NOW CLOSED...Formerly: The oversize wooden wine cases that frame La Strada's stately reception area give a fair assessment of this restaurant's essence: copious amounts of upscale Italian comfort food downed with good wine.
The dining area decor is a bit stale; stark white linens and dull upholstery beget a stuffiness that seems counter-intuitive to the food. This air falls away as soon as you start eating, which is immediately; piles of crusty bread are presented with olive oils, tomato butter and freshly roasted garlic, assuring that you'll be full before you even order. La Strada packs 'em in for a nightly pre-theatre menu served between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., with three courses for a very affordable $32 (not including wine and gratuities). Start with a classic minestrone soup, house salad or the eggplant involtini. Entrees included are a survey of the best of La Strada's menu, including a pan-roasted wild salmon, a tender veal scaloppini piccata, and a classic take on spaghetti and meatballs. Finish off with a cannoli cake—sponge cake with ricotta, chocolate chips and pistachio—before rushing off to make the opening curtain.
The regular dinner menu is heavy on traditional fare ($22-56); a regional pasta selection spans the whole of the boot with portions big enough to share. Baby lamb chops and steaks make their way from the grill, while the La Strada Entree Specialties menu fills in with favorites like blackened sea scallops served over a bed of fettuccini alfredo. The appetizer menu performs well with Italian standards; an earthy medley of crimini, shitake and portobello mushrooms come together for the mushroom trifolate; delicate prosciutto di parma is draped over fresh melon; and of course, heaping piles of mussels are drizzled in an herb-infused wine sauce. Built to complement the diverse menu, La Strada's wine list offers almost every bottle by the glass. If you're unsure, go for the house Chianti; as affordable as it is tasty, this Tuscan vino will work with whatever you order.
Reviewed By: K. Tighe
