Paolo Lombardi’s is comfortable, will fill you right up

WYNANTSKILL — My mother has been a big — maybe even the biggest — fan of Paolo Lombardi’s for years. I accompanied her there a long time ago, after an afternoon at Mac-Haydn Theatre in Chatham, and recall having a nice meal.

Maybe it’s because in this job I have to pay extra attention when eating out, but I don’t recall the food being as praiseworthy as it was when the two of us ventured out for a return visit to the lovely Wynantskill restaurant.

Before I get to the food, I’d like to describe briefly the ambience and general layout of Paolo’s: Elegant. Grand. Casual. Cheery.

The floor plan is spacious, but private enough to offer smaller cubby-style areas for private parties. Floor-to-ceiling windows make one yearn for an ocean view instead of the infrequent vehicles that whiz along West Sand Lake Road.

It was a Sunday afternoon and our twosome was one of only a few parties in the place. Service was exceptional from the start, and stayed that way throughout the entire meal. We thoroughly appreciated the server’s extensive knowledge of the menu, sensitivity to our eating habits and her honest assessment of our menu selections.

MAJOR PORTIONS

We started things off with the hot antipasto for two ($17) and an order of Scallops Saltimbocca ($9). Trying to hide her surprise, our server explained politely how both choices featured generous helpings of food. We told her we appreciated her honesty, but that we looked forward to packing up the leftovers.

I’m not exaggerating when I say that both appetizers were meals in themselves. We obviously were overwhelmed with the portions, and our server grinned with delight as she tried to find room on the table for both platters.

The generous antipasto came with samplings of shrimp scampi, clams casino, stuffed mushrooms, rolled eggplant with prosciutto and fontina cheese, fried asparagus and broccoli on a bed of roasted red peppers.

Three hits and three strikes was how Mom described the popular menu item. We both loved the asparagus, clams, and roasted peppers. We found the rest to be average.

The sea scallops won our hearts. Five enormous pan-seared mollusks were presented in a circle of tightly rolled prosciutto, served over a bed of escarole and topped with a rich brown sauce. The prevailing spice was sage.

This is the bargain of the day. You couldn’t even eat that for a meal. Mom marveled as she inspected the impressive dish. She also wondered how they could offer such a large helping of scallops for only $9, when they run about $11.99 a pound in the grocery stores.

Our salads were the only real disappointment. The baby lettuces that were sprinkled on top looked fine, but a few forkfuls revealed the brown iceberg that lurked beneath the surface.

ENTREES FARE BETTER

We both fared well with our entrees. My Snapper Posillipo ($25), was tasty and perfectly cooked. The flaky piece of fish was surrounded by clams and mussels in their shells, and cooked in tomatoes and capers. A side of linguine that came with the meal was cooked al dente, and the tomato sauce was thick and robust.

Dinners come with a choice of pasta or potato, salad and a warm loaf of dense Italian bread.

Mom raved about her Veal Giardini ($22). The four large scallopine came in a rich Marsala wine sauce with slices of portabella mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and capers. I tasted the sauce, and it was outstanding. The roasted potatoes were nicely browned and flavorful. There was enough veal left over for another two meals.

As our server packed up yet another round of leftovers, and our table for two was starting to resemble a take-out order of Chinese food for a party of five, we unabashedly announced our intentions to proceed with dessert. If she again was caught off-guard by our seemingly gluttonous actions, our ever-polite server didn’t raise an eyebrow. She even threw in an entire loaf of bread when Mom asked if she could have the few slices remaining in our basket.

My tiramisu ($7) was made in-house and nothing out of the ordinary; Mom’s Peanut Butter Blast pie ($7 and made by Bella Napoli bakery) was sinfully rich and delicious.

Dinner with appetizers, dessert, two sodas and tip was $123.

Bring your glasses, as Paolo Lombardi’s menu is quite a read. We estimated as many as 50 different pasta, chicken, fish, beef, and veal dishes ranging in price from $9.95 to $40, the latter being a veal chop stuffed with prosciutto and mozzarella.