Ca Mia - BUSTO GAROLFO

Small and warm place run by few guys. Excellent food, specialities from Puglia. Not expensive, options available for vegetarians and gluten free

Small and warm place run by few guys. Excellent food, specialities from Puglia. Not expensive, options available for vegetarians and gluten free

Who would have imagined such excellent food in a small nondescript bar trattoria in a small nondescript town on the outskirts of Milan? Despite its good reviews, we never would have wound up here if it hadn 't been for a broken leg: I couldn 't cook a Christmas Day meal and sought a nearby eatery with a decent holiday prix fixe menu. Ca Mia 's owner was kind enough to make space for our party of three the last minute a kind gesture that won points for courtesy. But none of us expected this modest place to serve such outstanding food, and so generously! Ours was a set menu with EIGHT courses: three antipasti, two pasta dishes, a meat course with two side dishes, and a two course dessert offering, all for € 35 a person. The sformatino of verza (a cabbage mousse with Parmesan fonduta and red cabbage contrast was outstanding. The chicken liver pate was served on home made focaccia with lemon infused erbette as counterpoint. Insalata russa was decorated with hand carved prosiutto di Parma. The house lasagna had five layers of fresh (not dry lasagna noodles, each lined with a different meat sauce. The spatzle (gnocchetti from Trentino were served in a carbonara sauce with a rabbit ragu; the idea was more salivating than the execution for this particular dish. The galletto (young **** was stuffed, roasted, and served in a light but fragrant reduction. It was flanked by chopped fresh artichokes and a baked potato. After a colourful plate of dates, walnuts, mandarins, and gorgonzola cheese, served with a refreshed supply of bread, the final assault on our digestive system came in the form of panettone and pandoro, both also toasted, and accompanied by a trio of fresh cremes , one tasting like a light tiramisu, another subtle and sweet, and a third thick and chunked with pistachios. No one in the restaurant survived the entire meal, but everything was so good that we all tried and regretted what we had to consign to doggy bags for consumption next day. Some of these specialties are on Ca Mia 's regular menu; others appear periodically. The chef varies his offerings on the basis of market availability and personal whim, and the results range from good to spectacular. Wine choice limited but tuned to the food and competitively priced. For what one course would cost in Milan we enjoyed an excellent meal in congenial (though not soignè surroundings. The only negative: the restaurant usually serves 20 at dinner and was hard pressed to cope with 30 at Christmas. The waits between courses were long, exaggeratedly so between pasta and meat. If you go for a holiday meal, figure on spending the entire afternoon . . . as many Italians do anyway. So you will be experiencing a genuine homey ambience, but with food that exceeds most home kitchens.

Small and cozy location that allows the waiter and cook to tighten relationships with the commensali and guide them in the kitchen. bring remarkable with products of season and quality, are cooked. to consider.

Well cooked dishes even if the choice is limited. Prices in my opinion too high (4 euros covered 30 euros for a starter for two consisting of slices of bread crumbled with tomatoes and buffalo . I wouldn't come back.