DON'T LET THE NAME FOOL YOU.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic For $3 you can get spumoni spu·mo·ni or spu·mo·ne n. An Italian ice cream having layers of different colors or flavors and often containing fruits and nuts. [Italian, augmentative of spuma, foam, from Latin ice cream at a narrow, little, neighborhood Italian restaurant called Spumoni in Sherman Oaks. But it's no big deal. In fact, if you're really into Italian ice “Water ice” redirects here. For the solid form of water, see Ice. Italian ice is a snack food made from shaved ice with concentrated syrup flavoring. Common flavors include cherry, coconut, pina colada, and lemon. cream, right next door there's a little cafe that specializes in gelato ge·la·to n. pl. ge·la·ti An Italian ice cream or ice. [Italian, from past participle of gelare, to freeze; see gelatin.] . What is a big deal though, is an order of calamari affogati ($7.95) in a tomato broth that arrives steaming hot in a deep, white soup bowl. It's a super soup-style treat in a bowl that's filled with crunchy, chewable, utterly delicious rings and legs of perfectly sauteed squid floating in a seasoned, fresh basil-flavored tomato sauce. Absolutely scintillating scin·til·late v. scin·til·lat·ed, scin·til·lat·ing, scin·til·lates v.intr. 1. To throw off sparks; flash. 2. To sparkle or shine. See Synonyms at flash. 3. . If you've an ordinary appetite, this dish, one of a dozen listed on the Spumoni menu under ``antipasti Antipasti can refer to:
There's no doubt about the portioning generosity of the kitchen at Spumoni. In fact, split dishes seem to be almost the size of a regular single order. One night, a couple of regular diners split an Italian salad ($4.95) of mixed greens with carrots, garbanzos, Roma tomatoes and mozzarella moz·za·rel·la n. A mild white Italian cheese that has a rubbery texture and is often eaten melted, as on pizza. [Italian, diminutive of mozza, a cut, mozzarella, from mozzare, as a starter and did the same with an entree of chicken breast Siciliana The siciliana or siciliano is a musical form often included as a movement within larger pieces of music starting in the Baroque period. It is in a slow 6/8 or 12/8 time with lilting rhythms making it somewhat resemble a slow jig, and is usually in a minor key. ($11.95) with pasta and vegetables. It was much too much food. They took home a sizable amount. I've personally had trouble cleaning off my plate on two occasions here. Once it was a respectable rendition of chicken Marsala ($11.95), the other time a savory offering of chicken Positano ($11.95). The Marsala saucing turned out to be a harmonious combination of mushrooms, garlic and Marsala wine. The Positano preparation brought artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and sweet bell peppers together impressibly with garlic and white wine. There's no doubt that the saucings tend to be very good at Spumoni. In the case of the two chicken breast dishes, they were certainly good enough to alleviate occasional tads of dryness in the chicken breasts used. Spumoni smartly keeps its prices down, concentrating on pastas, pizzas, salads, appetizers and a handful of relatively inexpensive (no veal or beef) entrees. Of the 10 main courses other than pastas listed, seven feature boneless Bone´less a. 1. Without bones. Adj. 1. boneless - being without a bone or bones; "jellyfish are boneless" , skinless chicken breast. The remaining trio consist of two shrimp plates and a $12.95 cioppino ciop·pi·no n. pl. ciop·pi·nos A stew made of several kinds of fish and shellfish, tomatoes, and white wine. [Italian, perhaps variant of northwest Italian ciuppin.] . But it's a particular type of pasta that deserves strong accolades. The Spumoni kitchen excels at gnocchi gnoc·chi pl.n. Dumplings made of flour, semolina, or potatoes, boiled or baked and served with grated cheese or a sauce. [Italian, pl. ($8.95), its signature item, that it makes available with a variety of sauce options. The wonderful, fluffy, puffy, potato-flour dumplings produced here do best in creamy or lighter sauces. Those lovely, delicate little ovals seem somewhat overwhelmed, though, when paired with something more assertive, like a spicy tomato and mushroom sauce. As for another positive, the minestrone soup ($3.95) here keeps up the image of big portions with a large-size bowl. It's made well and served hot. The vegetables are fresh-tasting, properly textured and obviously plentiful. Again, when eaten with the outstanding house bread, it's fill-up time. Finishing the oncoming entree after spooning up an entire bowl of minestrone becomes difficult. At Spumoni, sharing a salad, as done by those two regulars, makes a lot more sense. SPUMONI Where: 14533 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. When: Open for lunch from noon to 2:30 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily. Recommended items: Minestrone, calamari affogati, most salads, gnocchi with light or creamy sauces, skinless chicken breast Positano or Marsala. How much: Starters and salads from $1.45 to $9, pastas and entrees from $8 to $13, desserts $3 each. Beer and wine. AE, MC, V. Wine list: Sparse list at back of menu. Corkage cork·age n. A charge exacted at a restaurant for every bottle of liquor served that was not bought on the premises. corkage Noun a charge made at a restaurant for serving wine bought elsewhere : $5. Reservations: Helpful. Call (818) 981-7218. Our rating: Three stars for food; Three stars for service; One and one half stars for wine; Three and one half stars 1/2 for value. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Great Italian food can be had at Spumoni, but don't ask for the gelato. John Kennedy/Special to the Daily News |
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