Anthony’s Lucky Duck

I’m always on the lookout for a good Italian restaurant.

And the Lucky Duck fits the bill.  (Yes, I know, very punny,)

It’s a casual spot,  very cozy — brick walls and dark wood paneling, and a huge mirror to make the place look larger.

Staff is friendly and eager to please, and very knowledgeable about the menu.

The wine list is very limited, but we were satisfied with our White Zinfandel.

The bread basket contained Italian bread and garlicky flat bread.  A good sign.

Our appetizer?  Fried calamari was tender and flavorful, served with a spicy marinara — the sauce had a nice zing, but the level of spice was not overwhelming.  Very shareable portion size.

He had the veal Marsala, tender veal in a rich wine sauce, served with green beans and a side of rigatoni marinara.  I ordered the eggplant parm:  thin slices of eggplant, breaded and fried, topped with but not buried by mozzarella cheese, also accompanied by rigatoni.

I seldom order dessert, but I caved in to temptation and ordered the warm apple fritters.  A truly shareable dessert, there were four fritters  -- an apple ring dipped in batter and then fried to perfection -- and a huge portion of vanilla ice cream.

An incredible meal, with lots of leftovers.  We will be back.