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The College Voice

A Pizzeria You Could Love

By Jess DeSanta at Connecticut College, Connecticut College Voice

On Valentine’s Day, my food-loving friend Chrissy and I ditched the chocolate and candy hearts for an hour and a half of what turned out to be unadulterated culinary bliss. As with most of the greats, Pizza Cucina is completely unassuming, save for its sign with the big red tomato and the scent of that elusive combination of ingredients that only Italian grandparents know the secret to. We waited a bit that night for a seat, but the smells wafting through the air served as the ultimate culinary foreplay, I refused to let anyone hug me for the rest of the night as my hair and clothes were organic reviews of the fine establishment.

The minute we entered I was struck by the authenticity of it all…the hostess was Sofia Loren meets southeastern Connecticut. We were seated in a little Italianesque room and promptly served crisp bread and salad with a buttery balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Next came the entrees: penne vodka sauce for me, and ravioli with spinach cream sauce for Chrissy. Italians, the good ones anyway, are known to treat cooking as an art, and Pizza Cucina is no exception. Everything about our meals was deliberate, from the pasta itself, whose “al dente’’ texture was refreshing after eating in our school cafeteria, to the fresh gorgonzola sprinkled decoratively on top (I’ve decided that gorgonzola with vodka sauce is the mark of a chef truly in tune with his medium) Had the cheese been a few days older or the sauce any thicker, the balance would have been thrown off completely.

If my dinner was excellent, Chrissy’s was exceptional; her wide-eyed expression and occasional sighs were all you needed to know this was as good as it gets. It was homemade pasta at its finest. It was cream sauce in all its glory. It was a reminder that no matter who comes in and out of our lives, there will always be really good food.

Next time your family is in town and you are seeking a slightly classier alternative to the usual options, road-trip it to East Lyme and look for the red tomato. With the recommendations of a DeSanta and a DiComo, you can’t go wrong.