I’d been attempting pasta all week, and turning out rubbery strips with more bounce and heft than seemed appropriate. Eventually, we were ready for a bowl of the more ordinary variety, which is exactly what we got at Strega Nona. The menu’s been streamlined since the restaurant opened in the spring, but the general effect–dishes more interesting on paper than on the plate–remains the same.
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Bruschettone: Hearty grilled bread sounds like such a charming way to warm up to dinner, but the actuality is closer to one of those giant heroes delis like to whip up for the gang. The toppings tend to be tasty, but the task of slicing up the squishy sandwich daunting. Too much and too much work before dinner.
Grilled shrimp and calamari: More multiple choice. Decent calamari and shrimp lounge around trying to choode among self-styled pestos–one olivey, one tomatoey, one standard basil. No need to agonize, they’re all pretty good.
Flat crisps: Looks like someone got out all the ingredients for an appetizer, and then the phone rang.A little pool of red pepper paste over here, some spinach over there, several blocks of unimproved feta stacked in the middle. Kind of reminds you of the Italian flag, kind of reminds you of Italian food. The caraway and cumin in the peppers confuse things, however, which apparently is the idea behind the food here. Italian-ish multiculti.
