Dining Divas Discover an Amazing
Italian Restaurant at Alton Square

I was hesitant with my choice for our latest Dining Divas. I could hear the complaints.
“It’s too far of a drive.”
“It’s too much like a chain restaurant.”
“It’s not the quality of Italian I’m used to.”
As a matter of fact, I picked the restaurant as a joke, or actually, as a “fake” restaurant for our last Divas outing. Throwing off the Pregnant Diva, I picked a “fake” restaurant last month on a “fake” date but actually surprised her with a shower at a totally different location on a totally different day.
So when I asked the group where we should go for our next real Dining Divas, they said “why not the ‘fake’ restaurant?” And we did. To my surprise, there were no complaints.
We headed to the Alton Square Mall, and adjacent to Red Lobster sits Santino’s Steak and Pasta. First of all, Mariah, our waitress, was amazing. She was pleasant, patient and very friendly, and the staff made us sincerely feel welcome and grateful that we were there.
Secondly, the food itself exceeded even the Italian Diva’s expectations. And more importantly, the evening was relaxing and drama free.
We tried the Meatballs Tom Tom (pork meatballs with cheese and marinara) and Lasagna Fritta (fried lasagna as we called it), and they were very tasty. After the appetizers, salads and bread, we probably could have stopped there, but we didn’t.
Choosing our entrées wasn’t easy as there were so many great choices. Not being able to make up her mind, the Indecisive Diva ordered dinner for later in the week as well as her meal that night. If only I’d done the same!
The Santino’s Chicken with lemon, butter, and capers was delicious as were the Broiled Scallops. The Picky Diva was pleased with her vermicelli and basic marinara sauce. Those who had trouble deciding went with the Italian Feast (cheese lasagna, meat lasagna, vermicelli and meatballs). Most of the entrées and pastas were all served with soup or salad, and many of the meals also had a potato with them. And the prices were so reasonable.
The eggplant parmesan stirred up a debate. A couple Finicky Divas strongly disapproved of being pressured into trying it, even though everyone said it was excellent. The name alone was why one of them refused to eat it. Egg. Plant. Not a good combination, in her eyes. However, one Diva said it was the best she’d ever had.
And of course, we had to try dessert, and the chocolate cake did not disappoint.
Santino’s is far from a chain restaurant, and it has a family-feel appeal. The traditional Italian dishes were excellent, and I’ve said several times since going, “we need to go back there.” For the North County Divas, restaurants in Alton are a good option being just across the river, and Santino’s is definitely one to try out. And it’s not faking it.

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