Sarina's Pizza & Italian Restaurant

Sarina's is definitely a fun place to eat. There are two TV's, one on either side of the seating area. One of the booths has a coin game where if you can flip quarter into the hole, you get a free 14" pizza. Also I spotted breathalyzer in the restaurant, just in case you wanted to check. Besides the fun and games, the inside is very similar to what you'd expect to find in a typical pizza place. The staff is friendly and the food is good. The menu resembles a general quick pizza place combined with an Italian restaurant. There is a wide variety of sandwiches, pizzas and pastas. The bread is made each day inside the restaurant, and it is very soft and wholesome.

The food came out fairly quick, and is definitely reasonable to get in between class.

They are open until 10pm on the weekdays, and 11pm on Friday and Saturday.

The price is definitely reasonable; it seems to be about average for what you'd expect to find anywhere else in state college for that type of food.

As the others so far, they accept LionCash and deliver.

They have two different specials. For lunch, you can get two cheese slices or Sicilian slices and a drink for $4.99 or you can get a small Stromboli for $4.99. For dinner, the special is either penne or spaghetti, a loaf of bread and a tossed salad for $7.99

The first time I ever ate at Sarina’s; I ordered a chicken cheese steak. The chef begged me to get the buffalo sauce on it. He told me he made it special. I agreed, and I haven't looked back since. The buffalo sauce is absolutely delicious. The chicken is very moist, and the cheese is melted throughout. Most importantly, the bread is soft, warm and makes the sandwich so much better. For a cheese steak, curly fries and a drink, I paid $11.49, which is normal for what I've had here in State College.

The chicken parmigiana sub is another great sandwich offered from Sarina’s. The chicken is cooked just right and sauce they use is just awesome. Combined with cheese and their soft bread you have a great meal. The bread is really what makes theses sandwiches so good. It cost about $5.35 for just the sandwich.

The fry selection is definitely a refreshing change. Most restaurants have their own style of fries, naturally. Sarina's takes this to a whole new level by adding curly fries as a selection. This is a rare find, and a refreshing one at that. If you ever are craving some curly fries in the Happy Valley, come to Sarina's because I don't believe I've seen them anywhere else so far. The portions are small, but definitely enough.

Rotelli's

Originally, we set out to review non-chain restaurants for Penn State students and potentially some State College residents. I broke the form today when I went to Rotelli's for lunch. I decided that I'd review it since there is only a handful of locations total, and State College being the only one in Pennsylvania. Located on the corner of Calder and McAllister, this place hardly goes unnoticed. If you happen to be walking by during the lunch hour, it's hard to miss the enticing sign advertising their 1/2 sub, soup or salad and slice of pizza for $5.99. While I have had this special and it is a great deal, I had other plans today.

The whole process was fairly quick. My lunch today was from 11 to 12:30 and I had no problem getting there and back in time.

The lunch menu is great. The prices are very fair. I ordered a sub and a drink and I paid roughly $8.

The meal is definitely filling.

While they do not accept LionCash, they do deliver. They also offer a rewards card. You get a free entree on your birthday and half birthday. You also get a reward after you earn 100 points (generally, if you spend $12.51 you get 12.51 points, but some days are double points).

I knew going in that I was going to skip the special and get the chicken parm sub. For the same price, you get a full sub and a healthy side of fries. The inside contains fried chicken strips and ricotta cheese. On top of the heaping pile of chicken is a layer of marinara sauce and a layer of cheese that is melted over top of the delicious toasted bread. The presentation is simply beautiful.

The menu is also filled with other gourmet pizzas, pastas, and other delicious subs. I highly recommend this restaurant.