Alfredo’s serves up Italian with old-school charm

Antico Pizza Napoletana

The 800-pound gorilla of Atlanta pizza, Antico has become the gold standard against which other Neapolitan pies in town are judged, and they consistently turn out some of the best pizzas in the Southeast. Regardless of the night of the week, you may have trouble finding a seat in the dining room/kitchen, but if you do, make sure to try the spicy Diavola pizza, topped with sopressata, bufala and peppers. 11:30 a.m. to when the dough runs out, Mondays-Saturdays. 1093 Hemphill Ave., Atlanta. 404-724-2333, www.anticoatl.com. $-$$

La Grotta — Buckhead

Tucked away in the basement of an aging apartment building in Buckhead, La Grotta has remained one of Atlanta's most popular Italian fine-dining destinations since 1978. It has a massively dense menu packed with can't-miss classics like the Carpaccio All'Italiana, a beef tenderloin carpaccio topped with manchego, grilled artichokes, and black truffle dressing. La Grotta brings an attention to detail and a level of service that seems from a bygone era, and whether you are a longtime regular or a first-timer, everyone here gets treated like a king. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, closed Sundays. 2637 Peachtree Road, Atlanta. 404-231-1368, www.lagrottaatlanta.com. $$-$$$

Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant — Atlanta

Food: Old-school Italian-American cuisine

Service: Attentive and super accommodating

Best dishes: Parmigiana, Marsala, Broiled Veal Chop

Vegetarian selections: Multiple meat-free pasta dishes and sides

Price range: $$-$$$

Credit cards: All major credit cards

Hours: 5-11 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 5-10 p.m. Sundays

Children: Older, well-behaved children welcome

Parking: Tight parking lot

Reservations: Recommended, especially on weekends

Wheelchair access: Yes

Smoking: No

Noise level: Medium to loud depending on the crowd

Patio: No

Takeout: Yes

Address, phone: 1989 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta. 404-876-1380

Website: www.alfredosatlanta.com

Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant

1989 Cheshire Bridge Road, Atlanta

As I’ve worked my way through the candidates for the Atlanta Classics series, I’ve noticed a trend emerge. These establishments, those that have thrived for more than a quarter century in a young city with a recently exploding culinary scene, can be split into two groups: those that stayed relevant over the years by evolving with the tastes of the diners, and those that stuck with their original recipe for success and have barely changed a thing.

It only takes a few steps into Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road to know which category this Atlanta Classic falls into.

Along that one part historic, one part seedy stretch of Cheshire Bridge Road sits Alfredo’s Italian Restaurant. It opened in 1974, and current owner and manager Perry Alvarez joined the team as a partner in 1977, eventually buying out the other owners in the mid-1980s. He has been a staple every night of service since.

The mob-den jokes are sure to spring forth from the mouths of first-timers as they look around at faded old Italian art hanging on the wood-paneled walls. And I can’t say I blame them – the low ceilings and decidedly ’70s sensibilities of the decor would make for a perfect stereotypical backdrop of a mafia don holding court over a steaming bowl of Linguini With Clam Sauce and carafes of table wine. Adding to this atmosphere is Alvarez, the colorful and energetic owner, proudly and joyfully greeting each guest like an old friend.

And it is the Cuban-born Alvarez’s charm that sets the tone for service at Alfredo’s. Like the decor, and like the food, the service here is old-school in every sense of the word. Your server — likely an older gentleman with at least a decade of experience at Alfredo’s under his belt — arrives dressed semiformally, and the service is that same kind of old-style, borderline overbearing level of accommodating that you almost never see in newer establishments.

Any hint of dissatisfaction with a dish, and the staff rushes to get everything corrected with a sense of genuine concern that is lost on the younger generation of servers. Never for a second do you stop to worry that you have insulted the chef, or that your food may be at risk for tampering — this is just not that kind of place. The desire to see the customer satisfied with the meal shows without the slightest hint of irony.

As at most Atlanta Classics restaurants, the clientele spans multiple generations. On any given Saturday night, nearly always a crowded affair with the small bar packed three layers deep with patrons sipping wine and cocktails while waiting for a table in the relatively tight dining room to open up, you find a mix of longtime loyalists to young 20-somethings out for a date night of old-school Italian flair.

The food at Alfredo’s, like most everything else about the place, has changed very little in the past 39 years. This is classic, red-sauce-heavy American-Italian cuisine. As soon as you get in your drink order, each table gets a plate of mixed olives and golden-brown and butter-soaked bread to snack on.

First-timers here who want the quintessential Americanized Italian dish will get exactly what they hope for and expect with the breaded veal cutlet, rich tomatoes based sauce, and bubbling cheese in the Parmigiana ($21.50). This dish is everything that you expect it to be, and nothing that you don’t – a perfect analogy for Alfredo’s itself. And other timeless dishes, like the Veal Marsala ($20.95) or Chicken Cacciatore ($17.95), always succeed in leaving your belly full and your cheeks just a little sore.

Like any good Italian-American restaurant, everything about a meal at Alfredo’s is big, particularly the portions. I nearly fall out of my chair when a recent Veal Chop special ($39.95) — a double stack of bone-in veal chops, easily 3 inches thick and wrapped in prosciutto and mozzarella, Saltimbocca-style — arrives, staring me down like a prizefighter who knows the chips are stacked in his favor. This medium-rare monstrosity, rich and drenched in a flavorful white wine sauce, is a feat for any competitive eater. Both the server and I know that I’ll need a to-go box, though no words are exchanged.

In Atlanta’s modernized culinary climate, I find it hard to believe that a new restaurant that shoots for Alfredo’s old-school take on Italian-American cuisine and the nearly forgotten art of customer service would last more than a few months. It is the authenticity that makes the atmosphere here work, something that couldn’t be re-created with a staff that hadn’t been doing it since before it fell out of fashion. But if the weekend crowds at Alfredo’s tell you anything, it is that the desire for this kind of experience is still alive and well in Atlanta.