I received a tip from an Advocate reader to check out Verona’s in Northlake Shopping Center. Thanks, it was good advice.

Verona’s is a small, family-owned Italian restaurant, hidden in Northlake. It’s nothing fancy and is simply decorated with excellent service and delightful food.

Sign up for our newsletter!

* indicates required

The menu is extensive. It has a wide selection of Italian delicacies, such as special Italian Calzone and cannolies. The antipasta for two is a flavorful selection of crab claws, clams and other assorted seafood.

The chicken a la Carciofi is thin pieces of chicken breasts sautéed with a light, creamy wine sauce with shallots and artichoke hearts. A house specialty is the Verona’s specials, a sampling of veal, chicken and shrimp served with a side of Fettucine Alfredo.

The house specials range from $8.25 to $10.25. The menu prices range from $5.25 for pasta dishes to $8.75 for veal and seafood selections. I hear that their pizza is out of this world.

A trip to Verona’s should definitely be a part of your dining arrangements.

Rumor has it there are a lot of good barbecue places in Texas. But where? When visiting family and friends wants to sample Texas barbecue, I couldn’t think of a place.

Until now.

There’s a new Baker’s Ribs in our neighborhood at 4844 Greenville, and it’s so good I would even take my mother there.

Baker’s has picnic tables and booths with red and white checked tablecloths. The food is served cafeteria-style with iced soft drinks and beer. As you choose your selection from a menu on the wall, it is prepared and meets you at the end of the line for payment.

The help is friendly, efficient and, more importantly, prompt.

The beef is lean and well-cooked, not too rare and not over-cooked. The smoked chicken is served in large helpings and is flavorful. The side dishes – pasta, beans, coleslaw and potato salad – have a distinct taste and are not made with tons of mayonnaise and grease.

You get all of this for a moderate price too. Sandwiches range from $3.25 to $3.50, plates are from $5.35 to $7.75, and meat by the pound goes from $6.95 to $8.50.

Baker’s has free delivery within one mile with a minimum $15 order. They also cater.