Grasso’s Italian Restaurant, El Centro.
When I was growing up, this was the only Italian restaurant in El Centro. As far as I’m concerned, it’s still the only one worth going to.
Two rooms: the front room is fancy (for El Centro), the back room is casual, a better place to sit with your screaming brats. This is one of those places where you know everything is good, but you still order the same thing every time.
For me it’s the minestrone soup and salad with great homemade dressing, a bit of shared pizza (thin crust, pepperoni), then spaghetti and ravioli. Or maybe lasagna.
My dad has the fried chicken and usually shares it. There’s something about crispy garlic-y Italian fried chicken that makes you wonder why you bother with the colonel.
If they have them, try the tomatoes and onions in season — with local Imperial Sweet onions — or the fried chicken livers. You might be skeptical about chicken livers. You’d be wrong.
This restaurant is one of the reasons I don’t buy the argument that there’s nothing in El Centro. There’s Grasso’s.