5-14-11 Anthony's

I've always been a fan of history and most recently, of Kansas City mob/Mafia history. Maybe it's because of the soap opera like stories of this person crossing that person, blood is shed, bombs go off, people die, and you find out so much about the city's seedy underbelly. 

Anthony's is a throw back to those times and has been around over 31 years. I'm not saying it was a mob hangout, but it certainly could have been even if the River Quay area was defunct by the time they opened. The decor inside just makes you think you could have been sitting next to a Civella, Bonadonna or a Cammisano overhearing their secret society conversations. And if you like your Frank Sinatra music during lunch or dinner, this is your place. 

We had a Groupon needing to be used so we made a bee-line to this wonderful place off Grand. It was 11:15 on a Saturday and it was pretty empty as we're used to. We got a cool sassy waitress who we told about the Groupon which was for $30. She said, "you're going to have to eat a lot on that Groupon - use it or lose it!"... so we did. 

We first ordered our appetizer which was toasted ravioli. We immediately loved the red sauce that was included. Our mouths made a mob hit on them so quickly that they didn't even stand a chance of getting cold. The red sauce was warm which made it even better. 

Luckily, we didn't use all the red sauce as we got a basket of Italian bread (maybe from Roma Bakery?) and those little packets of butter. There was no red sauce left over from the ravioli. 

JE had lasagna and meat balls which was perfect on a chilly autumn day like that day in May. His order also came with an iceberg salad with house made Italian dressing. 

I had the chicken spedini with red sauce and an iceberg salad with ranch dressing. My order came with a small side of spaghetti. 

The portions were big and it was definitely happy comfort food. Probably too much food for lunch but we did have to use the Groupon. JE said that the food made him so happy. 

It's everything you like about Italian food that your Italian grandmother would make. She would make you big portions and expect you to clean your plate so we made sure we did. It might be a little pricey but you'll leave satisfied. 

We rolled out of there stuffed with the old world delights. We made sure to pay homage to the Saint (not sure who it is) in the parking lot. We had been blessed with delicious food in a great atmosphere. And for an hour, we were back to those days when the mob ruled Kansas City. 

Experience it for yourself at Anthony's 701 Grand Blvd in KCMO.