It was the start of the long holiday weekend, and after some big summer thunderstorms last night and earlier in the morning, the weather cleared and was perfect for outdoor dining. We walked over to try this new spot that's been open for just under a month now. To start, we shared the Fried Artichoke which was lightly coated in chickpea flower and served with aioli. The artichoke cap was pretty meaty and had slight bitter flavor. It was the perfect starter with our drinks: a Negroni Spritz for me and a glass of white wine for Keith. All their wine and negronis are "house" and served on tap. They also carry Peroni beer.
All of the pasta dishes sounded lovely, so we picked two to also share. Bucatini Cacio e Pepe was classic - lots of butter and cheese, but we felt it could have used a tad more black pepper. The Spaghettini & Colatura was a simple preparation of anchovy paste, garlic, and olive oil with a whisper of red chili flake. It, too, was good - but next time, I would like to try one of the tomato-sauced dishes.
Lastly, we ordered the dessert of Zeppole served with lemon curd and sheep's milk ricotta. This dessert was so delicious! It was not overly sweet and had a subtle savory and herbaceous finish.
All in all we had a wonderful dinner on the patio at La Collina. We plan to return to this neighborhood spot regularly.
Total Rating: 4.25
Food: 4, Price: 4, Service: 5, Ambience: 5, Accessibility: 5
