REVIEWS/COMMENTS:

The words below,
appeared in the February 4, 2005
issue of the Yale Daily News, and were written by Kevin Roe:
"The cuisine, as the wait staff will cheerfully and knowledgeably explain, is southern Italian, and southern Italian cuisine, as almost any food lover will tell you, is delicious. "

The "piccoli piatti" or small plates range from the self-explanatory grilled jumbo shrimp on a rosemary skewer ($9) to the intriguing ricotta di' Natale ($8), which, as the menu explains, is "hand-packed ricotta cheese, lightly toasted shaved almonds and berries, drizzled with Italian chestnut honey."

As good as this sounded, I was in the mood for something a little less sweet, so I opted for the calamari fritti with two sauces ($9). These golden-brown little rings are peppery and delicious. Your waiter will assure you that they are so good because they are fried in organic sunflower oil. I assure you that I don't care what they fry them in, so long as they keep it up. You can't go wrong with either of the titular sauces, a creamy, tangy lemon aioli and a spicy, chunky marinara.

The pasta dishes are even more impressive than the starters. The penne arrabbiata ($14) is penne pasta served in a spicy sauce made with peppers and red wine. The flavors of tomatoes and basil come through clearly, followed quickly by the heat of cherry peppers.

Even better, however, is the farfalle funghi ($16). As the menu matter-of-factly explains, bowtie pasta is tossed in a "light sauce of button, cremini and portobello mushrooms; prosciutto; cream; and white wine." They apparently neglected to include in this list whatever magic powder the chef adds to make this dish so delectable. Perhaps revealing the secret was prohibited in his pact with the devil. The mushrooms are terrific, and the prosciutto is good enough to eat on its own. Many white sauces are far too rich and heavy, but this one is light and airy, which enabled me to eat almost all of it. Don't miss this dish.

March 23, 2008

Claire,

Lunch today was a DELIGHT.  Frank and I ate our hearts out – the food was fantastic, the service magnificent.  Kudos to Serge and Amy in particular, and many thanks to you.  We left full – hearts, souls, and stomachs alike.

m