The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/31419
When the sidewalks roll up in Cooperstown at night and during the winter, Nicoletta’s Italian Café is among the few store fronts that doesn’t go dark. Looking at the interior of the restaurant at 96 Main St., which is open 362 days a year, patrons might feel they’ve come to a fine dining, upscale establishment. The décor, large wine rack on one wall, waitstaff wearing ties and dim lighting certainly gives it the feel. But while owner Phillip Andrews says his restau- rant is somewhat upscale, anyone looking for a good meal will be satisfied. Andrews has owned Nicoletta’s for six years, and he’s been working there eight. His family- run business, which is open from 4 to 9:30 p.m. only closes on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, offers meals from $10.95 to $25.95. Nicoletta’s southern Italian cuisine features a diverse menu from basic spaghetti and meatballs to lobster, shrimp and scallop fra diavolo or filet mignon with fettuccini in a Gorgonzola cheese sauce. “We offer a variety of food in between. We’ve got a lot of chicken, seafood and beef,” Andrews said. “My favorite would probably be the filet mignon or the veal salt im boca.” A specialty of the Italian café is the Italian sausage, which is made in house. During Hall of Fame Weekend alone, Andrews said he restau- rant’s sausage and pepper stand on Main Street sells hundreds of pounds of their sweet-roasted sausage links. “(There’s) not a lot of fennel seed in it, because I know some people don’t like that, so it’s very mild,” Andrews said. “The casing we use is not very tough, so it doesn’t give that (pop) when you bite into it. It’s very tender and very different from what you might normally get.” Andrews’ establish- ment plays a sort of jack-of-all trades role for folks looking for Italian food. With seating for about 100, including a garden-patio area for 25 and a private dining room for 25, Nicoletta’s can find the right table for every occasion, though during busy sum- mer nights when they serve up to 300 dinners, reservations might be a good idea. “It looks more upscale, but being a baseball town, we can be casual, too,” Andrews said “During the summer, we get a lot of baseball teams and we also get the couples that come in and want to have a nice romantic dinner.” _ Story and photos by Trevor Hayes May 12, 2011 O-Town Scene 13