We had some wonderful out of town guests visiting us this week, and so we decided to take them to a family favorite:
Sammy’s Italian Restaurant in Ocala, Florida .
It is in a strip mall and looks like a hole in the wall from the outside, but once you go inside, you are greeted with the Sicilian flag, painted murals on the walls and the wafting smells of good home-style Italian food cooking away in the kitchens.
Sammy’s Italian Restaurant is known for its Pizza. According to our resident Italian, it was a good New York Style pizza but not as crunchy as they make them back in the old country. The cheese and sauce on the pizza had excellent flavor.
The crowning glory that night was the most delicious Clams Marinara I have ever tasted! When I go to a restaurant, especially if it is local, I usually order the special, because here’s a tip everyone – it is usually the freshest thing they have going on, and if it is a special, there is usually extra effort put in the cooking of it.
Let me first describe to you the clams – they were still in the shell, they were fair sized and they were fresh and delicious – not chewy. The sauce they were cooked in was out of this world, it really was. The marinara itself was garlicky and full of chunks of tomato. It was spiced to perfection, all I needed to add was some hot pepper flakes, because I like it hot! The linguine was al dente and I ate every last bit of it. I used my spoon to clean up leftover sauce and I sucked every bit of sauce out of the shells. Usually I never eat all of my meal – got to keep my girlish figure! But seriously folks, I did not want to part with a single bite of this creation.
Here again, simple food at its best!
The servers that night were on top of their game. It was Friday night and the restaurant was packed yet the service was fast and with a smile.
So I recommend going to Sammy’s in Ocala. Don’t just go for the Pizza, but have some delicious Clams Marinara. If they don’t have it on the list that night, try some of their eggplant dishes, raviloi or a calzone or go for the Mussels Marinara which is always on the menu – and if you are feeling a little spicy, try the fra diavolo version!
Sammy’s Italian Restaurant
6106 SW Highway 200
Ocala, FL 34476
(352) 861-2828
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Glad we live just a quick jaunt away!
Liz - April 16, 2007 at 1:58 pm
OMG! You made me hungry! That looks so yummy!I’m also gonna order that espresso maker because Ale can’t see straight in the morning if he doesn’t have his little cup of cafe. Hmmf, must be an Italian thing..haha! And yes, I am trully, madly, deeply in love with him!:) I even find myself watching his ahem, second love’s “calcio” matches….Inter Milan! Keep the great stuff coming. I love popping in to see what you’ve got going.
Take care,
Liz
Jenn - April 16, 2007 at 5:48 pm
Hi Liz!
Yes, these clams were so good, I keep dreaming about them. I am gonna have to try to come up with my own version soon.
And that espresso machine is a godsend, and very easy to operate – even when you can’t see straight yet! You can order it right from the link on my post.
Thanks for stopping by!
tutubi - April 17, 2007 at 4:07 am
marinara with clams
such a gustatory delight that is…i can see they’re all gone so fast
I also like that hot and spicy
Ann - April 17, 2007 at 10:22 am
Oh how I forget how much sauce American’s put on their pasta… (and I am American and used to do the same thing before moving). Funny thing is, now it looks and sounds totally disgusting, drowning the pasta in sauce.
Jenn - April 17, 2007 at 10:32 am
Thanks for coming to my site, Tutubi and Ann! It is always nice to have new visitors.
Yes, these clams were out of this world!
Trust me, Ann, if you had this plate in front of you, you’d be wishing there was more sauce for scarpetta!
Ann - April 17, 2007 at 10:37 am
My hubby enjoys that dish, but I unfortunately cannot for the life of me with what sauce, if any, or think is mussels instead of clams.
Jenn - April 17, 2007 at 11:48 am
Well luckily for us, there is always a cornucopia of food for all different appetites!
Delina - April 17, 2007 at 1:31 pm
That looks yummy! My neapolitan OH couldn’t believe the size of those clams! Here they’re quite a bit smaller.
Bugsy - April 17, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Howdy howdy!
Speaking of traveling… I might know a couple things about it. It’d be great to share some experiences. I couldn’t find a contact link on your site and would love to get ahold of you.
In the last 7.5 months I’ve seen 30 states, and hsave slept in 80+ different places including one kitchen floor.
It’d be awesome to be a guest writer if you ever do that!
Hope all is well!
Best regards,
Bugsy
P.S. I’ll be in Florida in just a couple weeks.
Jenn - April 17, 2007 at 3:22 pm
Hi Delina,
wow! I figured they’d be bigger in Italy…I guess I can consider myself lucky then!
Hi Bugsy,
Thanks for stopping by! I would love to have you write something for me if you’d like. You can reach me at webmaster at travelcloseup dot com
and we can discuss…