Best Take-out Italian in Greater Lowell?

[Dinsdale45]

The women of the house are all Italian food freaks but we hate the weekend crowds and hassles of eating out with children, so usually do take-out. We're tired of Bertucci's, and they've gone downhill, IMO. Where can I get above average Italian food in the Merrimack Valley, preferably closer to Lowell? Non-standard offerings, good value is a plus.

[greygarious]

The Sal's Just Pizza on 110 in Chelmsford at the Rt 3 ramp is also a branch of Mary's Pasta and Sandwiches. I was at a different Mary's a few years ago - they had heat&eat pans of lasagna, eggplant parm, etc., plus making other take-out dishes to order. As I recall, they were better than average, and reasonably priced.

Focaccia's at the junction of 38 and 129 in Wilmington is also pretty good, though it's been several years since I ate there last. They do a lot of takeout, and have a number of non-red sauce dishes. Ditto Cusato's in Tewksbury (or maybe Cusano's).

[three of us]

Cote's Market in Lowell gets raves for take-home-and-heat-and-eat. Not Italian especially but other good stuff.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/389777

[foodperv]

you may not want to hear it but......

the joke answer is move closer to boston
the real answer is move closer to boston
since movng up to this area in 2000 i have yet to find any place worth it
though if you like bertucci's try lui lui it is in nashua on the dan web hghwy on the left next to the mc donalds only 20 min drive at most

[Dinsdale45]

Does "closer to Boston" mean the North End?

There are some places like Cappelini's in Tewksbury and Bella Italia or Caffé Il Cipresso in Tyngsboro that some people around here like. I just want to know if the $16-20 entrees are worth it. I don't even know if Vincenzo's is still in business, but I heard that went downhill in recent years, too.

[greygarious]

I have not been to Capellini's and just once to Cafe Il Cipresso and Bella Italia, for early dinner. One of my pet peeves is when the pasta is not well-drained and it is my first test of an Italian restaurant. If they can't take the few extra seconds to let the water drip off, I won't be back. I don't think the customer should have to request this anymore than they should have to specify that they don't want flies in their soup. Both places failed - and neither was crowded, so the kitchen should not have been pressed for time. Food was nothing memorable, but I do recall that at CIC the tiramisu was a dried-out and obviously cut from a larger pre-fab pan of it that had been absorbing refrigerator odors for days on end. That said, it was just the once at each place and possibly each was having a bad day.