Here’s the scenario: My stepson was running out the door for a 12-hour shift, my wife had massaged seven clients at the chiropractic clinic where she works and I was coming home late from the office and still had a pile of work to do. No one had the time or energy to cook. In this day and age, you’ve likely been there, too.
The solution is to grab something quick, with pizza being a common choice. While pizza will fill a stomach as well as any other food, there are a lot of generic pie slingers out there that serve your basic crust, sauce, pepperoni combo, but don’t stand out from the crowd. In fact, some places take pride not in serving great pizza but in being cheap.
So as I walked into the kitchen and saw a standard red and white pizza box on the counter, lifted the lid and saw what I thought was another basic crust, sauce and pepperoni combo, and grabbed a piece, I didn’t bother to ask my wife where she’d bought it. I simply slapped a couple of pieces on a paper plate (no one felt like washing dishes, either), plopped on the couch and turned on “Jeopardy.”
Then I took a bite.
I sat up in surprise and looked at my wife. “This is good! Where did you get this?”
Her answer: Gondolier, not far from where she works in Dalton.
I was bowled over. The crust was not thin and crispy, like a brick oven pizza, but thicker, like a pan-style pie. I always go for thin and crispy, but taking a bite of Gondolier’s crust was like filling my mouth with a warm, buttery breadstick. And the cheese on top of it was the real thing. When you’re unable to extend your arm far enough to break off a bite from the rest of the slice, you’re eating good pizza.
A Google search revealed the full name of the restaurant: Gondolier Italian Restaurant and Pizza. We also learned there are four Gondoliers in the area, including two in Dalton, one in Cleveland and one in Chattanooga on Lee Highway. We made plans to visit the Chattanooga location another evening.
Logistics took us to one of the Dalton sites, and I’m glad. Located next to Kroger’s in a strip mall on Cleveland Road, it doesn’t look like much on the outside or inside, but what counts is what goes on the plate, and in that respect, the crew excelled.
My plan was to enjoy something from the “Italian” portion of the menu, but choosing an entrée was not easy. From the large selection of appetizers and salads, to the pita sandwiches, to the calzones and strombolis, to the white pizza, to the hot oven subs, to the catch-all category intriguingly called “Delightful Specials,” the four-page menu is packed with mouthwatering options. Whether you want something loaded with meat, or
a vegetarian offering, or something more exotic, you’ll find something that will take care of your appetite.
For an appetizer, my wife and I shared an antipasto salad dripped with Italian dressing and chewy meats and cheeses. It was delicious, as the photo on this page suggests. “We need to come here once a month,” my wife said through a mouthful of pepperoni and provolone.
For the main course, I went with the Italian sausage stromboli. I liked their selection of meat. It was chewy and had just the right amount of spices. The thing was packed with stringy cheese and sautéed onions and peppers and wrapped in “baked to perfection” homemade dough.
I mentioned the place doesn’t look like much. I did like the wall painting of the Gondolier making his way through an Italian scene, along with the other minor touches that give the place a mild ethnic feel, but was more impressed with how clean and tidy the place was. My wife and I also liked the attentive service and the friendly smile on the face of our server. While Gondolier does a lot of takeout business, there’s a separate entrance and counter for to-go orders, so the pick-up traffic didn’t disturb the relaxing ambience in the dining room.
I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like good pizza, but so few places rise above generic. However, discovering Gondolier was a pleasure we intend to experience again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the rest of my Italian stromboli is calling me from my kitchen.
Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.