I’m always wary of trying Italian restaurants. It’s hard for me to sit through Italian ‘imitation’ meals when I know what the real thing tastes like.
My grandmother is full-blooded Italian and has the culinary skills to prove it. Every time I go to her house, her kitchen is in overdrive producing homemade Italian delicacies. She has spoiled me with savory hand-made potato gnocchi, hearty meat lasagnas and complex spaghetti dishes.
Despite my background, I still decided to try the new Italian restaurant on the corner of Caddo St. and 27th, Little Italy. I was encouraged in my endeavor when I found out that Little Italy is family owned and operated by a genuine Italian family, the Maksuti’s.
I decided to take in the lunch dining experience. I was greeted when I walked in by a friendly waitress who seated me facing the far wall on which a mural had been painted of a picturesque Italian countryside. The waitress took my drink order and then I perused the menu.
The menu consisted of some dishes that are typical of many ‘imitation’ Italian restaurants such as mozzarella sticks, spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna and shrimp alfredo; but I also saw dishes that are not typically offered at such restaurants.
Fettuccine carbouara, rigatoni arabiata, seafood tuttomare and veal options were among some of the unique dishes I found on the menu. The menu also offers eggplant vegetarian options, specialty pizzas, sub sandwiches and desserts.
I asked the waitress about any specials, and she pointed me to the lunch menu. The lunch menu looked very impressive. Dishes such as cannelloni, baked tortellini, manicotti and baked ziti beckoned to me from it, and I finally decided on the baked ziti.
If you know anything about baked ziti, you know that it is an easy dish to oversimplify. It’s easy for ‘imitation’ Italian restaurants to throw sticky pasta, tasteless tomato sauce and cheese into a pan and try to pass it as baked ziti.
Little Italy did not disappoint me. In fact, the baked ziti was rival to my grandmother’s. The dish consisted of perfectly cooked penne rigate pasta that was mixed with a tangy tomato sauce and soft ricotta cheese. Coating the top of this delicious combination was melty mozzerella cheese.
Served alongside my baked ziti were soft, buttery dinner rolls served with marinara sauce and a tossed salad.
Everything was extremely scrumptious. My grandmother would be impressed with the amount of effort that Little Italy puts into its meals. I can’t wait to go back and try more of the dishes.
The price was reasonable, too. My meal only cost $7.60 with tax included. Dinner entrees are a little more pricey running $8.95 for most chicken dishes and $11.95 for the shrimp alfredo, but if they taste anything like the baked ziti, they’re worth it.
Little Italy is opened 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. It is worth checking out.
