Il Vecchio

(CycleDog Photo)

Italian food and cycling? Pasta and Bianchi? They're natural partners!

I never had Italian food in a restaurant until I was in my twenties. Mom made her own spaghetti sauce, and while it was good, it wasn't the same as going into some hole-in-the-wall Italian place with all the usual cliches – checkered table cloths, a candle stub in an empty chianti bottle, and a hand painted map of Italy on the wall. The main focus was the food, and I loved it immediately.

Owasso has the usual assortment of pizza places. We have a couple of franchised Italian restaurants too. But there's only one of mom-and-pop variety, and that's Il Vecchio.

The menu offers various salads, spaghetti, lasagna, and several variations of panini. That may not seem to be extensive, but there are half a dozen types of lasagna, with comparable variety in the other menu categories. Trust me, you'll find something you like. We've eaten there several times. Given my weakness for Italian food, we'll eat there often. They make their own pasta and sauces. Everything is fresh.

For lunch this afternoon, Lyndsay had a grilled chicken panini and I had bruschetta with an artichoke and spinach dip. This is actually listed as an appetizer, but I made a meal of it. Lyndsay's panini was too much for her to finish, so she brought half of it home. Honestly, you could split a panini between two people with this appetizer and have a sumptuous lunch. I'll keep that in mind for the next time, although Lyndsay sampled the dip, made a face, and said, “Ugh! Spinach!” She still eats like a kid.

Since CycleDog is primarily about cycling, I have to point out that if you're contemplating a ride through Owasso with a stop at Il Vecchio for lunch, there are no convenient places to lock a bicycle outside as you can see from the photo above. But if you like Italian food, give it a try.