ItaliYUM

Hey hey!

How was everyone’s Thursday evening? I hope you all got to enjoy the amazing weather-it was in the low 70′s and AHmazing out in Philly! Dinner was a total success at La Viola – I left 100% satisfied and did not feel overly full; just perfectly content.

When we arrived I started off with a piece of bread; it was warm, crusty and when dipped in the olive oil, was the perfect combo to start off the evening.

For my meal I had the Insalata di Arugula which came with tomatoes, artichokes, goat cheese and a lemon vinaigrette. It was a good salad; the arugula was spicy, the dressing was tangy and there was just enough goat cheese on top to get the creamy taste.

I also enjoyed some of the grilled calamari that was ordered for the table. One of my favorite salads is from a place in West Chester called Teca; it has grilled calamari on it so I was eager to try out this restaurant’s grilled calamari as well. It did not disappoint as you will see below:

*Although I do not eat meat, I am still eating seafood. I am making a gradual transition into vegetarianism and decided that I was not ready to give up my love of sushi and fresh seafood!

For my main course I went with one of the chef’s specials. The menu looked tasty and they had plenty of veggie options but usually when the chef of a restaurant takes the time to create specials, they are gonna be good. I chose the homemade fettuccine pasta with peas, baby clams and shrimp  finished with a light marinara sauce.

This dish was fantastic! The marinara sauce was fresh tasting and and a little zing of spice in each bite. The clams were piping hot and salty. My favorite part by far was the pasta itself. I am a whole wheat noodle kinda gal but when I say this pasta was heaven, I mean it.

It was heavy on the fork yet light and fluffy once you took a bite. The chef cooked it perfectly and probably took a lot of care into making it. I really appreciate a good meal and La Viola came through!

The night would not have been complete without some dessert! The table shared some of the restaurant’s fresh homemade Tiramisu! I had a few bites; not a favorite dessert of mine but it was delicious. Clearly you will be able to tell this from my picture-it was devoured in minutes!

Throughout the night I sipped on 2 glasses of red wine-I brought my red from March’s wine of the month delivery. It was a Zinfandel and went well with the meal.

Overall I would give La Viola a BIG thumbs up! The prices were low for the quality of food and atmosphere of the restaurant. The wait staff was very attentive. The only negative thing I would say is that it was a bit small and cramped. It was worth it though .

B and I ended the night with a few other by grabbing a drink (or two) at the Public House. All in all the night was a blast and just what I needed to kick off the weekend. I’ll see you all later today for Kombucha Friday!

ta-ta!

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