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Tomatoes Authentic Italian Ristorante is located in Trolley Crossing on Trolley Road in Summerville, SC. It is a wonderful Resturant to enjoy an Italian Family Dinner. It is owned by a transplanted Yankee from New York, and they serve true Italian Food unlike any other Restaurant that I have found in the Charleston area. The dishes served at Tomatoes Italian Ristorante are all made by hand from recipes handed down from the owner's Grandmother.

Tomatoes Italian Ristorante has a wonderful atmosphere that is elegant and tastefully decorated like an Italian Bistro. There is also a small Bar where you can enjoy a before dinner cocktail or an after dinner drink. Another nice touch is the open kitchen which is in full view from the dining area where you can see the cooks work busily to prepare your meal. The food is prepared and served without a long wait, and the wait staff are friendly and professional.

When I visited Tomatoes Italian Ristorante, I ordered the Chicken Parmesan. It came with a choice of mashed potatoes or Pasta and a side Garden Salad or small Caesar Salad. I went with the traditional side of Pasta and the Garden Salad with Italian Dressing. I was surprised and pleased when I started eating my Salad because the Italian Dressing was actually traditional Italian, not the sweet Italian Dressing you get almost everywhere else in the South. Tomatoes Italian Dressing had a good vinegar bite to it the way Italian Dressing should. The Chicken Parmesan was huge! The Chicken was pounded thin and was about 8 inches in diameter and served over a bed of Linguini. The presentation was beautiful as you can see in the photo, and was smothered in Mozzarella Cheese. It was very tasty, and it reminded me of the Italian Food I came to know and love served in many Restaurants in Northern New Jersey.

Cheryl ordered the Sunday Dinner. Sunday Dinner is a traditional Italian Family Dinner meal. Most would call it Spaghetti and Meatballs, but a true Sunday Dinner is a Tomato Sauce, called Gravy, that is prepared by cooking it all day with Veal, Sausage, and Meatballs and then served with your favorite Pasta. Tomatoes Italian Ristorante Sunday Dinner was severed over Spaghetti and had Meatballs and Mild Italian Sausage in it. The Tomato Sauce on all of the dishes is very good and is reminiscent of northern New Jersey and New York City Italian fare.

Cheryl and I enjoyed our meals and the Italian Bistro ambiance. A noteworthy point to make here is that, although the Restaurant is a small venue with an open kitchen, the noise level in the Restaurant was remarkably low. If I had to complain about anything, it would be that the portions were too big, which makes Tomatoes Italian Ristorante a great place to take the Family and share meals like a true Italian Family Dinner should be. Cheryl and I could not finish our meals. I highly recommend Tomatoes Italian Ristorante for true Authentic Italian Food. Mangia!