Usually I’m happy to see the sun, but not when it’s extremely hot and humid outside. The idea of cooking dinner was appalling Saturday but I couldn’t bear one more cold sandwich or salad at home so a friend and I went to Nonna Maria’s on Queen Anne, a restaurant I’ve passed by many, many times. The atmosphere was excellent, the decor charming, the service was adequate (the servers were attentive while they were at the table but took their time about getting there) and the food was out of this world. I started with a salad of sliced tomatos with pine nuts served on leaves of radicchio, very excellently presented. the tomatos were less than ideal but it’s hard to find a truly excellent tomato anywhere these days so I tend not to judge them very harshly. My companion started with a plate of prosciuttio and melon which she enjoyed immensely. We both loved the flavorful, fresh bread served to us in a basket along with a decanter of pesto. I am a very unsophisticated wine drinker and decided to pass on a glass of wine anyway as I’m not fond of drinking alcohol when it’s hot. (It was pleasantly cool in Nonna Maria’s, but I knew I’d have to go outside eventually.) My companion, knowledgeable about wines, assured me that the wine list was very good.
My entree was the special of the day, a raviolio stuffed with asparagus and bathed in a saffron sauce. It was served alone, accompanied by nothing else, but nothing else was needed for this filling meal; I couldn’t even eat all the raviolis on my plate. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was divine. My companion ordered a chicken with pasta dish; she said that her chicken was excellent but she was startled by having a large piece of chicken and a small amount of pasta as she was expecting it to be served the other way ’round.
For dessert we shared a perfectly made crepe and had quite excellent espresso. It was a very lovely meal and one that I’d love to have again…but won’t anytime soon, as the bill for the two of us was only just barely under $100. Too pricey for casual dining, Nonna Maria’s is a place I would definitely recommend for a special meal.

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3. Pasta Bella: Italian, ya sure ya betcha
4. Joule Urban BBQ Series, Better Late Than Never
5. Evenings at St. Clouds