Good ole comfort food at the Ventura Spaghetti Co.
By JR Grant 10/22/2009
Ventura Spaghetti Company
2686 Loma Vista Road
Ventura
643-7444
$6-$14
Many of us have passed the Ventura Spaghetti Company on Loma Vista Road, just where it forks off from Main Street. More than a few times I’ve been with people who say, “Oh, that looks interesting. We should try it out sometime.” I have to admit, it had been a while since I’ve been there as well, and recently I ventured in to try new owner/chef Anthony “Tony” Sposato’s cuisine. I very much enjoyed myself, and look forward to repeated visits.
Nothing has changed in the interior; the browns and tans with faux wood paneling on the walls and bits of stained glass here and there for decoration remains the restaurant’s traditional motif. The paper placemats of the map of Italia still adorn the brown Formica tables. As soon as you order, a basket of mouthwatering thin, garlicky foccacia is served and decisions have to be made as to what old fashioned American/ Italian comfort food to order.
This is not nuova cucina; expect lots of marinara, heavy provolone cheese and over-generous servings. My favorite starter, breaded and fried artichokes, with a side of marinara, was perfectly cooked. The artichoke hearts were in bite-size pieces; the breading had a very light, floury coating sweetened by a delicious olive oil infusion. The leaves of the hearts melted in my mouth and were perfectly accented by the very fresh and pure tomato marinara. I knew there was a lot to follow, but I didn’t leave a morsel on my plate; it was that good.
For me, the ideal Italian comfort food is homemade ravioli. Chef Tony makes a plump round version, overstuffed with ricotta and then served with melted mozzarella and parmigiano over the pasta and the marinara sauce. While very tasty, this dish was simply too heavy and too large. Perhaps, the delicacy of the preparation of the fried artichokes remained in my palate or, maybe, I’ve become too accustomed to the current trend of tiny portions. But even for a hearty eater, this was a generous meal, though satisfying and tasty, to be sure.
For the wine drinker, there is not much of a cellar, although Salmon Creek is well represented, and Peroni Beer is, of course, available. They were out of San Pellegrino on a recent visit, but for me, the fizzy Italian water is the ideal complement to this southern Italian cuisine.
The daily special (often a fish, usually salmon or halibut over fettuccine) on a recent visit intrigued me: penne with mushrooms and pancetta in pink sauce. When it arrived, again, it was a gigantic serving, but unlike the overly cheesy ravioli, oh, my! This was scrumptious. Large slices of mushrooms and pancetta had been sautéed in garlic and olive oil, and blended in a half-marinara, half-cream sauce, and then mixed together and topped by, of course, a generous sprinkling of parmigiano. The flavor was wonderful; simple ingredients perfectly matched to the little tubes of pasta cooked to just the right sense of al dente.
Entrees are served with either a soup (minestrone, of course) or salad. I was a little disappointed in the minestrone; the carrots, beans and peas were a bit withered, and the beef bouillon base was a bit salty. Still an enjoyable soup, but not as comforting as this soup often is. The house salad is ordinary — mainly iceberg lettuce — and the creamy Italian dressing was OK. On another visit, I opted for the blue cheese, and it was very satisfying.
Many of the dishes make use of the very delicious homemade marinara sauce: a simple mixture of tomato, garlic and pureed peppers. This is the perfect “red sauce” for any pasta accompaniment, and does not disappoint in any way.
The pizza is classic — thin-crust, New York style (the dough is very reminiscent of the thin, garlic foccacia) — and for me, the barbeque chicken with sun-dried tomatoes is a delicious pizza choice. Calzones are available as well, but if you crave thin, New York style pizza, you need look no further than the Ventura Spaghetti Company.
For dessert the spumoni is divine; absolutely creamy chocolate and strawberry ice cream blended with surprise bits of candied fruit. The cannolis are not made in-house, but are very authentic and the creamy mascarpone filling is quite tasty and generously dusted with cinnamon.
The prices are very reasonable (appetizers $6 - $8, entrees $9 -$14), and while this is not a hip and contemporary atmosphere, it is pleasant and homey, and if you crave down home Italian food, you will not be disappointed at the Ventura Spaghetti Company.
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