Recently, a local magazine suggested that Italian food was not hot, as in no longer popular. Amazing! Talk about being out of touch with reality. When the canals in Venice are paved over in concrete, I will bow to the possibility that Italian food is over the hill.
Right after I read the big news that Italian food was headed south, I had this incredible craving for a big bowl of pasta, so I made a beeline for Rosebud on Rush. Straight away, I ordered the rigatoni alla vodka. One bite of that incredibly delicious pasta, the silky marinara sauce lavished with the luxurious touch of mascarpone cheese, convinced me that all was well with cucina Italia. This was pure bliss in every bite.
I took a good look around. It seems that nobody told those hundreds of people that I saw chowing down that Italian food was "out." Sorry, magazine folks, but I am not buying the demise of Italian food.
I make no bones about it: I love the way Rosebud does Italian food. It is no great revelation that the key to the success of any restaurant is consistency. And the way I eat it, consistency--the quality and goodness of the food time after time--is what separates the winners from the losers.
One more important point. Italian restaurants that last know who they are and who their core customers are. In other words, no surprises. The menu (for the most part) is written in stone. These are dishes that have proved their worth over the years, so why change? Daily specials are, more or less, a token to the chef to spur his or her creative juices.
The grigliato is a good way to start at Rosebud. The large oval platter teems with the likes of shrimp, calamari and octopus. This trio of seafood, all nicely grilled, is anointed with olive oil and sprinkled with red and yellow bell peppers. Nothing fancy, just straightaway good eating and plenty to go around, so plan on splitting the dish two or three ways.
The awesome portion of fried calamari, is, without a doubt, some of the best fried calamari in town. Tender rings of golden baby squid are piled high on the platter, and these are so good they go down as easy as popcorn.
Splitting the chopped salad is practically a must. This salad overflows with shrimp (three jumbo), chopped romaine lettuce, carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, onions, olives and garbanzos. A light herb vinaigrette is the dressing that drives the tastes home, and it is a smooth ride all the way.
Totally enjoyable is the cavatelli al forno. The cavatelli, small pasta "dumplings" (handmade at Rosebud), are made with ricotta cheese, which gives them a tender, pleasing chew. The dumplings are then baked in a marinara sauce with a "blend of imported cheeses."
One of the pasta specials one night was a lavish and lively combination of linguine in a garlic and olive oil sauce with asparagus (as thin as reeds and perfectly cooked), artichoke hearts, sliced cherry tomatoes and three wonderful jumbo shrimp.
Despite orders from my doctor to watch the cream sauces, I just could not pass up the fusilli carbonara. What a fine dish of pasta this was. The perfectly al dente pasta, coated lavishly with a Parmesan cream sauce, mingled with chips of prosciutto, peas and mushrooms. This is a very rich pasta dish, and the idea of finishing the entire portion was beyond even my prodigious appetite, so half of it went home with me.
A number of seafood dishes on the menu come with pasta, but the announced fish of the day (pesce del giorno) was styled a bit differently, though still with an Italian flair. One evening it was a fine fillet of halibut that was dressed with a light sauce (garlic with white wine reduction) infused with fresh oregano. All was well with the accompanying vinegar peppers (bell peppers), but the chunks of oven-roasted potatoes were dry and practically flavorless.
There are no fewer than six chicken creations to consider, but one that should not be missed is the pollo Milanese. Picture this: A large oval platter has "bookends" of pounded, lightly breaded and pan-fried chicken breasts that are tender from the pounding, but more important they are flavorful and incredibly delicious. Nesting between those fillets of chicken is a salad of arugula, fresh basil, tomato and onion that has been misted with a light vinaigrette. It doesn't get much better than this.
Desserts move a bit beyond the usual Italian repertoire. Yes, there is a tiramisu, and this is one of the better versions around. And one night a special dessert, brownie a la mode, was tried. Not too bad. The brownie was more of a cake texture than the usual fudgy approach, but the chocolate sauce sluiced around the brownie was great and so was the rich vanilla ice cream. However, if you want something light, have the simple and cooling pistachio gelato.
Pat Bruno is a local free-lance writer, critic and author.