No, I’m not Italian but growing up in a triple-decker on Grafton Hill surrounded by different cultures, languages, and food truly shaped the person I am today. I was nostalgic driving by the street I grew up on and the elementary school I went to on my way to La Cucina Italiana. It figures that Worcester Foodies would plan the holiday dinner in my old stomping ground to make me extra sentimental.
La Cucina Italiana is everything you’d expect from a small family-owned restaurant. It’s on a bright little corner lot on Hamilton Street with plenty of parking and a feeling of familiarity when you walk in. The entrance looks a little bit like a pizza take-out joint. Then to the side, there is a small dining room. For me, that only added to the feeling of family. I was very fond of the reclaimed wooden doors with framed photos hanging along the back wall. The decor seemed like the type of thing you might find in a vintage shop or a home, which once again added to that cozy atmosphere.
At first glance, the menu seems pretty basic with the exception of one traditional Italian specialty not often found: TRIPE. While I am not personally a fan of Tripe, I appreciated seeing it on the menu as I am very familiar with how popular a dish it is in traditional Italian cuisine.
I was surprised to find that La Cucina Italiana serves breakfast Thursday through Sunday from 6 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. They also serve brunch on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. I may go back to try it out, but let’s focus on dinner for now.
While the staple menu items all sounded great, I chose the Eggplant Rollatini off of the menu of specials. The meals came out so quickly that I had barely sipped the wine I brought. La Cucina Italiana is BYOB and there didn’t seem to be a liquor store close by so don’t forget your vino.
The Eggplant Rollatini, which was a steal at only $12.95, came with a big plate of pasta. I chose Penne, but they offered a variety of other wide, flat, long, and skinny pasta options. To be honest, I didn’t need all of the pasta. The star of this dish was the eggplant, which was sliced thin and perfectly breaded. The dish came with three big rolls stuffed with a delicious cheese blend and homemade red sauce: ragu, gravy, marinara… whatever suits you!
While I looked around the table at my companions’ choices, I knew this place was the real deal. The Bolognese, the Manicotti, and the Porchetta all looked delectable.
The service at La Cucina Italian was great too. Naturally, Panarelli family members waited on us. They were all pleasant and excited to talk about their restaurant’s food. They were very attentive and happily refilled our bread basket–more than once.
You couldn’t ask for a better value. My entire check was less than $15, which is less than I might have spent at the grocery store. I’ll definitely return, maybe for breakfast, and I certainly plan to try their take-out pizza on some Friday night very soon!
