La Villa
should change its name to Land of Ziti. This local eatery of mine makes quite
literally the best-baked ziti I have ever had, and I have had a lot. When you
order be sure to get it how I like it with little sauce and well done. There is
nothing that beats a pile of pasta topped with cheese turned into very crunchy
pieces. I can eat an entire pan like that. In fact I am craving it as it I
type, which is probably the worst part about being a blogger who writes about
so many delicious food so often. While I hate a bad meal it is easier to write
about those when trying not to become morbidly obese.
La Villa
is a restaurant I have been to many, many times but not within close proximity
of another visit. It is the place my family goes to on special occasions like
Mother’s Day and birthdays. It is slightly more expensive than other, similar
places in my neighborhood but it is so worth it.
Previously
I had written about Salvi’s (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2016/01/for-local-sunday-night-dinner-salvi.html),
the Italian restaurant owned by Frank’s (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2015/05/for-my-original-frank-frankss-pizza-and.html),
my favorite pizzeria. While I adore both of those venues, Frank’s is best for a
weeknight slice and Salvi’s for a quick bite or if you have a large group
dining. The plates are good just not ground breaking.
The only
other Italian restaurant in Brooklyn I truly love is Gargiulo’s (http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2015/03/for-brooklyn-eatery-that-is-renowned.html)
but this is really for parties or extra fancy dinners. In fact I plan to
continue celebrating my birthday there sometime this month. God only knows what
I will have when I am there. This is not a place where you have a standard meal
as visits are few and far between.
For me La
Villa takes the cake. And by cake I mean baked ziti. It is the kind of food you
walk in knowing you want even though you know you should try something else but
can’t bring yourself to miss out on your favorite dish. Luckily I am always
with a hungry group that is willing to share. The baked ziti is enough food for
me for two days especially if I start out with a rice ball. Here lies my second
favorite rice ball of all time as opposed to what I tasted from Artichoke Pizza
(http://thequeenoff-ckingeverything.blogspot.com/2016/02/for-chance-to-get-my-hands-around_17.html).
But for
those not in the mood for ziti there are more than enough other choices.
Sometimes the menu becomes to overwhelming so you just go back to your old
standard. The one thing I love as much as this baked ziti is their zucchini
pizza. Unfortunately I have no pictures of this treasure because every time
there is one around it gets devoured so fast there is only an empty pizza box
left. That and a strong smell of garlic. This pizza has no sauce on it, just
fresh mozzarella, garlic seasonings, and thin crispy slices of zucchini on it.
This is yet another example of a simple recipe resulting in a culinary
masterpiece. Actually all of the pizzas here are exceptional. You cannot go
wrong trying the deep dish that has four personal pan slices.
I cannot
recollect a time when I have had dessert at La Villa. I am always so beyond
full I am waddling out of the restaurant. Plus there is always dessert at home
no matter what reason prompted our meal out.
While I
am from an Italian background I took only Spanish during my school years, even
in college. I use to drive my uncle crazy; when he would speak to me in Italian
I would answer in Spanish. It was a reflex plus let’s face it I am a ball
breaker.
But when
it comes to living “the good life” no Italian language skills are required. “La
Dolce Vita” is a universally understood concept. I like to think that a good
meal out is one of the best ways to demonstrate the art of doing nothing while
cherishing life’s simple pleasures.
They say
that art imitates life. Or is it the other way around?
Well
today’s blog certainly influenced my lunch thus connecting my art and meals
inevitably together. Once I envisioned the smells wafting from the door as the
deliveryman hands over my food, made me realize that my decision had become a
forgone conclusion.
This is
just one step that made me satisfied this Sunday.
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