If you like Italian food, you really should make your way to this incredible restaurant in North Stonington, CT! Start off with their bread dipped in oil. I talked for several minutes with the owner after our dinner and told her I was surprised that...their oil was so creamy and flavorful. She said they make their own olive oil, which clearly explains why it was so delicious! I'm sure that's probably standard in Italy, but in CT?
Next up, BA hot wings. Sure, they're "just" wings, and I don't think it's really a traditional Italian item, but they were prepared perfectly...just the right amount of crispiness, still juicy, great flavor!
Misto salad was next, and although I didn't try any because I was too busy throwing wings down my throat, my brother-in-law who is just as much of a "foodie" as I am if not more, said the misto salad was incredibly good.
For an entree, I was in the mood for chicken parmesan which to me is a classic comfort Italian food that is super easy to make mediocre or worse but is deceptively hard to make well. Buon Appetito makes it perfectly! The breading is flavorful and cooked to the perfect crispness without being too oily or salty. The chicken itself was also cooked to perfection while maintaining juiciness and flavor without excessive salt. There was just the right amount of cheese on top...neither too little nor too much. And the sauce was unbelievably delicious! To top it off, or more appropriately to "bottom it off", the bed of perfectly cooked spaghetti that it sat on was honestly the hottest temperature spaghetti I've ever eaten in my life.
For desert, our party of ten split caramel apple crostada, crème brûlée, and tiramisu. By now, you should expect what I'm going to say...they were delicious! The only tiny tiny quibble came from one of our party members who absolutely craves crème brûlée and eats it so much she knows exactly what separates excellent ones from everything else. She said the flavor and texture of the crème was outstanding. She just wishes they were made in a shallower ramekin so that there would be a higher ratio of brûlée to crème. Once she mentioned that, I could understand her point, but the flavor and consistency were wonderful.
Finally, after we were all full and ridiculously happy with the entire meal from start to finish, they came out and offered a shot of their house-made limoncello for anyone over 21 who wanted it. First of all, what a really nice, unexpected touch! Secondly, WOW!! It was exquisitely delicious!!
This was our first time here, and when they seated our large party of 10 in the basement, I was at first a little disappointed because the upstairs has a much nicer ambiance. But frankly, there were SOOO many people upstairs that it would have been much more difficult for us to hear each other talking. The room off to the left of the entrance had a wedding party rehearsal dinner going on, so that led to some of the noise level. The basement is clearly for overflow, and since it was raining the evening we went, they could not sit people on their outdoor patio. Despite that and the fact that it's an hour away from us, we WILL return as frequently as we can!More