When I opened the door, we were greeted with soft music and a young hostess who promptly found us a table. The dark wood accents, Italian-themed art work and linen napkins lend an authentic feel in this jeans accepted, casual neighborhood restaurant.
Any time I’m greeted with bread and olive oil by a server, I’m happy. Our waitress promptly took our drink order, after we scanned through several pages of wines, beers and cocktails. As usual I ordered a glass of pinot grigio ($5.95) and my husband ordered an ice cold Geary’s ($3.75).
We placed our order for calamari, asking for the balsamic dressing on the side, and studied the specials menu. Mushroom ravioli ($14.99) and Mediterranean haddock ($15.99) sounded good, but I was there for something fried, crispy and drenched in red sauce.
I ordered the chicken parmesan ($12.99) and a homemade meatball ($1.99) and Ross decided on shrimp pomodoro ($15.99). By the time I had stuffed another piece of Italian bread into my mouth, our server returned with our appetizer, profusely apologizing for the dressing all over the squid.
Not ones to complain (about food anyway), we dove in. The calamari was very lightly breaded, fried perfectly and laid atop a bed of greens, tangy balsamic and a sprinkle of fresh grated cheese. I was quite pleased with the tenderness, since many places do not know how to cook these little treats without making them feel like you’re eating rubber.
We didn’t have time to put down our forks when our dinner arrived. One look at my heaping plate and I was already full. The portions at this place are huge. I was going to have chicken parmesan for lunch the next day, that was certain. Two breaded chicken cutlets, a large side of linguine and a fair sized meatball took up more than my half of the table. The chicken was a bit over cooked, but like I said, I was already full.
Ross chose ziti for his pomodoro dish, which had a zesty marinara sauce. It came with several shrimp (enough to share!) and it was cooked to perfection. Ahhh, Dad would be proud.
“There is no way we can get dessert,” I exclaimed to my husband. When the waitress asked if we were all set, I told her I needed to see the dessert menu. What can I say, I’m a sucker for sweets.
Although I swear I am Italian, I don’t like tiramisu or cannoli, so we agreed on the raspberry éclair cheesecake ($4.99). Very, um, interesting. Bits of éclair pastry and raspberries on top and a walnut graham cracker crust. I might try the tiramisu next time.
In the heart of Westbrook, Casa Novello seems like a meeting spot for friends and families. Quiet, but casual enough to bring the kids, it’s a nice place to grab a homemade dinner that is reminiscent of the old family.