after dinner sneeze

t says:  We went to Alla Spina with k and cm and another friend, super-excited to try out some Vetri-sanctioned food without having to pay for “the meal of our lives”.  But don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t expecting dishes like from our most recent visit to Vetri, rather, playful almost-finger-food-like dishes meant to be shared and enjoyed in a bar-like atmosphere.  Let’s see how they did.

April 2012, Friday Dinner, Party of 5.  This is going to be short – and not because I’m lazy.  There were just too many dishes on the table (cm used his elephant-like memory and did the ordering) and my own memory has faded some.  Be that as it may, here are the highlights:
-Mushrooms: yea, that’s right – “mushrooms”.  But not just any “mushrooms” – these mushrooms are what I imagine Zeus would have been served had he ever wanted “mushrooms”.  They were crispy and oh-so-delicious – so much so that g ate them.  I’m serious.  This is huge!  g only eats mushrooms in her mom’s Thanksgiving stuffing.  Trust me – these will be a must-order if/when we go again.

the puffed pastry thing on the left is the pig pot pie

-Pig Pot Pie: This was my favorite.  It seriously made me wonder why on earth anyone would ever use chicken ever again!  Imagine a chicken pot pie, but take out the often-overcooked chicken and replace it with succulent pig meat.  Furthermore, I suspect the sauce was made far more flavorful by addition of some pig fat.  You’re reading it here: I’m swearing off chicken pot pie – Alla Spina has ruined them for me forever.

la-zag-na

-Lasagna: Everyone else’s fave was the lasagna.  (I suspect it’s because they are wimps.)  It’s no surprise that a Vetri-associated restaurant can make lasagna …  Everything was done right even the sauce/gravy!  Amazing!

The biggest letdown of the night was most likely this sucker right here:

bacon chocolate sundae

This dessert turned out to be a little hokey.  Those chocolate stick-looking things were chocolate-covered bacon … so there was no bacon anywhere else.  Boooooooo.  The rest of the sundae was unremarkable.  This kinda made me sad – I think I might have pouted a little.

Another shortcoming of Alla Spina was the horrendous wine list: a red (Nebbiolo), a white, and a bubbly … and that’s it.  Sure, there were lots of beers, but for the bubble-intolerant, you’re S.O.L..  I understand if they want to avoid the “stuffiness” of wine, but I firmly believe you’re going to have to pack at least 3 reds and 2 whites and a bubbly.  Come on, man!

Overall, we feel like Alla Spina is probably a good place for bar-like energy in a restaurant – and the food was pretty good for the most part.  Sure, Alla Spina’s gonna be a little pricey – not Vetri pricey, but pricey for a bar akin to how Amis is a bit pricey for “Italian food”.   Also, don’t forget that as you drink, you begin ordering more and more of these little plates, so that’s probably going to lend to a pretty large bill.  Finally, Alla Spina’s located kind of in the middle-of-nowhere (but Osteria and Route 6 are there!), so we won’t be there every weekend, but we’d be happy to go if anyone else suggests it!