With apologies to my Southern friends, about twenty-five years ago I remember getting a pizza in the South and thinking the box it came out of tasted better than the pizza. All that has changed over the years as good food has made its way south of the Mason-Dixon line. In the larger cities you can get some darn good pizza and Italian food, plus the grocery stores are stocked with better selections. Its gotten much more cosmopolitan over the years.
If you are in Wilmington, NC you definitely have to check out Terrazzo Trattoria at 1319 Military Cutoff Rd. It is a nice Italian restaurant with good food at reasonable prices, and good service. We went there with seven adults and four children (one of whom is only four months old, so he didn't eat) and the bill was about $133.00. Not bad.
I had the Penne Positano, a nice penne pasta in a creamy pesto sauce with mussels and shrimp for $17 and added a side salad for .99. The pesto sauce had a nice garlic taste, without being overpowering and the pasta was cooked just right. There was plenty of shrimp and mussels in it too. We shared calamari and chicken tenders, and the some of the other dishes my party had were: Chicken and Penne Naxos, Chicken Satlimboca, and Eggplant Parmigiana. All were good.
Now back to that pizza. We ordered a pizza, half cheese, half pepperoni, for the kids and I tried a piece. It had a nice crispy crust, good flavor, and wasn't greasy. A cold piece later that night was just as good.
Terrazzo Trattoria is family owned and they are nice people. They are closed Sundays, and are only open for dinner on Saturday. They have lunch and dinner during the week. For more information, check out their website. Better yet, check out the restaurant some time. You won't be disappointed.
