My husband and I have been together a very long time and he is a very thoughtful partner.  Anticipating a week that he was going to be out of town, he asked me out for a Saturday night date.  It was a tough decision to figure out where we wanted to go.  We have a long list of  “want to” visits.

Every so often, we get a yearning for real Italian food.  By “real” I mean, not the Olive Garden version, that was in fact lined up out the door as we drove by.  There are many authentic Italian restaurants in the city but one of our favourites has become Casa Grande on Sargent Ave.  Our youngest was jealous when she heard our destination because it is her and the Frenchman’s “place”.

We were escorted to the second floor which I recall from long ago being more like an eating balcony.  Our server was over quickly to light our Chianti bottle candle and offer us the menu.

The Frenchman had suggested their house wine which was Giacondi Sangiovese Merlot.  I am not accustomed to many Italian merlots but found it to be a lovely dry, earthy flavour to offset our menu selections.

I started with the antipasto plate which was little morsels of capicola, salami, a firm and nutty cheese, tomato, olives and an extra dose of marinated eggplant with a liberal sprinkling of red pepper flakes.

D had a light Italian salad including shards of what I thought might be the same cheese.

Both were served with garlic toast that we used like crostini as we placed our antipasto treats atop of the crunchy, garlicky bread.

I knew that I was going to select the seafood spaghetti but did not know if I should choose the mussels, clams, scallops or shrimp.  As I often like to do, I let our server decide for me and I was delighted by the buttery fresh clams that arrived still on the half shell.  The unadorned spaghetti with a simple garlic and olive oil toss was perfectly satisfying without being overwhelming.

D on the other hand, might have been overwhelmed. Daughter #2 suggested that he order the carbonara and even though it was not the tradition recipe that we are accustomed to, he was delighted with the addition of a cream sauce, mushrooms and caramelized onions.  The pancetta added richness to an already rich concoction but he loved every single bite.  It did mean that we had to go for a long walk when we got home, but that was not an issue.  It was a beautiful evening, the sun was setting and we love our neighbourhood.

Kaths quote: “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.”-Sophia Loren

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