By Evan Chaisson

Hello, everyone!  Fresh off of my Via Napoli post from a few days ago, let’s visit Italy again … this time for Food & Wine!

Check out Evan as he presents Via Napoli Pizzeria e Ristorante!

One of the main things that Italy is known for is their pasta, and, boy, did they deliver with their Absolut Penne!  A delicious penne pasta in vodka sauce and adorned by shrimp!

The sauce was creamy and packed with flavor!  It definitely was the “boss” on this dish.  Top it off with three succulent shrimp?  What an outstanding item!

The next thing we sampled was the marketplace’s Crispy Calamari with Spicy Pomodoro Sauce.  As far as it goes, I’ll just say it’s just OK.

It was nothing to write home about, to be honest.  The calamari lacked flavor.  In fact, it needed to be fried a bit more!  The sauce – which I had hoped would save the dish – lacked any memorable flavor.

Third, we tasted their Beef Stew with Parmesan Creamy Polenta.  Honestly, I really can’t tell you much about this dish.

Why, you are probably asking?  Well, I only took one bite.  Look at it!  The rest of it went into the trash barrel.  Maybe that tells you enough of what we thought of it.

Finally, we, of course, ended with dessert – Italy’s Chocolate-covered Cannoli.  A decadent delight, it was a chocolate-covered cannoli filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate, candy, and fruit.

My recommendation?  This dessert was perfect for one person.  I’d even say it wasn’t designed for sharing.  If you’re there with friends or family, each one of you should get your own!

In the end, I’d say that Italy is a tough booth to judge.  I think I would give the penne and cannoli, each, a solid B.  The calamari and stew, however?  They get D’s, at best!  Pass on them both.