Dining pick of the week: Giada’s

2540 ANTHEM VILLAGE DRIVE
at SOUTH EASTERN AVENUE, 462-9830

An intimate dinner with your significant other awaits you at Giada's, a warm and modern 12-table restaurant serving traditional Italian dishes with love. Appetizers include Italian nachos with sweet sausage, pepperoni and banana peppers topped with mozzarella and tomato sauce. Popular entrees include chicken Marsala, veal piccata or Florentine, linguine with red or white clam sauce, rigatoni Bolognese, calamari fra diavolo, chicken convertino (chicken breast rolled with asparagus and fontina cheese with mushroom Marsala sauce), shrimp parmigiana, stuffed eggplant, periciatelli pasta tossed with marinara and pesto sauce, and Seafood Giada, a combination of shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, squid and filet of sole in tomato sauce over linguine. Several salads are spinach, antipasto and Gorgonzola with mixed greens, tomatoes, Kalamata olives, red onion and scallions. Thin-crust pizzas include vegetarian, Bianca and Giada's Old Fashion, a Neapolitan-style pizza with tomato sauce, sliced mozzarella, olive oil and basil. Featured desserts are ricotta cheesecake, tiramisu, cannoli, chocolate mousse, spumoni and Bomba, where vanilla and chocolate gelato are separated by a cherry with sliced almonds covered in cinnamon and chocolate. Entrees begin at $15.95. Giada's opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. -- Jack Bulavsky