Eddie’s Napolis Fine Italian Restaurant  TXMB Rated 1.5 Stars

The desire was there yet again, and the decision of taking a much needed nap or searching for food came upon me. Well, I decided the belly was beckoning for Italian and the belly in this hour made itself known that it was more important than the eyelids. So, I hopped in Old Blue and made my way to Eddie’s Napolis Fine Italian Restaurant.

NAPOLIS Garlic Knots #1Napolis is defiantly your definition of a hole in the wall. Like several of the restaurants I’ve visited in Garland it is inside of a shopping center. From the outside, the place is nothing special and a portion of my palate told me to turn around. I didn’t. In retrospect, my palate was on to something. Inside I was greeted by a large black board with food selections. A woman smiled, advising to sit anywhere I’d like. I found a booth in a corner not far from an elderly couple and right behind a family. Soon, I was given water and a basket of garlic knots with a side of marinara sauce. I bit down into a knot, and felt my taste buds give a shrug of “so what.” The flavor was OK, but nothing outstanding, and actually lacked garlic. It was crunchy with only a hint of softness. To my knowledge, and this could just be me, garlic knots are supposed to lean more on the soft side. I dipped the dough in marinara and remained disappointed.

Hungry, I still finished the dry tasting knot and soon it was time to order. After a strict discussion with myself I decided to try the shrimp and crab pasta with Alfredo Sauce and fettuccine. Not in the mood for fettuccine, I went for linguine instead. The kind waitress took my order and scurried away. Peering around the place for a few moments I noticed that there were not many people in the joint. The place was old and covered with bulky brown booths, wooden tables and chairs, and sub-par lighting. A tall silver and clear fridge stood near my booth, displaying a sad arrangement of desserts. Just then my pasta was up.

Steam rose from the dish placed before me. The sauce was thick and creamy with a mountainous portion of linguine. A few shrimp peeped through the pile. I began to fork around the plate, looking for crab, I found a few unfortunate orange red shreds of imitation crab. NAPOLIS Pasta #2

The sauce was decadently rich and buttery, but to a fault. Though it was creamy, the flavor was quite flat, and lacked anything beyond calories. Twirling the pasta, I tried a shrimp. The shrimp tasted murky, as though it had not been cleaned properly. Freshness was not to be had here.

Completely disappointed, I ate a few more bites paid the friendly waitress then left.  For the second time visiting an Italian eatery in Garland, I’ve left feeling disenchanted. Scalini’s being my first bout at tasteless Italian with a not so reminiscent version of chicken parmesan. Maybe, the third time will be a charm, but I’m not sure I’m willing to fork with that again. TxMb

$-$$

Where to find them-915 W Centerville Rd, Garland, TX 75041

Phone- (972) 613-0800

That whole parking thing- Plenty of space here. They are located in a shopping center so unless it’s just super busy that day, take your pick of places.