Taste of the Week - July 12-18

Veal parmiggiana is one of those dishes that has  over time became commonplace, mundane and even a little bit of a cliche - that is until one has one done well, in which case, one can begin to understand what made the dish popular in the first place. I had such an example of veal parm this week at a wonderful, little. hole-in-the-wall, local restaurant called Cafe Lazio, owned and run by Adriano DiMario, a ntive of the region surrounding Rome. At Cafe Lazio, the menu is not extensive, but the food is fresh, well-prepared, extremely tasty and a super value. The veal was hand cut and pounded, a generous portion enhanced by just the right amount of molten mozzarella and a perfectly complementary marinara sauce. It came with a small dish of penne with the same marinara on the side. The meal hit the spot and reawakened fond memories of an otherwise oft abused dish. All the other dishes my family had that evening including a calamari with spaghetti "Fra Diavolo" and Cappelini with mussels, olive oil and garlic were also excellent.

Chef/Owner Adriano DiMario