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 SARAH L. BANACH Casa de Pasta
Address:
125 Bemis St., Canandaigua. |
'Amore' at first bite at Casa de Pasta
By Diana Louise Carter
Democrat
and Chronicle
(September 21, 2000) -- When I was a child, the back streets of Canandaigua contained hidden treasures.
One neighborhood grocery story was valuable to the whole Italian community for its broad selection of Italian cold cuts.
Canandaigua's Casa de Pasta fits this tradition, hidden away on Bemis Street yet satisfying diners from outside the neighborhood who love Italian food.
One night I spied a young Italian-American man take obvious pleasure in introducing his Asian girlfriend to food he loved, in between their frequent kisses.
Maybe it wasn't just amore in the air, but wonderful aromas. In any case, Casa de Pasta serves some of the best Italian food I've had in a long while. Its spaghetti sauce was thick without being pasty and was just tart enough.
Over an entree-sized appetizer of fried calamari ($6.25) my friends and I discussed how overcooking made one of us always avoid this dish and another very wary. By the time we had finished the discussion, every crispy morsel of tender, battered squid and most of the slices of hot banana peppers were gone.
I enjoyed the antipasto ($7.95) but wished that Macri's deli was still nearby to supply the cold cuts. The Sicilian salami was very good -- chunky texture and lively flavor. But a finer-ground salami and slices of provolone cheese were too bland. A flavorful selection of olives -- black, green and kalamata -- and fresh dollops of mozzarella almost made up for this problem.
House salads were crisp romaine, ripe tomatoes and crunchy croutons with excellent dressings: Poppyseed was sweet without cloying.
Soups (you get a choice of soup or salad with entrees) were too thick for my tastes, but both the New England Clam Chowder and Italian Chicken Vegetable soups had wonderful flavors.
My favorite entree was braciole ($15.95) -- thin steak rolled around parmigiano cheese, prosciutto, hard-boiled egg and onions and topped with tomato sauce. This hearty dish was so expertly assembled that it held together when I cut it. The dish came with a side of penne in great sauce.
Shrimp Scampi was five jumbo shrimp served in a garlicky and buttery wine sauce with linguine cooked al dente.
Desserts were all good and artfully presented on giant plates. The lemon ice ($3.25) was crisp, tart and large enough to share. Carrot cake ($4.25) was moist, nutty and spicy; chocolate hazelnut cheesecake ($4.25) was creamy and studded with chopped nuts.
Our servers were well- practiced and made the meals run smoothly and pleasantly, even when the place was packed.
Rove those back streets of Canandaigua. You'll find Italian treasure.
Diana Louise Carter eats out anonymously.
