I was invited out to a wonderful Italian dinner at Casa Nonna in New York City. I love Italian food and I was excited to try a place I had never been to before.
We started off at the bar while we waited for our table to be ready. I ordered a Bellini Classico. This was a traditional peach Bellini. They used peach nectar and caposaldo Prosecco. It was tasty. The peach flavor was strong but not overpowering. I ended up have a few more that night.
When we were walking to the table I noticed the wood fire oven in the open kitchen.
I also was mesmerized by all the artwork they had on the wall. It was all perfectly in place.
While I looked over the menu, the waiter brought out some homemade crackers. They had melted Parmesan cheese on top. There was also a slight spicy taste to these crackers that I was not expecting. They were really addicting to eat.
We started off with some appetizers to share family style with the table. The Mozzarella Carrozza was some of the creamiest cheese I have ever had. The buffalo mozzarella was also super soft. Included on the plate were heirloom cherry tomatoes and a basil pesto. The tomatoes were very sweet and tasted almost like sweet peppers.
The Calamari Fritti was classic fried calamari that was tossed with julienne vegetables that were also lightly breaded and fried. They used peppers and zucchini. The breading was the right amount so that it would add a little crunch. They served a lemon-chive aioli on the side. It had a nice tangy taste, but I preferred the calamari plain.
The last appetizer out was the Polpettine. These were beef and pork meatballs with ricotta cheese on the side and covered in a pomodoro sauce. The meatballs were light, tender, and moist. Exactly what I am looking for in meatballs. The ricotta cheese added an overall creaminess to the sauce.
For my dinner I ordered the Truffle Ricotta Gnocchi. I absolutely love gnocchi, so I could not wait to try theirs. I could smell the truffles as soon as the plate was placed in front of me. The gnocchi were in a white wine garlic parmesan sauce. It was savory and totally delicious. Tossed in with the sauce were wild mushrooms and fava beans. The beans added a creamy texture. These were some of the best gnocchi that I have had in a long time.
Since we filled up on so many appetizers as well as our main dishes, there was no room for dessert. I will have to go back just to try them. This was an amazing restaurant filled with classic Italian dishes. I would recommend this place to everyone.
Check them out at www.casanonna.com
Enjoy!
T
