Friday, March 18, 2011

Savelli's, "La famiglia è la patria del cuore!"

"Your family is the homeland of your heart," and, oh how true this is. When I found this little gem of a Italian spot, I was immediately taken back to the small Italian cafe, (La Tee Da) in New York I used to cook in. The family atmosphere, dim lighting, checkered tablecloths, maps of Italy on the paper place mats, garlic perfumed air and perfectly attentive wait staff made me feel so cozy and comfortable, like I was sitting down to a meal at a close friend's house. It also made me very emotional, as this week I got the worst news possible; the beautiful Italian woman who taught me to cook and ran that small Italian cafe passed away from the late stages of Cancer. So, this meal brought tears to my eyes and a smile to my face, as I was completely revisited by the heart warming family-feel of such a wonderful little restaurant. 
By the smell in the air I knew the food couldn't be bad, or at least it was going to have enough garlic and onion in it to make it just my style. After hearing the huge list of specials our waitress (who was in a picture with her parents on the wall...awwww!) recommended the meatballs...which I LOVED, because I have never been recommended meatballs. And, they were perfect. Not too dense, not mealy, seasoned just right, and made the perfect addition for the cannelloni and antipasti plates my hubby and I demolished. I was also amazed at the huge menu this place has. I mean, probably the better side of 50 items... which for such a small space tells me that they know what they're doing. Truthfully, it was a tough call between the calzone and the cannelloni, but I stand by my decision. And, it was AWESOME! It tasted like a sweet old, chubby Italian grandma with huge glasses and a dress with an apron over it dished it up just for me. (I'm also imagining some hand-gestures of approval.)
Service note: Tons of food appeared in almost no time...i'm talking fast service, and there was probably at least 5 other tables of people. A+ from the peanut gallery on this one.
Back to the food. There was doughy, yeasty garlic knots, bowls of fresh simple homemade sauce (YES, I can tell when sauce is homemade...Just try me!), chopped flat leaf parsley, parmesan and fresh gooey mozzarella spread from one end of our table to the other. It was like a scene out of The Godfather... pure indulgence of the Italian type.
We also sat next to a large party of people who brought in their own bottles of wine and were gushing about how wonderful it is that there was no corking fee- Sounds like a plus to me! 
Oh, so after looking back at these pictures of my dish, I think they look kinda gross at first glance, but if you look REAL hard you can see that they are full of love and sauce and cheese and family. Just like a good Italian restaurant should be. 
I'd like to dedicate this entry to Mary Tomaselli, an amazing woman who took the time to show me how to truly appreciate Italian food, and it's simple beautiful ingredients. She will live forever in my heart, and my cooking.
Rest In Peace Mary, I love you.
Colleen's yummy food rating: 5/5.
No website (COOL!) but, here's how to find them.