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Trip Advisor gave a Hilton Head Island Italian restaurant second place on its national best fine-dining restaurants list.
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Michael Anthony’s Cucina Italiana took second for fine-dining spots from around the United States. The list is part of Trip Advisor’s Traveler’s Choice Awards, where lists were determined by ratings and reviews. Only 19 restaurants made the fine-dining list, and Michael Anthony’s lost out on the first place spot to another Italian restaurant in North Carolina.
Why Michael Anthony’s took second place
The list is based on reviews, and Mark Anthony’s has nearly 3,000 of them on Trip Advisor. Its average rating is 4.8 with around 2,500 five-star reviews.
Michael Anthony’s Cucina Italiana has been serving Hilton Head diners for 24 years, according to its website. Located at 37 New Orleans Road off William Hilton Parkway, it’s open for dinnertime only between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Its dinner menu comes with an assortment of appetizers, pastas and meat and fish dishes. A standout on the appetizer menu is the Carpaccio di Manzo, which comes with thinly sliced wagyu beef topped with arugula, aioli and parmigiano. Appetizers cost between $13.25 and $56, with the most expensive being a large order of the Antipasti della Casa. It’s an appetizer platter with artisan meats and cheeses, and costs $26 for a small portion and $56 for large.
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Michael Anthony’s makes its pasta fresh and in-house daily, according to its website. The menu has seven pasta dishes, including the Spaghetti con Gamberi al Viareggio, which uses local shrimp. Pasta styles including rigatoni, ravioli and more are also available, and range from $28 to $38.
Michael Anthony’s offers chicken, veal and ribeye in its meat entrées, and scallops, Mediterranean sea bass and the fresh catch of the day in its seafood entrées. Three dishes offer veal, and the Costata di Bistecca offers a 16 ounce ribeye served with a black truffle and red wine demi-glace. The Mediterranean sea bass is served over Parmigiana risotto and topped with a tomato sauce with black olives and capers. Meat and seafood entrées range from $39 to $75, and the catch of the day varies by market price.
There’s also Michael Anthony’s wine list, for which it has received an Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine, and a dessert menu with tiramisu, gelato, cake and other Italian favorites. Wines come by the glass, half bottle or bottle.
Michael Anthony’s other offerings
Although its Cucina Italiana offers dinner only, Michael Anthony’s also has a casual dining restaurant called The Market Cafe with lunch and dinner menus. It also has a market that sells take-home Italian food products. Lunch lasts from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., dinner 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the market is open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mark Anthony’s also holds cooking classes at its Cucina Italiana restaurant.
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