LA VITA ITALIA

By Brooke Girard

Ballo Italian Restaurant and Social Club is known for authentic Italian cuisine with a complimenting wine list, as well as constant devotion to visitors. Guests can gaze at Ballo's immaculate cathedral architecture resembling a Tuscan abbey as they sip on a specialty cocktail. The lounge charms with a grand marble bar, as well as comfortable couches and cocktail tables with dim lighting, perfect accessories for intimate conversation. Be prepared to salivate over their traditional Italian dishes. Owned by John Tunney, Ballo's entrees are cooked with fresh ingredients and locally grown produce.

Begin your Italian meal with scrumptious appetizers including the classic eggplant parmigiana with house pomodoro, mozzarella, and basil, or the P.E.I. mussels with roasted garlic, white wine, and tomato. There are several possible salads that can serve as a light appetizer as well, such as arugula with parmigiano, lemon, and pine nuts or the mixed green salad with fresh mozzarella, sweet peppers, vegetables, and white balsamic.

Pizzas, pastas, and other entrees are available on the dinner menu. Ballo's specialty pizzas feature the black truffle with ricotta, guanciale, roasted garlic and mushrooms. If you're in the mood for pasta, there are dishes of ravioli, tagliatelle, tortellini, bucatini, linguini, or the conventional spaghetti and meatballs. Entrée favorites include the veal porterhouse with mushrooms, potatoes, and marsala, the day boat sea scallops with honey glazed carrots, walnut, and goat cheese polenta, and the delectable zuppa di pesce, poached lobster tail, calamari, shrimp, shellfish.

The signature cocktails and wine list is extensive. Wash down your hearty Italian meal with the Ballo Liminata, consisting of lotus Italian vodka, san Pellegrino limonata, and blood orange. Other enticing mixtures include the blood orange cosmopolitan, with lotus Italian vodka, Solerno blood orange liqueur, cranberry, and lime, and the Nero Manhattan, blending Michter's bourbon, amaro nonino, and angostura bitters. White wines are served by the glass, including moscato, pino grecio, Riesling, and chardonnay, as well as red wines such as pinot noir, merlot, and cabernet. Wine can also be ordered by the bottle. On the menu, there is a long list of red, white, and sparkling wines to choose from.

Guests will be floored by the impressive service Ballo Italian Restaurant offers. The wait staff is attentive and knowledgeable, as well as friendly and inviting. Considering the well proportioned fresh food, the sparkling wine, and comfortable dining area, at Ballo Italian Restaurant you simply cannot go wrong.

Ballo Italian Restaurant
& Social Club
1 Mohegan Sun Blvd
Uncasville, CT 06382
860.862.1100
balloitalian.com