Matt Balamont stands Tuesday in Al Dente's Pizza, Pasta & More, the new restaurant he opened in the food court of Fingerlakes Mall earlier this month.
Al Dente's Pizza, Pasta & More opened this month in the food court of Fingerlakes Mall in Aurelius.
Matt Balamont knew he wouldn't have much competition opening a restaurant in Fingerlakes Mall. But he still wanted to give his customers great food at great prices anyway.
The longtime chef and food industry worker is the owner and operator of Al Dente's Pizza, Pasta & More, which opened last week in the food court of the Aurelius shopping center. Along with the cuisine in its title, the restaurant also serves chicken wings and tenders, hot and cold subs and even fish on Fridays and Saturdays.
Balamont, of Syracuse, said all the food on the menu is made to order with fresh ingredients, and priced reasonably — the most expensive pasta is a dinner portion of shrimp riggies at $13.
"You're getting food you'd go get at a fine restaurant, but at mall prices," said Balamont, who works at the restaurant with one helper. "Chef-quality food."
Many of the recipes at Al Dente's are old Italian ones Balamont has used for years, he said. He operated a food truck and catering business, Balamont Cafe and Catering, and will also offer catering and eventually delivery at his new mall restaurant. Before that, he worked with food service businesses Sodexo and Sysco, as well as Syracuse-area restaurants Daniel Webster's and Pasta's on the Green.
At Fingerlakes Mall, Balamont finds himself in a less crowded food landscape than he's used to. The shopping center has no other restaurants at the moment, and Bradford Heights Delights bakery is the only other food business there. But he believes that just makes the greater commercial and residential area even more ready for a quality food option like Al Dente's.
"Malls aren't booming at the moment," he said, "but there's more opportunity here than people think."
Lake Life Editor David Wilcox can be reached at (315) 282-2245 or david.wilcox@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @drwilcox.
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November 25, 2020 at 10:02PM
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Al Dente's: New pizza, pasta restaurant opens in Fingerlakes Mall - Auburn Citizen
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