Driving up Centre Street, a massive brick restaurant looms over the street. From the outside it looks like a cross between a motel and a funeral parlour, but inside La Casa D’Italia, the food and room have a certain je ne sais quoi that has attracted diners for decades.
Visiting on a Tuesday night, my boyfriend and I are warmly greeted by Casa’s hostess and led into a large wood-panelled room. Adorned with photos of Italy and a brick wood-burning fireplace, the space is charmingly old-school and definitely cozy on this brisk fall night.
Taking our seats, we survey the drink menu and find a decent selection of cocktails, martinis and wines. I settle on The 4 Old Guys Sangiovese ($8 per glass), an easy-to-drink table wine that goes well with pasta.
To start, we order the insalata alla Cesare ($6.95). Arriving at the table it looks like your typical Caesar salad, but as we take our first bites, the romaine leaves spring to life thanks to an outstanding homemade dressing. Creamy, with hints of Dijon, the traditional dressing has a velvety-thick texture. Topped with homemade croutons and dusted with Parmesan, it’s a great beginning.
On the side, we have the house bruschetta ($3.50). The recipe is simple but classically tasty, with fresh tomatoes, diced garlic and olive oil atop a soft yet crisp crostini.
Finishing our starters, we try one of owner Nick Ricioppo’s specialties, the gamberi vodka ($10.50) — a dish of fresh prawns served in a vodka, wine and lemon butter sauce. The sauce is sublime, with a nice pop of citrus and a rich buttery smoothness that is pleasantly restrained by the vodka. Served with bites of garlic bread, this sauce is perfect for dipping.
For his main, my boyfriend has the Pollo Gorgonzola ($23.95), a chicken dish that, according to the menu, is “inspired by our good friend and customer Lois.” Prepared with a generous amount of rich and creamy Gorgonzola sauce, the flattened chicken is tender and works well with the flavour of the mild blue cheese sauce. Accompanying the chicken are crisp roasted potatoes and fresh green beans and carrots.
I order the spaghetti con polpette (spaghetti and meatballs, $17.95).
The meatballs are fantastic. Packed with flavour, these little wonders are crispy on the outside and soft and moist in the middle. The pasta is perfectly al dente with a tomato sauce that comes close to being a rosé. I usually prefer a straight-up marinara, but this combination works.
Approached by our hostess near the end of our meal, we’re asked if everything is to our liking. Indeed it is. The service is professional and courteous, the food is classically delicious and the surroundings are charming.
Now if you’ll excuse me from the table, I’m off to get married. See you in a month.
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officematt2002 wrote:
on Sep 23rd, 2010 at 10:27pm Report Abuse
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