The latest incarnation of Foodies brought us to Livia’s Dish on Main Street, just outside of Webster Square. As with many of our gatherings, Livia’s Dish has been on my list of restaurants to visit, but for whatever reason, just haven’t been able to get to yet.
Located in a wonderfully renovated space, there are two dining areas. The lower level is an open and spacious room filled with light and very inviting and relaxing. Walk up a short flight of stairs to another dining area which shares space with a small, full service bar.
The menu is very interesting with a mix of Mediterranean and Italian dishes with a variety of appetizers, salads and main courses. There was plenty to choose from including a few daily specials and the Wednesday $5 Burgers.
Our server brought complimentary grilled homemade bread and hummus while we perused the menu. The hummus had a strong lemon-garlic flavor and the bread was fresh and well made. Another nice touch was the bottle of water that was on every table ensuring that we would never had to ask for a refill throughout the meal.
For my main course I ordered a salad topped with salmon and was assured by our server it will be plenty of food for dinner. When it arrived I understood exactly what she meant as the dish was overflowing with fresh mixed greens, chopped peppers, ripe tomatoes, cucumbers and topped with a huge piece of grilled salmon. The fish was outstanding, fresh and perfectly prepared. The balsamic lemon dressing offered a slightly tart taste that worked well with both the fish and the salad and enjoyed a glass of Pinot Noir with my meal.
For dessert, our end of the table shared and enjoyed a homemade cannoli and coffee.
Livia’s Dish is a great spot for a casual yet upscale meal. The service was outstanding, the food was excellent and after our meal, we enjoyed a great conversation with the owner who was very hospitable.
I decided to order off the Restaurant Week menu that Ziti’s had, thinking that it would give me the best selection and would be the best representation of what the restaurant had to offer. To start my meal off, I ordered the eggplant rollatini, which was a pan fried eggplant filled with ricotta, prosciutto and onions. The eggplant was doused in mozzarella that added a creamy texture to the dish. The marinara that covered the plate was also very good, although it could have used a little more salt and herbs, such as basil to brighten up the flavor s just a tad. For my meal, I ordered the lobster ravioli. These raviolis were stuffed with lobster and ricotta cheese in a lobster cream sauce. The plate came with six raviolis to an order but were almost seemed to be drowned in the cream sauce, although I do have to say it made for great mopping up with bread after they were finished. The pasta had a lot of lobster meat and the pasta was still al dente…which is difficult to do with raviolis. As for my dessert, I ordered the house made cannoli. It came on a massive plate which made the cannoli look extremely small in comparison. However, the cannoli was filled with sweet cream and the shell had a delightful crunchy texture. All in all, it was a good way to end the meal. -ED