Living off campus for the last year, I’ve come to realize how much I enjoy other people making me food. I don’t really miss Eickhoff or meal equiv at the Rathskeller, but I also don’t like to cook every night.
Last week, I was feeling extra lazy after working all day. So, I decided to go out and eat at Palermo’s III, a place I found on Lower Ferry Road while walking around town this summer.
I don’t know how many people have heard of or been to this place, but it’s a great place to get a bite. In the movie “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” Steve Carrell talks about the “perfect combination of sexy and cute.” That’s exactly what I think of when I saw the menu at Palermo’s, which is an Italian restaurant and a pizzeria.
Since I went with my girlfriend, I was able to experience everything Palermo’s has to offer in one sitting. Combined, we ordered a buffalo chicken cheesesteak, a slice of olive pizza, pasta with fresh broccoli sautéed with fresh garlic, olive oil and butter and a piece of Reese’s peanut butter torte.
I’m a huge fan of cheesesteaks. I used to go to the Rat all the time when I lived on campus to get them. This buffalo chicken cheese steak made the Rat look childish in comparison though.
The chicken was sliced nicely and tasted amazing with the buffalo sauce and blue cheese on top of it. I will warn you though, if you don’t really like blue cheese, I would ask for it on the side because it could be overwhelming depending on your taste. It all came on a roll, which is what I would describe as light and didn’t get in the way of the taste of the chicken.
The pizza also impressed me due to the size of the serving, which looked more like two slices than one, as well as how well the olives were incorporated. Toppings run you a little bit more money, but they’re definitely worth it.
The pasta, which I only had a small sample of, was also a good meal, although I thought it wasn’t worth what they were charging for it. The pasta was soft, which is what my girlfriend prefers, and there was a nice amount of garlic mixed in. The broccoli, which determines how good this dish will be, added a nice touch to the pasta and certainly enhanced the overall taste.
The torte also was a little pricey for my liking and didn’t live up to expectations. I thought there was just too much peanut butter and not enough chocolate to offset it. A good chocolate to peanut butter ratio makes or breaks anything Reese’s produces and this one was broke.
Overall, I found Palermo’s to be a good place to eat. Their menu has pretty much anything you could ask for, ranging from hamburgers and cheesesteaks to fried seafood and baked pasta. The prices for some of the entrées can be a turn off, but you get what you pay for with every dish.
It’s an easy drive (two minutes from campus) and not that far of a walk (10-15 minutes), so this is a good destination for everyone. It’s a great place to take a date and even is a place you could go with your bros for pizza and wings.
