Bella Verona opened in 1996 in Salem's historic district just a few blocks from the House of the Seven Gables. The owner and chef touts authentic cuisine from the hometown of Romeo and Juliet, but since the specialties of Verona rely heavily on horse meat and boiled and baked corn meal, there have been some adaptations. House specialties include shrimp and scallops in a spicy tomato sauce and sausage with mushrooms, garlic and tomatoes. However, most dishes on the menu are made with the butter and creams sauces typical of northern Italian cooking. The wine list offers traditional Veronese valpolicella and a variety of other Italian imports. Bella Verona is intimate and upscale, but still affordable for a special night out.
For more than 65 years, Bertini's has been serving big-portion family-style Italian American fare in Salem's college neighborhood. Pizza and pasta dominate a no-frills menu that sticks with southern Italian dishes such as lasagna, eggplant parmigiana and chicken cacciatore. Bertini's also offers a variety of meal-sized salads including antipastos, Caesar salads and teriyaki steak tips with feta over tossed greens. The atmosphere is vinyl-booth-and-paper-placemat casual, prices are affordable and the service dependable and friendly.
Strega, which in Italian means witch, opened in 2005 with its sights set on Salem's growing population of young professionals. Decorated with plush couches, heavy wooden tables and crystal chandeliers, Strega bills itself as a restaurant and lounge. But it is actually more lounge with a small dining area that features a limited menu of traditional dishes such as shrimp scampi and chicken Marsala. Strega's Mediterranean pizzas and appetizers like Venetian panini and arancini offer a taste of some of Italy's most popular café foods. The lounge serves flavored martinis and specialty drinks, and it serves a lot of them after 10 p.m. when the music and dancing starts.
Ristorante Gioia is a small, trattoria-style restaurant that serves a traditional Sicilian cooking in the heart of downtown Salem. The menu has a large selection appetizers and pasta dishes with traditional Sicilian ingredients like artichokes, olives, mussels and calamari. Ristorante Gioia's roasted pork chops with cherry peppers and veal sautéed in Marsala wine are the types of dishes Sicilian families serve on Sundays. The dining room seats fewer than 50, the décor is simple and the atmosphere is quiet, but friendly.
