La Spiga

la Spiga Osteria
1429 12th Avenue
Seattle, WA 98122
Website here.

My dad's friend highly recommended this place that makes its own noodles, so we went there on Wednesday, 8.4.10. Everything tasted good (well, not the seafood-y one I describe, but that's just because I don't like that seafoody/fishy flavor), and my dad pointed out that each dish had a different taste. The quality of the ingredients was, of course, top-notch as well, and that tends to be the secret to excellent food no matter what you make or eat: good-quality ingredients.


The table and menu:

The bread (Dad said it was like Italian naan...I said it was like a thick, bready tortilla). Both times they brought these out they were piping hot. I was craving olive oil, but these were pretty good on their own.


LEFT: Gnocco Fritto e Involtini di Bresaola: "Bresaola served warm with robiola fresca and mascarpone, arugula, shaved fresh button mushrooms, lemon and fried Emilian flat bread"
RIGHT: Insalata Caprese: "Classic salad from the island of Capri; fresh mozzarella with sungold heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil and 'Capezzana' EVOO" (It also had a tiny bit of cayenne pepper)
--> These bright orange-y red tomatoes were the sweetest, most delicious tomatoes I've ever had, and I don't even like tomatoes all that much by themselves. The sauce and cheese were amazing too. MMMMM!!!


Tortelli di Spinaci alla Norcina: "Spinach and ricotta filled tortelli, sausage and cream sauce, fresh black Umbria truffle" (YUM...except the shaved mushroom things were kinda dry and weird to me):



If you (like me) don't like seafood-y flavors, you'll dislike this dish (Spaghetti Neri alla Chitarra con Frutti di Mare e Bottarga di Muggine: "Black chitarra spaghetti, seafood ragu, 'Pianogrillo' EVOO and shaved bottarga"). Bleah. It tastes like ocean-flavored noodles with every kind of seafood I don't like: crab, shrimp, oysters, etc. I'm sure if you like those things, you'd like it. My parents and brother finished it off. The noodles are black from squid ink, by the way.


The gnocchi (I think it was "basil and ricotta gnochetti, fresh Heirloom tomato sauce, cream") that wasn't too thick, too hard, or too soft!! I made it once on my own in Berkeley and apparently didn't make it right because I didn't like it and this was way good.



The Lasagne Verdi: "Layers of green lasagna noodles filled with ragu (meat and tomato sauce), bechamel and Parmigiano Reggiano" = Really good. Soo soft and tasty. I do have to say, though, that I like lasagna noodles when they're a little firmer than this, and the white beschamel on top tasted slightly like soap (my dad said that it does have a kind of floral taste to it). Otherwise, it was very good.

Tiramisu!! ($6.00) - The best my parents and I have ever had. My brother hadn't tried it before, but he said it was good.
"Il Mascarpone di Ida: Our house made tiramisu as made by Pietro's mother":

The dessert menu: