Upon entering Lococo’s I had a flashback to a small Italian restaurant I visited while in Paris. Nestled along 4th street in the historic railroad district of Santa Rosa, Lococo’s is small and intimate, decorated with copper bottom pots and dried peppers hanging from the walls, simple and elegant red and yellow hues are strewn across the restaurant and would you expect any less from a place called Lococo’s Cucina Rustica? Italian food is all about the family, and at Lococo’s you get comfortably cozy with your surrounding tables, close enough to smell their food and listen to various conversations. I found enthralled by the atmosphere and couldn't help but eavesdrop on a couple next to us that were asking questions to another couple at a table next to them. When our waiter Giovanni greeted us I definitely knew I was not in Kansas anymore, I must be in Europe, born in Italy, Giovanni's accent was hard to understand at first, but became more and more interesting to listen to. We enjoyed great conversation with Giovanni, and he helped us out with choosing a nice Italian red wine for our meal, but I would actually like to start with dessert before I delve into the complexity of the Nero d’ Avola that that I chose. I have no words to describe the cannoli here, a light casing that the chef actually makes with wine as part one of the ingredients, the filling is light but subtly rich and tangy with candied fruits mingling inside with pieces of pistachios. After searching through the thesaurus for a good word to use, I found none that do justice; you simply must try the cannoli. Moving right along... the wine, one of the most important parts to a good Italian meal…Their wine list is simple, a great selection of Italian wines, and a decent selection of domestic wines, I chose a glass of Nero d’ Avola after Giovanni brought us a taste of both that and a Tuscan blend to try. Nero d'Avola is one of the most important red wine grapes in Sicily, and is one of Italy's most important indigenous varieties. It is named after Avola in the far south of Sicily. Treated similarly to Syrah, many believe that Nero d’ Avola may be a cousin of Syrah, with dark fruit, nice hints of pepper and spice with succulent tannins. I wish I could remember the producer, but I do remember the label was attractively decorated with roses. Finally moving on to dinner… The food has a Northern Italian and Sicilian influence, and why not, the owner and Chef Joe hails from Sicily. My lovely and beautiful girlfriend Megan ordered their daily special of ravioli, filled with asparagus and ricotta in a butter and sage sauce. The ravioli where ginormous and the portion was large as well, but they were very tasty. I was in the mood for a pasta dish, and though the menu contains a variety of traditional Italian meals including Osso Bucco with a saffron risotto, chicken marsala and veal saltimbocca with prosciutto, mozzarella and sage. Though they all sounded marvelously appealing, I decided on tortellini alla romana; tortellini with peas and prosciutto in a cream sauce, it was delicious and rich and paired nicely with the Nero d' Avola. Appetizers are simple and traditional as well, including calamari fritti, bruschetta and carpaccio. Our extraordinary server Giovanni checked in on us regularly, swapped wine talk and made our stay all the more enjoyable. We left stuffed, satisfied, happy and with money to spend for a movie, because despite the outrageous food, there is no outrageous cost, you could stuff yourself silly and drink copious amounts of wine at Lococo’s and not have to worry about the bill, entrees range from $10-24 and the portions are generous. You’ll leave feeling as though you just spent the evening dining at your Italian aunt’s house with all the family there too. There simply isn't a better place in Santa Rosa for Italian food then Lococo's, and they could easily compete with some of the best Italian spots in the Bay Area.
Mangi Bene!
Good food and good wine just needs to be talked about....
