Restaurant Review: Cascata Caff? Ristorante Italiano - Springfield ...

Restaurant: Cascata Caff? Ristorante Italiano

Address: 801 W. Sproul Rd., Springfield, PA 19064

Rating: ????

Style: Italian

Food: Flavorful, Traditional

Atmosphere: Warm, calm, homey

Parking: A free row of parking in front and alongside the restaurant.?

Service: Quick, friendly

Price Range: Moderate, $13 - $25, around $8 for lunch items

Unique Feature: The restaurant makes a commitment to never or rarely use frozen or pre-made foods?everything is kept as homemade and fresh as possible.

Review:

Cascata Caff? Ristorante Italiano (winner of Patch?s reader?s choice for best Italian restaurant in Springfield) opened about 12 years ago in 1999. It is a medium-sized B.Y.O.B. Italian restaurant that serves a variety of lunch and dinner specials?soup, beef, veal, chicken, pasta and desserts?and also provides catering and a banquet room for private parties and overflow dining space. It is located few stores down from Cascata Gourmet Pizzeria; both restaurants are owned by Jay Skaf.

I visited Cascata Caff? Ristorante Italiano on a weekday for an afternoon lunch. Upon entering the restaurant, there was a tiny entryway or waiting area with wooden benches and green potted plants. Another door, with an Italian welcome sign above it, led me to a counter connected to the kitchen (one can see the cooks at work inside), and the dining room. A nice woman named Anna, Cascata?s manager, seated me at a tiny table in a cozy corner of a warm, dimly lit and nicely decorated room, complete with a fireplace, paintings, bottles of wine here and there, and the sound of slow Italian music. Only one other couple, celebrating an engagement, occupied the room.

After being seated, I was immediately served a basket of bread (Cascata?s bread comes from Sarcone?s Bakery in Philadelphia) with a dish of extra-virgin olive oil for dipping, and a glass of ice water with lemon. My waiter, Rich Gross, was very friendly and told me the specials of the day: Tilapia in a lemon and butter sauce, and Veal & Shrimp Porcini. The soup of the day was Cream of Mushroom. I decided to order a cup of Cream of Mushroom soup (Rich said this is the most popular soup ordered) along with a Caesar salad.

I was served my soup very quickly, piping hot. There were four varieties of mushroom: white, porcini, shitake and Portobello, along with carrots, onions and spices (I recognized the taste of spicy black pepper). The soup broth was flavorful and not too creamy or too filling?very light?and the mushrooms had a nice meaty consistency. A cup was just enough for me. My plate of Caesar salad came out next. It was cold, tossed with a generous amount of dressing and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and crunchy croutons-very good.

When I had finished eating, I was offered to try the homemade tiramisu for dessert with coffee. Being Italian, I have tasted tiramisu before, but I never liked the strong flavor of liquor it tends to have. Cascata?s tiramisu was different in that the taste of the liquor it contained was very light, as was its sweetness. The several layers of cool, whipped cream and coffee-laced wafers were refreshing and I loved the generous dusting of powdered cocoa on top. Delicious!

The cost of everything I ordered added up to a reasonable $12.75?a cup of soup is $2.75, Caesar salad is $4.95, tiramisu is $4.95 and coffee is $1.50. The overall menu price range is $13 to $25, with lunch items around $8.

Cascata was an overall wonderful experience. I?d definitely like to go back soon for some more tiramisu and coffee and to try the Calamari Fritti or Eggplant Parmigiana!

The Manager & The Menu:

Caff? Ristorante manager, Anna, has been working in the restaurant business for 40 years and says that the homey feel and homemade cooking are what make Cascata different from other restaurants? ?cookie cutter? dishes.

?We?re very friendly. We have a homemade cooking style; we make everything fresh. Nothing is pre-cooked,? she said, noting Cascata?s homemade tiramisu and catering services. ?Our goal is to maintain the quality of food and service we?ve always been known for and maintain our homey atmosphere.?

Cascata?s menu had been updated and reprinted the day before I visited. New items include Shrimp Lejon, Tilapia Meuniere, Meat Lasagna and Steak Pizzaiola. The most popular item is the Veal & Shrimp Porcini. Anna recommends the Grilled Salmon that is served with fresh spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Anna said Cascata?s secret to cooking great Italian food is love.

?You have to love it,? Anna said. ?You have to have a passion for it.?

Links:

? Cascata Caff? Ristorante Italiano?s Patch Place Listing

? Cascata Caff? Ristorante Italiano?s Website

? Cascata Caff? Ristorante Italiano?s Menu

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