On the Road, Again!

Spring flowers

It’s been more than a year since the Near Normal Travelers have been out and about. We’ve been to a few restaurants near us, but not experienced anything new. However, now that we’ve all had our COVID-19 vaccinations we’re beginning to venture out, again. We still wear masks except when we’re eating, we use gallons of hand sanitizer, and we keep six feet of distance from other folks.

Burleson, Texas (Bounding to Burleson) is still one of our ‘go to’ towns to find good food. Surprisingly, we still locate restaurants we haven’t visited within the city limits. On this rainy Friday we sampled the cuisine at Villa Dianna Italian Restaurant (2475 E Renfro St, Burleson, TX 76028, 817-426-6664). Housed in an attractive building, this Italian restaurant has been in business since 2005, but in 2015 they had a fire that burned the building, but this disaster didn’t stop the owners. They rebuilt and have been serving customers ever since. During the pandemic they served take-out only; the dining room hasn’t been re-opened for long and is set up for the safety of the customers.

Today we chose to select items from the regular menu rather than from the lunch menu on the chalk board. The bread that comes with the meal should have given us a hint as to what amounts we were going to be served – HUGE, fresh, and a flavorsome addition to the rest of the food! Dave ordered calamari for the table; there was plenty for the three of us with enough left over for a fourth person. He also selected the large Caesar salad with chicken (it was really tasty), more than half of which he brought home. Vince gave the linguini with clam sauce a try. He said that while it was good, it needed more garlic and some red pepper. Luckily, there was a container of powdered garlic on the table, along with grated cheese, red pepper flakes, and the usual salt and pepper. I got cheese ravioli with marinara; after a few bites I added garlic and grated cheese. Now, back to the calamari: these were the tenderest rings we’d experienced in a very long time. The breading was crispy and dipping marinara was thick with a slightly sweet taste. The chef gets fresh calamari each morning and prepares them to order; they are never frozen; and that makes all the difference. The three of us enjoy strongly flavored Italian foods, so we were glad to have the garlic on the table. When we visit again, we’ll try items from the lunch menu and we’ll take home at least one of the yummy looking cheesecake slices.

Top L to R: Calamari, Logo, Roll
Bottom L to R: Linguini with clam sauce, Caesar salad, Cheese ravioli 

We give Villa Dianna three and a half carrots!

Three and a half carrots

It’s good to be back on the road, but we’re staying safe. Until at least 60% of the population has been vaccinated, we’ll be wearing masks. It’s also going to be a long time until we will be comfortable being in large groups, even with a mask. The Near Normal Travelers hope you will all stay safe, wear your masks, wash your hands, and take advantage of the free vaccinations available to you.

For information about my rating system, see Reading the Reviews.

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