Restaurant review: Take it slow at Casa Cosenza

When you travel to Italy, you notice a couple things as an American: The food is impeccably fresh and the pace is luxuriously slow. Italians relax when they dine, savoring antipasti and reveling in multiple courses with wine. Time stops.

While the food is delicious, it’s generally less complicated than fussy French cuisine. Long-simmered Bolognese aside, the allure of much Italian food is based on combining the finest ingredients with care and letting their flavors sing. Sadly, much of what passes for Italian gastronomy in the U.S. loses sight of these axioms.

Enter Oldsmar’s Casa Cosenza, which brings an “Italian food experience straight from Italy.” “Mamma e papà,” owners Fabrizia and Giuseppe Cosenza, are expats from Naples and Rome respectively. Chef Fabrizia and front-of-house Giuseppe heard the siren’s song of Tampa Bay weather, and the rest is history.

"It's not easy, but it's our dream," Fabrizia, who worked during the day and went to university at night to get her international culinary degree in Italy, told CL. "We came to Orlando a couple of years ago and came over to Tampa to salute friends and thought it would be a great place to raise our children."

Every day, authentic pasta is created before your eyes (if you’re lucky). The pasta station is on exhibit for all to see. Behind a glass box shield is a fire-engine red mixer with a pasta attachment, sitting atop a butcher block work surface.

The focus is on fresh ingredients. In addition to pasta, the restaurant also makes bread and cheese daily. And all the dishes are made to order so they’re able to adjust for gluten-free and vegetarian diets. They’re “dedicated to sharing with you what real Italian food tastes like” by using fresh seafood and produce from local providers, plus high-quality goods imported from Italy. The aim is not slickness, but a down-home trattoria experience.

An instructive way to look at the differences is to start with bruschette della casa. Bruschetta is everywhere nowadays, but Casa Cosenza’s varies from most. The wooden serving paddle includes basil leaves (to add to taste) and a balsamic reduction zigzag. On top, the bread is larger, thinner and crispier than what you usually see, with a topping that’s light on garlic and adds both green and black olives to the tomatoes. My posse is happy, even as they note the divergence from the U.S. norm.

Our second starter is mozzarelline in carrozza con lenticchie di Castelluccio al curry. These little breaded mozzarella balls are lighter than the processed sticks that often show up as appetizers. They’re served with a ramekin of lightly curried lentils and a small side dish of chunky red sauce with rich, bright tomato flavor. It’s a lovely combo, far better than what usually constitutes bar fare. The fresh mozzarella makes a huge difference.

Cosenza’s yummy lasagna layers homemade pasta and besciamella (white sauce) with a really meaty filling in an absurdly huge portion. It’s topped with a Parmesan wafer as well as fresh cheese.

The pasta really shines in the linguine al pesto con carciofini fritti, unexpectedly enchanting fried artichoke hearts. The linguine is perfectly al dente and covered with oodles of creamy sauce. The mashup of basil with spinach, virgin olive oil and pine nuts is delicious and not as assertive as some pesto you might encounter. There’s no strong garlic or grated Parmesan, and spinach pushes the basil to the background. It’s got a lush, emulsified texture that’s a delight as well.

Scaloppina al vino bianco is a traditional veal scaloppini in a light sauce of lemon and white wine. The veal is tender with a sauce that’s bright and tangy. It’s served with patate arrosto, thinly sliced roasted potatoes that are golden and crisp (like flat hash browns) and verdura ripassata con uva passa e pinoli — in this case, tasty sticks of sautéed zucchini stacked like Lincoln logs with raisins and pine nuts. They’re great accompaniments that also grace the plate of pollo alla cacciatora (hunter-style) chicken, which features pounded breasts with little pieces of tomatoes, olives and capers with no red sauce in sight. It’s the one dish that lacks punch and comes up short.

For a sweet finish, we opt for tiramisù su scaglie di mandorle (almond scales) in a low glass jar with a hinged top. It seems like an odd serving choice, but the espresso-dipped lady fingers are just perfect — not too moist as to fall apart, yet full of flavor. There’s plenty of creamy filling, without excessive chocolate, making it a solid version of this popular dessert.

A pile of bite-size profiteroles fills a large bowl. The light, cream-filled puffs surround a luscious blob of more whipped cream, and the whole thing is drizzled with plenty of rich homemade chocolate sauce. It’s tailor-made to share.

The space is crisp and white, with a charming bar separated from the dining room by a pair of modern armchairs. The pace of the meal is slow, even without a full house. However, it reminds me of happy days spent in Italy.

We forget the hustle and bustle, go with the flow and enjoy our wine. Though the list is selective, it’s purely Italian so you might as well try some new varietals. When’s the last time you had whites like Gavi or vermentino? How about dolcetto or Valpolicella for reds? They’re not high end, but they go well with the food and are priced right. Giuseppe shares that Fabrizia is working hard on expanding the limited opening menu. Tornerò (I’ll be back)!

Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system.

This article appears in Jul 14-21, 2016.