dishes up simple but flavorful fare, with an emphasis on excess-monster antipasto trays, big bowls of ravioli and giant dishes of seafood and meats. The tendency to overdo extends to the wild thrift store/bordello decor, the freely poured Chianti and the wild carryings on in the dining room; it is not uncommon for a waiter named Enrique to pull out his trombone and offer a serenade or lead tables in singing, while the wait staff pass out wildly obnoxious party hats to diners. "People call and ask, 'What time does the show start?' but we don't have a show," says hostess Melinda. "We just offer a comfortable place for people to relax. I tell them, 'You are the show.' We just give them an environment that they can play in." -R.B

467 N. Highland Ave.,
(404) 222-0650
[Open seven nights a week.
Reservations available
for groups of five or more.
Private party room available.]

ATL Magazine

As hectic as my business life can get, one thing I learned early in the game is that family comes first. Nothing is ever as important as to take priority over the people who have unconditionally loved & supported you, which is why I take a certain pride in writing this review. And while the folks behind one of Atlanta's greatest restaurants may not technically be relatives, they most definitely are family.

The Trattoria II Localino is an unassuming restaurant, located in Inman Park & run by a wonderful Italian family. On any given night you will find a husband & wife team, along w/a sister, a daughter & wide array of extended family enjoying a great meal & putting on the best show. And they will actually be enjoying it w/you. I'm talking about sitting down to chat, bringing you food you did not order but will love, dancing...

Hang on. I'm getting ahead of myself. This is an unassuming restaurant after all, right? It is only unassuming if you stop by for a visit before it all starts. The walls are lined w/pictures of some of the more famous people to partake in a meal at It Localino, as well as not so famous people who enjoyed a special night.

Last month my mother was in from out of town & I took her to It Localino. We 'barely talked, but shared one of the best meals we have ever had. A glimpse into our evening would see us tearing into King Crab legs flown in that morning, white we were laughing at each other. I was wearing a neon green derby, my mom in a straw cowboy hat. On a chair right next to us was a gentleman laying a trombone & wearing a 'For Sale' sign. More food came, this time me anti-pasta & bread- always hot, fresh bread w/the best garlic butter ever. Over the speakers comes "Dancing Queen," while a light/smoke/bubble achine keeps pace. More food. This time the entrees. I turn to see how my om is enjoying her meal & she is Salsa dancing w/yet another gentleman.

To go a little deeper into the food (I think Gale would kill me if we didn't) it is of the highest quality. Everything is 5 star & would stand up to just about any restaurant in town. Everything is flown in fresh for that night & is more than just Italian. Tender steaks, seafood like you've never had & a massive wine list, all go towards matching any taste.

What makes the people whose pictures hang on the wall, as well as anybody who goes to Il Localino, have such an exquisite night is not only a matter of the food being great. It is something that can not be described. It can only be experienced.

-chad david shearer