jin loves to eat: La Grotta Cucina Italiana ♥ ♥

Monday, June 27, 2011

La Grotta Cucina Italiana ♥ ♥

And The Fatterside gathers again for another birthday celebration.

Actually, 3 birthday celebrations.

We occupy 3/4 of the small, cozy restaurant. I guess the servers are not so used to such a big group they mix up our orders a few times and some dishes take forever to arrive.
The place is perfect for dates and intimate dinners though.

I am too lazy and too busy eating to stand up and walk 3 steps to the oldies table to take pictures of their food, so I’m only showing you the plates from our kiddie table.

We warm up our stomachs with some light antipasti:

Prosciutto Melone – parma ham with sweet melon

Prosciutto E Buffala – parma ham and fresh buffalo cheese

Grand Antipasto Di Mare – crab meat, sardines, smoked salmon and seafood salad.
Love the olives and smoked salmon.

Then we start our major carbo-loading:

Linguine Alla Vongole – linguine mixed with clams and garlic in white wine sauce.
Good but a bit too salty.

Spaghetti Maremana Rosso – spaghetti with fresh seafood and basil in tomato sauce.
Just okay.

Raviolo Porcini – mushroom-filled ravioli in funghi cream sauce.
How can you go wrong with mushrooms and cream?

Ravioli Di Spinachi – spinach-filled ravioli with ricotta cheese in light tomato cream sauce.
Gone before I am able to try. Sorry.

Penne Salsiccie – penne with spicy Italian sausage, fresh mixed olives in tomato sauce.
Beautiful flavors.

Tagliatelle Di Tartufo Crudo – flat pasta mixed with porcini topped with parma ham
in truffle cream sauce. Major truffleness. My favorite of all!

Risotto Finanziera – Italian rice with chicken, mushroom and mascarpone cheese.
Too bland and heavy. Not a fan.

Not that the pastas and risotto are not enough, but we feel we need to carbo-load in the form of pizzas, too.

Quattro Stagioni - herbs, salami, prosciutto, mushroom and artichoke

Bianca - ricotta cheese, gorgonzola cheese, prosciutto and Galvani mozzarella

Calabrese Piccanti - tomato, cheese, onion and spicy Italian sausage

All 3 pies are just alright, really nothing to write home about, maybe even a bit disappointing. Next time we’ll carbo-load with just the pastas.

To balance off our meal, we order some proteins.

Grigliatta Di Pescatore - grilled mixed lobster, tuna, king prawns and squid
Nicely seasoned but just a tad overcooked.

Stinco All Brasato – braised lamb shank in herbs, red wine bed in mashed potato
Rich and delicious.

Rib-Eye Bistecca – Angus US ribeye steak grilled and marinated in herbs and served with spinach salad and mashed potato. Tender and beefy. But where is my spinach salad and mashed potato?

I thought this was some kind creamy dessert.
Turns out to be mushroom sauce for the steak. Haha!
(And also the sauce for all mushroom cream-based pastas)