Jump to Overall Rating for Angelina’s
What’s more exciting than a new restaurant opening in the Roc? For this Roulette we visited Angelina’s on South. The folks who owned Orbs opened up this cool new spot and after a few weeks acquired the incredible chef from Carnegie Cellar, Steven Lara. So, if you went more than say three weeks ago, it’s way different today. Like many of the nicer places in town, Angelina’s has seasonal menus, and this was from the summer menu. This Roulette was on the smaller side with four veteran Rouletters.
We kicked it off with the second highest rated dish of the night, the SUMMER FRITTO, summer squash, wild herb remoulade, lemon. Most of our Rouletters found these to be a delightfully crispy treat with a satisfyingly light crunch. They were nicely seasoned and reminiscent of tempura, but not oily or heavy. One Rouletter counted this as a top dish of the visit. While the fritto was tasty and creative, the remoulade tasted like many of the aioli’s in town: nice, but not too memorable. ⭐️ 4.5 ⭐️
The second lowest rated dish of the night and the Parisian Paradox was the ARANCINI CACIO É PEPE, smoked mozzarella, pecorino, cracked pepper. Some Rouletters found these to be flavorful, crispy, and perfectly seasoned. What struck them about this dish was that it was fully realized without needing any red sauce to accompany it. We’re always looking for a dipping sauce that add dimension to arancini. The dimension was all there! The fact that this simple flavor combination was so scrumptious speaks to the quality of ingredients and the perfect balance of pepper and pecorino romano. Indeed, this may be the best cacio é pepe in the Roc at the moment. We said what we said. One Rouletter had this down as a top dish of the night. Other Rouletters were less excited by the arancini finding them to be too heavy. ⭐️ 4.0 ⭐️
Next up was the FOCACCIA, whipped ricotta, summer tomato, torn herbs, Calabrian honey. This was amazing focaccia. It had a satisfying crisp to it – you don’t always find that with foccacia. And it was brushed with the perfect amount of honey to give a hint of sweetness to the bread. The olive oil on the plate soaked just enough into the bottom of the focaccia for an additional satisfying surprise. The delicious ricotta and bright, flavorful summer tomatoes were the perfect accompaniment. ⭐️ 4.4 ⭐️
We followed that up with the PANZANELLA SALAD, heirloom tomato, cucumber, onion, green goddess, crouton. Rouletters kept going back for more of this perfect fresh summer salad. The veggies were fresh and the delectable green goddess dressing was substantial enough to pair well with the onions and outstanding crunchy bread. One Rouletter had this down as one of their top dishes. The only note we have was that the salad was a bit overdressed. ⭐️ 4.1 ⭐️
The top dish of the night was the LINGUINE, zucchini, crispy sage, whipped feta, Aleppo pepper, pecorino, coastal lemon. Incredible. The balance of olive oil and lemon was perfect. Every bite was rich and mouth-filling enough to truly satisfy. Two Rouletters had this as a top dish of the night. An impeccably crafted palate-pleasing pasta. ⭐️ 4.8 ⭐️
We had to finish up the mains with the CHICKEN CUTLET, crispy chicken breast, herbed ranch, local greens, pecorino. This was light and crispy without being oily – fantastic! It was also seasoned and fried perfectly: they salted the chicken!! They seasoned the breading!! The salad accompaniment was lightly dressed and nicely seasoned. One Rouletter had this listed as a top dish of the night. We’d say it’s worthy of placement in the royal court of Roc’s cutlet kingdom – and that’s about as high a complement you can give. ⭐️ 4.1 ⭐️
The lowest rated dish of the night was the LEMON OLIVE OIL CAKE, berry compote, Chantilly cream. Some Roultters found it a bit dry and others wanted it to be more lemony. All Agreed that the compote was nice and the Chantilly cream was delightful. The sum of the parts of this dessert made this a lovely way to end our meal. ⭐️ 3.8 ⭐️
Turning to the drinks, Angelina’s had an amazing cocktail special that should absolutely be on the regular house menu: MANGO UNCHAINED: rum, mango, guava, house grenadine, and lime. Three out of four Rouletters had this one and found it phenomenal. It was summer in a glass. The fourth Rouletter had one of the house cocktails with ginger and loved it (we forgot to grab a pic of the menu – will update when I head back there this week). They also had a nice wine list and let us taste before deciding – very nice touch.
The beer list wasn’t bad, but yo know how the Croupier feels about not having anything on draft: sad and disappointed. It doesn’t have to be an extensive draft selection. Might we recommend Peroni as the food slants Italian? Pop that on draft along with a local IPA and 90% of Roc beer drinkers will probably be happy. ⭐️ 4.8 ⭐️
The service was phenomenal: friendly, informative, and helpful. Our server made us feel right at home: she spent time talking to us about the restaurant, the dishes, and the drink options. She specifically mentioned the selection of non-alcoholic drinks, which is a thoughtful touch. Plus, she coursed the food out well, which is essential for a great experience. ⭐️ 4.9 ⭐️
Overall, we loved it! In fact, it is tied with Nosh for the highest ranking a restaurant has ever gotten on a Roulette. The ambiance was terrific: casual but elevated – no one would believe that this used to be Beale Street. Bonus points for the all gender restrooms. We were blown away by the combination of the service, food, and cocktails. Actually, multiple Rouletters used the words “blown away.” The whole team BRINGS IT. Honestly, if you haven’t been in since Chef Lara started running the kitchen, go soon before reservations are hard to get. ⭐️ 4.8 ⭐️