Fine Italian cuisine
Hitting the high notes at La Scala

Dining Out with Bob Stiff

La Scala just opened its door a few months ago in Plaza California on Tumba Muerto in El Dorado, taking over a former restaurant space. Its manager and culinary light is Antonio Cioffi, formerly of Caffé Pomodoro in El Cangrejo. La Scala produces exceptionally good food.
The first appetizer selection was a highly flavorful Carpaccio di buey ($6.95), thin slices of beef marinated with fresh lemon, extra virgin olive oil and fresh Parmesan. The Carpaccio was paper thin and so fresh that the beef flavor was little subdued by the citrus and oil. Eaten with slices of grilled homemade Italian bread, it was a perfect beginning.
Next was Insalata ai frutti di mare and it was even better, consisting as it did of shrimp, olives, octopus, squid and onions atop a bed of crisp lettuce and garnished with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The copious amount of fresh seafood would make a wonderful meal for one, and it easily became a perfect appetizer for four. Again, by using good vinegar and a very high quality olive oil, the wonderfully fresh flavor of the seafood was allowed to shine… highly recommended.
The Brushetta al Pomodoro ($2.25), was obviously freshly prepared, the homemade Italian bread crunchy, the light tomato and basil topping bright, their flavors commingling. The Bruschetta con funghi alla panna ($4.95), on the other hand, was quite heavy, the mushroom mixture too rich and overpowering for such a simple item. Perhaps with half the volume of topping served that night, it might shine.
All of the pasta dishes were excellent, the vegetable sauces vibrant with a tangy freshness, the cheese-based ones rich and hearty. Prices varied from $4.95 for a traditional Bolognese to $14.95 for rich lobster Aragosta which was sampled on a second visit. One of my favorites, Puttanesca ($7.95), was one of the best versions of that basic sauce that I have tasted. And you have your choice of eight pasta shapes from which to choose.
Our only “mishap” was when the Filetto alla Parmigiana ($11.95) was served. The fillet was quite large, the breaded outer layer wonderfully brown and crisp and inviting, but the first bite left me wondering… “What am I tasting?” There was a very strong flavor that made me quite cautious about continuing, so I called Sr. Cioffi over and told him of my concerns. He sampled the dish and immediately identified the flavor that was confusing us; instead of being stuffed with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, the chef used goat cheese! Once the flavor had been identified, the dish could be better appreciated. Talk about a case of mind over matter…my taste buds were set for Mozzarella but experienced the more strongly flavored goat cheese instead, and alarms went off. And, truth be told, I much prefer mozzarella. I recommended to Sr. Cioffi to inform diners of the choice and he, of course, readily agreed.
What left absolutely no room for debate, however, was the signature dish of the evening. Long a fan of gnocchi, I was nevertheless not prepared for the sublime Gnocchi alla Funghi, or gnocchi with mushrooms. Obviously homemade, these little nuggets of potato and flour were cooked perfectly al dente and then sauced with a rich mushroom sauce that left my dining companions stunned. A truly wonderful dish that would be at home in any fine Italian kitchen.
Desserts were uniformly good, the standout being the homemade Cheesecake that, having followed the gnocchi, left the entire table sated… but smiling.
The décor at La Scala, sadly, does not match its menu. Brightly lit, it features walls studded with memorabilia left from the previous owner, and the ubiquitous television sets so popular in all but the finer restaurants in the city. But in the final analysis, décor is not what you go to La Scala for….you go for the food. And there it shines brightly.

La SCALA

Plaza California, El Dorado
Full Bar
Prices: Moderate

Rating:

*** Very Good