Living in the shadow of Seattle, Tacoma has had a hard time convincing people that it has some great eateries. This last year however, it has seen a rebirth as a formidable city for great food and wine.
Recently I had dinner at IL Fiasco, a charming little Italian Bistro located in the 6th ave business district, just a stones throw from my house in the near North end. It was the best Italian I have had in the Northwest. I prefer my Italian food to be simple, but robust. While I could have had the roasted duck breast with a current and port reduction, I opted for the very simple and full flavored Rigatoni Boulognaise - freshly made and cooked to order rigatoni pasta with a sweet Italian sausage ragout. While the sauce was delicious, it was the hotness of the rigatoni noodle that caught my attention. It was piping hot, but still aldente! I had the house greens with this dish which consisted of the perfect ration of dressing to fresh greens. One of my friends had the braciola di cinghiale, wild boar rib chop with marsala and wild mushroom demi-glace - let me just suggest to you that we were wild about!
Paired with two great bottles of wine, a 2001 Costello Di Bossi Chianti Classico and a 2005 Cloudy Bay New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, our meals were pallet satisfying. But beyond the food, the atmosphere was warm and inviting, which lent itself as the perfect setting for my friends and I to have a very intimate evening in the midst of a host of other diners, yet still we felt like the only ones there.
If you have a sweet tooth, might I suggest the canoli with a little espresso - the perfect end to a perfect meal.
Literally translated IL Fiasco means The Fiasco - it was anything but.
Piacere! (Enjoy)
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