MODESTO'S,

It's a strange sensation to open a menu for a "pizza and pasta family restaurant" and find five Mexican specialties among the entrees. So it was with some trepidation that we approached dinner at Modesto's, located in a tiny strip mall in Westerly. We needn't have worried. For an Italian place to succeed in this part of South County, it must have the knack of cooking cappellini al dente and making a mean fra diavolo sauce. Bill's entree proved the mettle of Modesto's cooks on both counts. But prior to his lip-smacking response to that, we dove into a small pizza alla putanesca ($8.95). Thin crust, delicious tomato sauce, plenty of cheese, extremely generous toppings of black and green olive chunks, a few capers, pieces of fresh garlic and mucho anchovies. Isn't it fortunate that we share a fondness for the latter two? It turns out that Modesto Moran arrived in New York at 17, fresh from his hometown of Puebla, Mexico. He worked as a dishwasher, then a cook. He eventually landed in a French restaurant, and then an Italian one, where he fell in love with the cuisine and opened the first Modesto's in Franklin, Connecticut, more than 15 years ago. In 1993, he expanded to Westerly, bringing family members into the business, first his younger brothers and eventually his own teenagers. He now also has restaurants in the Connecticut towns of Colchester and Cromwell.

Full review.