This Italian Restaurant Offers Scrumptious Food Amid The Mountains Of Alabama

About forty miles outside of Birmingham, Alabama, tucked into the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, sits one hole-in-the wall U.S.-based restaurant with food good enough to convince customers to load up the car and take the hour-long drive necessary to grab a plate. Chefs Valentin and Jose aren't cooking up Old World food exactly, but rather a combination of the hearty, comforting dishes that have come to define Italian-American cuisine, steaks of all sizes, and a variety of seafood dishes to boot. With a menu like that, it is not hard to understand how Mio Sogno Ristorante has developed such a devoted audience.

Located in Oneonta, Alabama, Mio Sogno serves up high-quality food without putting on airs. The Italian-American restaurant delivers large portions at reasonable prices in an environment that guests say walks the line between fine dining and a more casual sit-down meal. The tables are clad in crisp white linens, and the exposed brick walls give the restaurant a notable industrial chic, but it's the friendly waitstaff that keeps the environment both comfortable and welcoming.

Regardless of the occasion or time of day, patrons insist that Mio Sogno is always a good decision. It is a perfect choice for a romantic date night with tender pasta and a shared bottle of wine, but customers are equally happy to stop in for a midweek lunch — or even just dessert and coffee. For those who live in the area, as well as anyone just passing through, this may well be the best meal in town.

As for what to order when you get there, there are plenty of options to choose from. The menu offers options for diners of all stripes. Before you need to worry about digging into the menu at all, the meal begins with bread that Yelp reviewers describe as "perfection," along with herbaceous and aromatic olive oil for dipping. That may tide you over while you wait, but adding an order of crisp, fried ravioli — served with a dippable tomato basil sauce — is a suggestion from many diners that shouldn't be ignored.

While there are many wonderful options for the main course, customers rave about the Sea and Land, as well as the Salmon ala Valentini. The former consists of a "bed of mashed potatoes" topped with chicken, shrimp, and steak, as well as a drizzle of chipotle lime sauce. The salmon, on the other hand, is grilled and placed atop sautéed spinach with a mustard cream sauce that features asparagus and diced tomatoes. The barbeque salmon, too, is a respectable choice, served over rice pilaf with a topping of sautéed strawberries and bacon-wrapped shrimp.

Of course, no meal this fine is complete without dessert, and again there are two options that top diners' charts. A traditional Italian choice, tiramisu, is done quite well here, but for something with a bit more Alabama flair, try the banana bread pudding. It comes topped with ice cream and caramel sauce, and diners say it stands head and shoulders above the competition anywhere in the region.