Verona Gourmet brings Italy to Dublin

Verona Gourmet Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria in Dublin occupies the building that for decades was known as the Ranch House.

The Ranch House closed and for awhile it became a Mexican restaurant, but now the aroma of garlic and oregano greets you when you enter. Even though vestiges of it s Mexican past are visible, the spacious interior of booths and tables has the feel of a casual Italian pizzeria. Just ignore the little wall tiles with the Mexican sombrero on them.

On each of our three visits, Tanya was our server. Her smile and welcoming attitude made us feel special and we noticed she treated all customers as though they were family. A less pleasant feature of Verona’s that sticks with us is the door buzzer. Every time the front door opens, a buzz like the sound of air being forced from a balloon cuts through the restaurant. A small bell would be much better.

The menu is colorful and filled with traditional Italian fare including New York and Sicilian pizza, pasta, stromboli, calzone, subs and oven-baked Parmigiana. One of our visits was for lunch. The restaurant offers several selections as $5.99 lunch specials on Mondays through Fridays.

We ordered a lamb gyro combo that came with french fries and two slices of cheese pizza . The lamb gyro served on a pita with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and gyro sauce could have benefited from more sauce. The meat was a little dry. The easily folded pizza slices were generous with the right amount of tomato sauce and mild cheese. The lunch specials come with a canned drink, probably because most are ordered for takeout.

On a dinner visit we started with breadsticks a la Venie (small $3.99). What arrived at our table looked like a medium pizza with feta cheese, tomato and garlic. It was delicious and almost a meal in itself.

One guest ordered the fettuccine carbonara ($8.49). The cream sauce was not too thick and it adhered to the perfectly cooked pasta. Small bits of bacon added a layer of smokiness to the delightful dish.

We ordered a small (10-inch) Athens pizza ($8.99) that was topped with feta cheese, tomatoes, spinach, black olives and garlic. The toppings were savory but unlike the crust on the lunch pizza, this one had the look and feel of being pre-made. It was tough and no one wanted to eat the outer edge, but we enjoyed the middle.

Spaghetti with marinara ($6.49) was a generous portion that received mixed reviews. While the pasta was perfectly cooked, the sauce was heavy with oregano. One diner did not care for it while another thought it was great. Pasta dishes are served with a garlic bread that will keep vampires at a very safe distance.

A small vegetarian calzone ($6.99) proved to be enough for two people to enjoy. Heavy on ricotta cheese and stuffed with mushrooms, onions, green peppers, broccoli and other veggies, it satisfied. The marinara sauce for dipping was better and lighter on the oregano than the spaghetti sauce .

The extensive menu required yet another visit — yes, we like Italian. Sandwich offerings include a Philly steak special (8-inch, $5.49). “Special” means it comes with mushrooms, peppers and onions along with the cheese and steak. The steak was tender and the bun was soft and lightly toasted just right . We aren’t sure how Italian a Philly cheese steak is, but we are sure it tasted good.

The baked ziti ($7.49) comes with a pink sauce that was described by our server as marinara with cream added. The pasta once again was cooked perfectly. The pink sauce was rich but not too heavy.

We will visit Verona again . The service was great, the prices modest, and the portions were generous. They do need to control the oregano on the spaghetti sauce, but that is just our opinion.

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