La Cucina Italiana is a small, family-run restaurant that looks like a typical take-out pizza place with a twist: a small dining room to the side. It’s just the kind of place you want when you’re looking for a home-cooked Italian meal.
For dinner, I had one of the specials, the Porchetta. It came with a salad and a side of penne. The salad was pretty basic but fresh with a nice house Italian dressing. The penne was cooked perfectly al dente with a light, flavorful sauce on top. La Cucina Italiana’s Porchetta, which is pork loin rolled and stuffed with salami, ham, capicola and cheese, was served in two fairly large slices, which were delicious and tender. You could even cut into it with your fork. The seasoning was strong enough to hold up against the bold meat flavors without overpowering the other elements. Overall, it’s definitely a meal I will come back to order.
Normally I don’t eat dessert, but I had to try the house-made cannoli, which was actually three small cannolis. To my surprise, this was one of the best cannolis I’ve had outside of Boston. The shell was crunchy and fresh. And the fantastic filling was not too sweet.
The service was exactly what you want from a family-owned place. Both of the owner’s children were engaging, helpful and eager to make sure we were happy. Our server, Erin, was also charismatic, quick, and very helpful when it came to making menu decisions.
My experience at La Cucina Italiana was exactly as I expected. Between the family-run hospitality and the price for the quality, I’ll be back again and again.
