Ah, love and Southern Maryland.
Bruce Nicol is a lot like other restaurateurs we've told you about who fell in love with St. Mary's County when they fell in love with someone with ties to the region. Cliff and Cathie Weddington, of Evans Seafood in Tall Timbers, and Loic and Karleen Jaffres, of Cafe des Artistes in Leonardtown, are among those who come to mind.
When Nicol was courting his wife, Cheryl, they frequently visited her parents in Lexington Park. Cheryl stuck in his heart and St. Mary's stuck in his mind.
While at the University of Maryland, Nicol kept an eye on a commercial site being developed in California. After graduating in May 1981, he borrowed the princely sum of $17,000 and bought kitchen equipment from a Shakey's pizza parlor that had gone out of business. He built Nicolletti's Pizza in a 12,000-square-foot bay in the shopping center he'd been eyeing.
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True to its name, Nicolletti's at first served only pizza. No tables, no silverware, no spaghetti -- just pizza. It had occurred to him at first that he might just be nuts for opening a pizza place in an area that couldn't sustain a Shakey's.
But he was not nuts. Twenty years later, Nicolletti's has moved 50 feet from its original spot and occupies four-plus storefront spaces. The restaurant is outfitted with booths, benches and tables, and has private rooms for special parties. There's an ample menu that includes linguine Alfredo ($6.25), lasagna ($6.25), baked ziti ($6.25), soups, salads, subs and, of course, pizza.
When you enter many restaurants you have the feeling that the place has been straightened up for company. When you arrive at Nicolletti's, it's quickly apparent that this is a relaxed kind of place. There are few formalities, and a customer could feel like unexpected -- but welcome -- company from out of town who caught his hosts off guard with kids' toys all over the floor. In fact, there are likely to be kids playing on the floor. Or bigger kids trying to answer Dad's questions from Trivial Pursuit cards left at each table to entertain families waiting for food to arrive.
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"What is the most southern state?" we heard one father ask his 11-year-old son and younger daughter. "A lot of people would say Florida, with Key West and all, but it's not," continued Dad. Everywhere you turn, people are having fun.
The fun is not limited to families, though. The restaurant is often "full of brass," Nicol tells us when he's talking about meetings and going-away parties at Nicolletti's for military types from Patuxent River Naval Air Station and elsewhere. Other groups, such as a local chiropractic practice, celebrate birthdays and holiday luncheons at Nicolletti's, he said.
Here's the way it works at Nicolletti's: You walk in, place your order at the counter and get your drink cups. You fill up your drinks and grab a table and eventually a server delivers your order.
Nicolletti's has more than 25 types of subs for $4.49 each. They run the gamut from meatball and cheese to eggplant and tuna. Rolls are homemade, as are all the entrees.
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There are a lot of pizza choices. Regular pizza costs $6.45 for a small pie, $7.65 for medium and $9.65 for large. White pizza, made with four cheeses, garlic and oregano, runs $8.25, $10.95 and $12.55. Special pizzas like Letti Luau (a Hawaiian blend of pineapple and ham) and Mexican Madness (a combination of ground beef, and cheddar, provolone and mozzarella cheeses) also are available.
Nicolletti's is a family place that provides books and toys for kids to enjoy while waiting for food or when they've finished eating and the adults just want to sit back for a minute.
The staff is like family, too. Three of the managers -- Cedric Kelly, Tammy Jordan and LaWanda Somerville -- have been with Nicolletti's for more than 15 years.
Nicolletti's offers good, dependable food at reasonable prices in a family-friendly atmosphere.
The southernmost state, by the way, is Hawaii.
Hayden Lehman, 2, of Lexington Park, has no trouble handling his own slice of pizza during lunch at Nicolletti's.Customer Cheryl Blazer, of Great Mills, partakes of Nicolletti Pizza's large salad bar. The California restaurant also serves classic Italian entrees.
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