by JT

     Having the afternoon off is always great! Scott and I both had a few hours off today, so we decided to kick off a new feature in our blog. Lately, we have been getting more requests via our MySpace page and email. The five of us get together once every three or four weeks to review someone’s burger. That will remain the same. But to keep up with the requests, we will be sending teams of two, to “scout out” some of the smaller or lesser known establishments, because you never know where the best burger may be hiding. If we happen to find a burger that we consider a three star or higher rating, we will put it on our list for a full review. So this afternoon, we took an hour to scout Salvatore’s Italian Grill, on Mahoning Ave. in Austintown.

     Salvatore’s has a very nice atmosphere with a large, wrap around bar in the middle. It sort of resembles a ski chalet, with the A-frame architecture and rustic paneling throughout. Maybe that was my inspiration to order the Alpine Burger, ($8.25). Scott ordered the Italian Burger, ($7.95), which left the last burger on the menu, the Pizza Burger, unaccounted for. First, I’d like to focus on the positive - the servers and hostess were very friendly. OK, now let’s talk burger. The Alpine Burger: The bun was large and very fresh, however, not toasted, which is something I’m learning to expect. The perfectly measured and geometrically correct burger did very much resemble the prepackaged burgers found in the freezer section of the supermarket. The beef itself, seemed to lack seasoning. And the mushroom sauce didn’t work at all for me. Scott agreed about the seasoning and remarked that the Italian Burger was, “just average”. I really liked the fries. They were very tasty and stayed crisp until they were gone, but the portion seemed just a little small.

     Summing it up; Salvatore’s is a very nice looking Italian restaurant with an extensive Italian cuisine menu and a very friendly staff. I am tempted to go back for some pasta or maybe a bowl of good wedding soup, but the hamburgers at this popular Italian restaurant seem more like an afterthought.