The South Shore CVA's inaugural Savor the South Shore Restaurant Week comes to a close on Sunday, April 19, which means there is still time to enjoy some of the many amazing restaurants that are participating!
Throughout the past two weeks, I've been able to enjoy a couple of the different participating restaurants. Below is information on what you can expect if you're able to check out some of the delicious Savor the South Shore restaurants!
El Taco Real
935 Hoffman Street
Hammond, IN
El Taco Real's Savor the South Shore menu offers diners a really fabulous deal - an order of fresh guacamole and pico de gallo, sizzling fajitas with all of the fixings, and the most beautiful fruit dessert I've even seen.
I love a bowl of fresh guac, and I could have eaten it all myself; however, I was nice and shared with Amy. When deciding on the fajitas, we were surprised to learn that we had the choice of chicken, steak or a combination of the two. We quickly decided on the combo. The plate of fajitas came with delicious veggies and perfectly marinated meat.
Personally, I think the star of the meal was the dessert - fruit finale. It was a pastry topped with a creamed cheese filling and ripe fruit that included strawberries and kiwi. There was also a fresh strawberry sauce surrounding the pastry. I was seriously tempted to lick the plate clean!
Giovanni's
603 Ridge Road
Munster, IN
I've only been to Giovanni's once before, so when a group of us decided to head there the Savor the South Shore lunch special, I was really looking forward to trying their food.
The meal started with a salad tossed in one of the best house Italian dressings ever. Additionally, we were served these very large, very fresh garlic rolls. If I had no will power, I may have just filled up on the rolls!
I decided to order the Chicken Giovanni's - I thought the potatoes sounded scrumptious. The juicy and tender sautéed chicken breast was served with capers, red peppers and a lemon and white wine sauce. The cream and cheese mashed potatoes were the perfect consistency. If a bowl of sorbetto wasn't up next, I would have finished the whole meal; however, the serving was very generous.
To finish the meal, I enjoyed the lemon sorbetto. Perfect for a warm and sunny spring day!
Ciao Bella
1514 U.S. 41
Schererville, IN
While I didn't personally have the opportunity to go to Ciao Bella (I do still have time, so I might go!), Heather from our office said the meal was fabulous!
The meal started with the insalata caprese salad, which includes thick slices of fresh tomatoes and mozzarella drizzled with a basil pesto. Heather described them as "huge honkin' pieces of mozzarella" that were soft.
After the salad, Heather enjoyed the linguine integrale, which was a whole wheat pasta served with sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, shrimp, garlic and oil. According to Heather, the sun-dried tomatoes gave the dish a very seasonal flavor.
The last course was a mini cannoli - the perfect size to complete the meal. It came with fresh whipped cream, berries and chocolate sauce. Heather claims she did lick the plate clean.
Needless to say, the participating Savor the South Shore restaurants have been serving some seriously scrumptious dishes. Be sure to check out the Savor webpage for restaurant information and menus!
Contributing Editor: Stacina Stagner
Former communications coordinator with the South Shore CVA.
