Savor the tastes of Italy

Stephanie Long

(6/7) When Sal Barone lived near Naples he ate authentic Italian food, and now that he lives in Maryland he continues to eat authentic Italian food thanks to his own restaurant, Alesandro Italian Bar and Grill.

Newly opened in Emmitsburg, Alesandro is Sal and his wife’s, Linda, restaurant. Specializing in authentic Italian food, Alesandro brings a bit of Italy to the area.
“There’s really nothing like it in the area,” Linda said.

No stranger to the restaurant business, Sal has been treating Marylanders to the tastes of Italy since 1974 when he opened owned a pizza shop in Frederick, and later one in Walkersville; Sal and Linda actually met when she worked at his pizza shop in Frederick.

Named after their grandson, Ty Alexander, the restaurant is somewhat a family affair, with Sal doing all of the cooking, along with a bit of help, and their future son-in-law managing the restaurant while Linda helps

The restaurant, which can seat 121 people, includes a bar and dinning room. Daily lunch and dinner specials are offered everyday in addition to the extensive menu, which gives customers an array of choices. Customers can choose from eight appetizers, 19 pizza topping, six specialty pizzas, over 15 subs, six seafood dishes, eight pasta dishes, five baked dishes, seven house specialties and much more.
Favorite dishes of Sal and Linda are veal and anything seafood, Linda said, adding with a smile that they’re “seafood junkies.”

But opening the restaurant was much harder task for Sal and Linda than naming their favorite dishes was. Since October of 2006 Sal and Linda have been working on the restaurant, investing countless hours into its opening.

“We’ve had a lot of hurdles, a lot of changes,” Linda said. “It’s been too long, just too many hurdles.”

Although the restaurant has only been opened for a short time, Sal and Linda have already seen the community respond and give Alesandro a try.

“It’s been good,” Sal simply said.

Alesandro is located on North Seton Avenue just north of Emmitsburg and opened from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Food is served from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. everyday, while the bar remains open during business hours.