Portland Metro Area - Nonna Emilia's in Aloha

http://nonnaemilia.com/take-out-menu

Nonna Emilia is one of my favorite restaurants. I don't think of it as a restaurant in the traditional sense, because we mainly use it for take-out pizza. However, Steve and Jen recently came to check out the area, and we wanted a place to visit and good food while we did it.

I guess the first thing we can see is that I should have used my flash, but I try not to be an obnoxious photographer, and that felt like it would have been obnoxious. There were candles on the tables for mood, and we were all able to see each other fine.

The ambiance is good. I tend to see more family dinners and friendly gatherings than dates. If you are the kind of person who does not like eating heartily on a date, this would not be a good place, because they give you a lot of food.

Most orders include antipasto and a choice of soup or salad. In addition there is the bread, and the bread is really good. That's before you even get to your entree.

This was from a previous visit, so I don't have photographic proof, but I cannot overstate the size of the calzone. I got three meals from the leftovers that time. While you might not look at the menu and think that the prices are really inexpensive (there are a lot of meals in the $13-$17 range), if you consider the value of the leftovers those deals are pretty good.

That night there was one order of spaghetti carbonara, two of gnocchi (in butter instead of read sauce) and two of lasagna.

The food is good. One thing you might want to consider is taking advantage of their lunch buffet if you would like to get an idea of the food without committing to any one dish. My favorite will still always be the pizza.

I know some people have found the crust to be too much. Their crust is very thick, and I guess you would say it is more break-like. I don't hate thin crust, but this is so good. And it is good in a different way then the bread, which is also so good. They are good bakers.

But there is something more too, in that they have the best Italian sausage. Usually based on the manner in which it is made, there is a grainy texture to the inside of sausage, which is fine, but they have something else going on here. It is layered, but in a smoother, more refined way, and it is excellent. That's why regardless of what I am choosing from the menu, I am always looking for sausage, but I should also mention that the calzone had an excellent cheese blend.

(Their tomato sauces do tend a little more toward the acidic side, so if that is an issue for you, consider the alfredo instead.)

I remember once someone making fun of Aloha, and so they made this quiz, and one of the questions was "What restaurant is Aloha famous for?" and the answer was the McDonalds'. Well, that McDonald's was a major high school hangout and I worked there, so nothing against that, but we have some great restaurants in Aloha where you can get good food at a reasonable price, and most of them have a history where they have been around for a long time.

Nonna Emilia's has been here since 1978, the same year we moved here, so it's a part of my history, and my favorite.

Good food here.