Casa Italiana: the house that flavor built

Why are we reviewing this restaurant?

We like small, family-owned neighborhood places that make things from scratch.

What’s on the menu?

For a little restaurant, Casa Italiana has a huge menu of Italian specialties.

They include pasta dishes — such as fettuccini, lasagna, linguini with clam sauce and baked manicotti — ranging in price from $7.95 for pasta marinara to $14.95 for veal parmigiana.

Dinners are served with soup or salad and crusty garlic bread, and you can have your choice of pasta on dishes such as chicken parmigiana.

Pizzas, with all your favorite toppings, range from $10.95 for a small Margherita to $18.95 for a Big Daddy with 10 toppings. Calzones and stromboli are $6.95 and would easily feed two if you add side salads.

There’s also a wide variety of sandwiches and subs in the $6 to $8 range, and hamburgers and melts served with french fries, in the $7-to-$8 range.

Appetizers and salads round out the menu and fit any budget. A side of meatballs is $3.25 and a serving of mussels is $8.95.

A small garden salad laced with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, black olive and cheese is $4, while a large Greek salad is $7.95.

What did you eat?

On the night we visited, we started with an appetizer of mozzarella marinara. This is not your average serving of wimpy mozzarella sticks.

A hefty block of cheese was breaded and fried, and topped with Casa Italiana’s signature marinara sauce and MORE CHEESE. It was decadent — rich and creamy and perfect dabbed on a piece of garlic toast.

My friend loves chicken parmigiana. I’ve seen him order it maybe a half-dozen times, and Casa Italiana’s looked the best of the bunch. A huge chicken breast was flattened slightly and fried crispy, and it was served just the way he likes it — with the sauce on the side so the chicken doesn’t get soggy. It was topped generously with fresh Parmesan and the pasta (he chose fettucini) was pronounced cooked a perfect al dente.

I was in the mood for pizza, so I tried my favorite: white pizza. Casa Italiana tops theirs with ricotta, mozzarella, spinach and broccoli. I couldn’t tell if the broccoli was fresh or frozen, and if you can’t tell, well, it doesn’t matter. One thing you could tell right off was that the crust was fresh and homemade. It was yeasty and crusty, not too thin or thick. Bravo! The small pie was enough for two people, and half of it went home for lunch (or a midnight snack).

We didn’t have room for dessert, but the offerings are cannoli, New York cheesecake and homemade tiramisu, which I plan to try on my next visit.

How was the service?

Casa Italiana is small enough for a staff of two, the cook and the server, and the service gets an A-plus. Everything from the menu to the munchies to the entrees to the bill were delivered promptly by our friendly and knowledgeable server.

How was the décor?

In a word — charming, with lovely touches of colorful decorations. (Check out the really cool bunch-of-grapes lights.)

Is the restaurant family friendly?

There’s no special kids’ menu, but by its nature, Italian food is kid-friendly, with the pizzas, pastas and sandwiches.

What was our verdict?

Casa Italiana is a good value, because the food is satisfying and the servings gracious enough for a second meal the next day (or that naughty midnight snack).

Does the restaurant have a meal deal or coupon?

n Celebrating its second anniversary Friday (July 24) with specials; check Web site for details

n VIP Guest Program (reward points and special offers)