Fast food mood

>> Castini's strives for a healthy alternative on a greasy corner

by SPANKY HOROWITZ

A new restaurant has finally opened where Mike's used to be, near the corner of Parc and Mont-Royal. It's called Castini's and I was hoping to find a healthy alternative to eating at McDonald's or the A&W inside that new gas station supercomplex.

Castini's interior is spacious and decorated in warm, inviting tones. It's not a restaurant in the conventional sense, more of a fancy-yet-casual fast-food eatery. You place your order from the on-the-wall menu, pay for your food and then sit down at a table and wait for it.

I went with my buddy Chainsaw and his two-year-old tyke, Buzzsaw. We ordered a bruschetta ($3.50) and a small salad ($3) to nibble on while we waited for our meals. I ordered one of the daily specials, soup of the day and rigatoni ($5); Chainsaw ordered a "stromboli" ($5) and fries ($1.50); while little Buzzsaw wanted chicken fingers ($4).

We sat down and were promptly presented with our starters. The bruschetta was four sizable pieces of submarine roll with melted cheese, topped with diced tomatoes doused in a vinaigrette. I found it strange that they baked on the cheese and then applied the cold tomatoes--it makes for a sloppy experience, as the tomatoes have nothing to hold them down while they glide around, aided by the vinegarette lubejob. Besides the mess, this was pretty tasty and possibly the highlight of our meal.

The menu states that you "create your own salad from our varied selection," yet I was given no such choice. Mine appeared to be poured from a bag of prefab salad, with some browning at the edges of the lettuce. This was definitely a far cry from the beautiful photos of the custom salads adorning the menu.

Chainsaw's stromboli arrived without his fries. We figured they'd show up with the rest of the food, so he dug in. Stromboli is a baked, wrap-type dish, consisting of pizza dough filled with one of five choices. Chainsaw likes roast beef, so he chose the "Classico." It felt warm to the touch, not hot, so Chainsaw bit in, scorching the insides of his mouth on the molten hot beef and cheese. All hail the miracle of microwave technology. Luckily, there was a generous heap of shredded carrot salad to cool down the blisters on his tongue.

Little Buzzsaw had no complaints about his chicken fingers, dipping them and everything else--except the fries, which had still not arrived--into the sweet and tangy honey mustard sauce.

My rigatoni never arrived, nor did our order of french fries. We were in a hurry so we asked for our money back while the waitress doggy-bagged the remains of Buzzsaw's chicken fingers and a large, untouched piece of bruschetta. I was refunded my money with no apology, by the owner himself!

When we got home and opened our doggy-bag, the chicken fingers were there but the bruschetta was not! Yikes! If this was an isolated incident of bad service, it sure happened to the wrong customer.

I always try to support the small businessman/woman/person, but this was too much. Mr. Castini, if that is your name, please provide us with a worthy alternative to McDonald's. You offer a healthy menu at a good price, so please be more attentive to your customers, train your staff and apologize if you screw up.

As a final note, I ordered in a large pizza the following day and it arrived promptly. It was large, gooey, generous with the toppings and even had one of those old-school dough balls in the middle. I'm willing to give Castini's another chance, but they better shape up or...

Comments: foodspanky@hotmail.com

Castini's

Address: 4581 Parc

Phone: 282-1111

Hours: 10am-10pm

Best features: Healthy and cheap alternative to McD's and A&W

Alcohol: Draft beer and wine by the glass

Vegetarian friendly: Yes

Wheelchair access: Yes

Credit cards: Yes

Price: $4-12 per person, before tax and tip

Rating: * out of ****