(This looks like what I ate there, except the cheese was parmesean instead of goat cheese as pictured above. Sorry - couldn't find another image).Last night we headed to a quaint little cottage-like restaurant called La Spiga in celebration of the future bro-in-law's b-day. We were the first to arrive, but the parking lot of this converted house was so small that there were only about 3 stalls available when we pulled into their lot. So, be warned, parking spots are a rare find in this area!
The restaurant has a very quiet, romantic ambience, and the decor was quite upscale, and had the feel of old world elegance. The settings included a bread plate and appetizer fork, which indicated to us that this was no East-Side Mario's! ;) Our server came to ask us for our drink order about 10 seconds after he seated us, which is prompt (if not slightly over-enthusiastic) service. He came by again twice after the rest of the party arrived to take drink orders, and seemed slightly annoyed when only 2 out of the 6 of us ordered drinks (and of those, only the b-day boy ordered wine).
The menu was pretty extensive, and also pretty expensive. The first two pages were dedicated to salads and appetizers, but we already knew that the restaurant was the type that would not tolerate individuals ordering off the apps menus only. The other two pages, which were devoted to pastas and to other meat entrees, had a moderate selection of meals ranging in price from $18.00 to $34.00. For pasta, we thought $25 / plate seemed a little bit on the pricey side. We ordered our meals and Hubbs had a prawn fettucini in olive oil pesto, and I had spicy Italian sausage penne in a light marinara-esque sauce. After we placed our orders, we indulged in the slices of foccacia and oil and vinegar that was brought out for us. The bread was delicious and flavourful, as well as very dense and filling. Needless to say we didn't finish all the bread on the table.
When our meals arrived, we noted that the servings were quite generous, so much so that nobody at the table actually finished their entire meal. Most of us ate about half of what was served, and took the rest home as leftovers. My meal was quite tasty; the penne was a little more cooked than al dente (which I prefer), and the sauce was light enough not to be too "tomatoey." The sausage was quite spicy, but the dish as a whole was not, which I was a little bit disappointed by. My Hubbs thought his meal was excellent, and from the tastes I stole off his plate, his sauce definitely was spicier and more flavourful than mine.
After dinner, the table ordered coffees except for me, because the restaurant boasted that they served the best tiramisu in town; as such, I had to try it. It came served in a large martini glass, and had been chilled so that it didn't taste all warm and melted in my mouth. It was very rich and yet relatively light, and I told my hubby that it really was the best tiramisu I had ever tasted. He agreed. It was also a pretty good size, which meant that my already-full tummy prevented me from finishing the "best tiramisu in the city." I almost wanted to take the rest home in a doggy bag, but I felt that this might not have been the classiest move a girl could make in such a place.
We got our bill, which was far too pricey even for good pasta, and then proceeded to make our way home in the biggest rainstorm of the season.
Overall, La Spiga is a very good Italian restaurant to go to if you want to impress someone or it is a very special occasion worthy of justifying $25 dollar pasta dishes. It is also a great place to go to if you want to drink a lot of wine, or eat tasty bread with oil and vinegar, or have some quality tiramisu. It is not the best choice for Italian if you just want a quick, inexpensive dinner with no pressures to be up-sold on beverages or desserts: for those, perhaps you might consider going to La Spiga's more casual sister restaurant, Sicilian Pasta Kitchen.
Rating: 8 / 10
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