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.