Giovanni's

Great meal, as always! I've eaten at Giovanni's in Lake Mary a number of times, both for lunch and for dinner. I've never been disappointed. After a long day of outdoor work, my friend and I decided on Giovanni's for dinner the other night. It was a good choice.

Our waitress was pleasant and efficient, if not overly friendly. Still, the service was very good. She did let us know that it was happy hour, and I took advantage of that with a pleasant house Merlot. We decided to forego any appetizer and instead ordered dinner.

My friend had the Chicken Pizzola, a special of the day. My what wonderful flavor. Several large, tender pieces of chicken were served on a bed of linguini and topped with a fresh tomato marinara sauce consisting of garlic, onions, and tomatoes. The chicken was very tender and juicy. The marinara had a very fresh flavor to it, highlighted by the mushrooms, and accented by the garlic and onions. Wonderful, just wonderful. I know, because the portion was huge and I got to keep the leftovers--it took me two separate sittings to finish them.

I started my dinner with a house salad: fresh greens with tomato, carrots, and cucumbers. It was fresh and light, served with their special house oregano viniagrette.

But the star of my meal was the Giovanni's Special pizza that I ordered. A thin crust pizza was topped with fresh mushroom and onions, and with pepperoni and sausage (it nomally comes with Green Peppers as well, but I nixed them and asked for extra cheese instead). I was hoping for leftovers so ordered the medium size which was about 15" (they also have a personal size).  All I can say is "wow!" It was wonderful pizza, cooked perfectly. Juicy with a crisp crust and a tasty tomato sauce, it had a lot going on for it, and all of that good. I could not eat even half of it, but it was delicious and filling. There was enough left to take home that two of us got full from the rest of it for lunch the next day. 

The service was good and the food was great at Giovanni's. But then again, I've come to expect that. I have not been disappointed yet after well over a dozen visits, both for lunch and dinner. And, since I mentioned lunch, I recommend the lunch special, a slice and a salad. It's a bargain and a great meal. Yumm!