Sunday, July 22, 2007

dinner at mama's

So after sweating a couple of pounds off in the kitchen yesterday, we thought it would be a good idea to give the pots and pans a break and head out for a nice Italian dinner. Dina had recently discovered a little family-owned restaurant in the west island and I made reservations for her birthday this coming Tuesday. However, we were really in the mood for a nice bowl of pasta, so we thought we'd give the place a shot for an early dinner today to see if it was worth the birthday excursion.

Gaudio's is a tiny, homey Italian bistro in Pierrefonds, on St. Charles Blvd., where the owner and his wife greet you at the door and shake your hand, as though they are welcoming you into their home. We were a little taken aback when Luigi said, "You must be Mony!" as we walked in, but we soon deduced that he must have seen my name on his call display when we called this afternoon to find out what time they opened for dinner.

From the ice water with slices of lemon and lime to the bruschetta appetizer to the warm bread, things boded well for the evening. But we really knew this was the place to be when Luigi got choked up describing some of the dishes on the menu. You could tell this man loves what he does and does what he loves.

Our choice from the long list of antipasti was proscuitto wrapped around a mixture of mascarpone, ricotta and mushrooms, dotted with a sauce made from mangos. Hearty and unique, this definitely got our appetites going.

Dina chose a creamy and delicate home-made tagliatella with salmon, capers and goat cheese, which came in such a generous portion that she could only manage to consume half of it, much to the surprise of the young waiter (who must have been Luigi's son).

My choice was spaghetti gaudio, which was covered with a rich tomato and vegetable ragu with a large meatball and sausage pieces throughout, all made by mama in the kitchen. Delicious.

No meal is complete without dessert. Dina chose a home-made dark chocolate sour cream cake and I had an elegant bowl of tiramisu. Like the creative couple we are, we switched desserts halfway and decided that the moist chocolate cake must have been baked for me. It was just perfect.

Gaudio's lived up to our expectations. In fact, we already have an idea what we plan on having on Tuesday. You'll be the first to hear about it.

9 comments:

Annie Ruok said...

woah - I am blown away by your description of this restaurant! and i don't even eat pasta!!

Anonymous said...

How do you discover those places ??? YUMMY !

Anonymous said...

That is a great description. I will go for sure after your take on this resto.

Sounds good, I am offf to Mammmmmmaaaa's

Anonymous said...

Luigi!

Annie Ruok said...

Terry Dimonte mentioned Gaudio's this AM on CHOM - sounds like this resto is doing very well!

Anonymous said...

My wife and myself tried it last night and we have been to several Italian restaurants and none compare to Gaudio's. The bruschetta is amazing along with everything we had, my wife the manicotti and I had the lasagna, both were incredible. We were in a bit of a hurry, but next time (and there will be a next time soon) we will make sure we will have the time to enjoy everything to a beautiful appetizer to a lovely desert and coffee.

Anonymous said...

Alice and I have been to Gaudios at least a dozen times. We've gone there alone, with friends, with family and each and every time, we all enjoyed our food and the superb service, no exceptions. Give it a try and we are sure that you will also be impressed.

Anonymous said...

GAUDIO'S owners have REOPENED under a new name, at a new venue!!!!

MENINA'S CUCINA ITALIANA
132 Ste Anne,
Ste Anne de Bellevue, Quebec.
Phone: 514-457-3584.

THIS RESTAURANT IS WORTH THE VISIT, AND THE MENU DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!!!!!!

sports handicapping software said...

excellent recommendations all look amazing thanks for sharing