galena, illinois : vinny vanucchi's little italy.

visiting galena, illinois in the summertime is a tradition in josh's family... something which i have obviously become a part of over the past ten years.

no matter what time of year we go, we always reserve one dinner for vinny vanucchi's little italy, a kitschy, little italian place right on main street.

vinny's (our nickname for it) is known for two things : their family style salad ... and their insanely buttery & cheesy garlic better. (extra napkins, please!) obviously, i don't eat the garlic bread... but my family is so accommodating, they order the salad without cheese so i can partake in its tastiness. here it is ...

vinny's family style salad :

a super basic salad. we were joking whether or not i should even take a picture of it ... because it does look a pretty sad on the plate. but damn, is it good. i'm guessing the salad dressing is about a million calories per tablespoon for that very reason. yum.

for my main course, i've gotten the same thing the past 10 times i've been to vinny's... 

linguini pasta w/ vinny sauce :

a blend of olive oil, garlic, basil & spicy red peppers.  
i rarely treat myself with pasta... so when i do, i expect some serious deliciousness.
the pasta with vinny sauce definitely hits the spot. spicy, garlicky, salty -- those are pretty much my favorite words when it comes to food. not the mention the portion size is huuuge. as much as i love chicago's obsession with small plates, sometimes you just want a ridiculous bowl of pasta.

i would go so far as to say that vinny vanucchi's little italy is the best restaurant on main street in galena. so if you're ever in town looking for a tasty bite, definitely check out vinny's.