So if you have been reading my blog lately you will see that I have been on an Italian food kick during my travels. There is something about Italian food that is comforting and is a great go to meal.
While visiting New York again I went to a wonderful Italian restaurant called Villa Berulia. It was a quaint place that was actually much larger inside than it appeared outside.
I started off with a glass of Merlot as I looked over the menu. I also enjoyed the fresh made garlic bread. The bread was loaded with garlic and had a nice crunch.
There were many Italian favorites to choose from. It really came down to what sounded the most intriguing. There were two appetizers that I ordered for the table. I thought these would be great start to the meal. The Clams Oreganata sounded really delicious and not something that I had before.
These are clams that are sprinkled with seasoned breadcrumbs and then baked till crispy on top. These little morsels were so tasty. The clams were tender and full of oregano flavor.
The other appetizer was fresh avocado slices that were topped with fresh crab and shrimp. The avocado was soft and creamy. It went really well with the sweet lump crab meat. The shrimp were tender and sweet too. The combination of ingredients worked perfectly together.
For my main dish I ordered the chicken picatta. The chicken was thinly sliced and lightly breaded. Even with as thin as the chicken was it remained juicy and tender. The overall flavor of the dish was rich and savory thanks to the wonderful sauce that was poured over the chicken. There were a few capers in the sauce that added a slight salty taste when they were part of the bite.
There was a pasta that came of the side. It was chopped up into bite size pieces which made it a little easier to eat. It was only in garlic butter but there was enough of the sauce from the chicken that I was able to mix in the pasta. It was really good and could have been a dish on its own.
I was able to save a little room for dessert, especially when they rolled out an entire cart.
I had to go after the red velvet cake. It was a huge slice that luckily I was able to share with the table.
The cake was moist but slightly dense. It had a rich velvet texture. The cream cheese frosting was sweet and extremely creamy. It was slightly on the thick side. It went perfect with the coffee and Baileys that I ordered.
This was a great restaurant and I would definitely want to go back for another meal. Check them out at www.villaberulia.com
Enjoy!
T
