Recently I had the pleasure of dining at Sciarrino’s Pizzeria in Aston and was pleasantly surprised by the expansive menu. I knew Sciarrino’s had a reputation for fantastic pizza and stromboli and was looking forward to tasting it for myself. But what floored me was the “Pastabilities,” Italian Specialty Platters and Appetizers: all items I would have expected to be on the menu of a high-end Italian restaurant, not a pizzeria.

In addition to the standards you would expect such as pizza, calzone, stromboli, steaks, and hoagies, Sciarrino’s offers plenty of choices for those diners who are looking for a full dinner.

Twenty-two appetizers made narrowing down our choices pretty difficult, but Mark and I decided to start with scallops wrapped in bacon (5 pcs. for $7.99) and Flaming Chicken Balls ($5.49). When they were delivered to the table by our server, Amber, I knew I was going to be in trouble. The scallops were huge – almost 2 inches across each – and the chicken balls were equally large.

How would I ever have room for an entire dinner if the appetizers alone were this big? Both dishes were served piping hot and the bacon wrapped around the scallops was cooked just the way I like it. Served with a Horsey Sauce for dipping they were delicious and so good that Mark and I split the fifth between us so neither would feel like they missed out. The chicken balls were lightly breaded with chicken cordon bleu globes and coated in buffalo sauce and served with bleu cheese sauce. Cooked to perfection, they had just the right amount of breading. The fact that they were not your standard chicken nugget in hot sauce proved to me that Sciarrino’s is a huge step above your standard pizzeria. We were excited to see what would come next.

We took a little longer than usual deciding what to have as our entrees as the choices all sounded so tempting. I wanted to try one of the pasta dishes, but we had heard great things about their pizza and wanted to try that too. As always Mark and I share everything we order so we decided to get both so each of us would be happy. We ordered a medium sized House Supreme Pizza ($14.50) and Shrimp Fra Diavolo ($12.95), which came with garlic sticks and a side salad.

The pizza was a combination of ham, meatball, sausage, pepperoni, olives, onions and green peppers. The pie was gorgeous. The aromas of all the meats and vegetables wafted up and we were dazzled by the beautiful colors. I hardly wanted to take a piece, feeling as if I was destroying a work of art, but the desire to taste it overwhelmed me and I quickly picked up a slice. It tasted even better than it looked and I knew we had found our new favorite pizza. The ingredients were all very fresh and the sauce held up to its reputation of being full-bodied and flavorable. The crust was perfect: thin enough to allow the toppings to be the main focus of each bite, but thick enough to hold the weight of all those wonderful meats and veggies.

I had to stop myself from taking more when Amber brought out the side salad and garlic sticks. When I saw her approaching with the bowl it was so large I assumed it was the pasta. I couldn’t believe it when she put down the dish – since when does a side salad come in a size this huge? They were quickly followed by the Shrimp Fra Diavolo and I knew I was in deep trouble. If I thought the salad was huge, I knew the pasta was enormous. The steaming bowl of linguine topped with shrimp and shredded cheese smelled delicious. We now had so much food on our table that it barely fit and I knew we’d never be able to finish it all in one sitting.

Mark and I put the pizza aside and began to dig into the pasta. It had a fantastic kick to it – just the right amount of heat to earn its name, but not so much as to overpower the taste of the shrimp and sauce. Six large shrimp were nestled within the linguine and added flavor to the entire dish. We commented to each other that this entrée was of the quality usually found in an expensive restaurant and gained even more respect and appreciation for the creator of the meal, Carol, who owns the restaurant with her fiancé Adam.

Sciarrino’s is a BYOB restaurant with the option of eating in or having your meal delivered. They are open seven days a week with expanded hours during football season. Carol has a large catering menu and can accommodate small to very large affairs. Call 610-485-6867 for more information.