Parkville (MO): Cafe Italia Re-Opens in Historic Parkville After Two-Year Hiatus

Cafe Italia
160 English Landing Drive
Parkville, MO 64152
816-584-0607
Website: http://cafeitalia2.com/
$$$$$ - Entrees $10-$30

There being a shortage of non-chain Italian restaurants in the Northland, Cafe Italia in Parkville didn't let us down. The atmosphere is sparse, but modern with a touch of elegance as opposed to their old locaton on North Oak. The menu was missing one of my favorites from the old location, vitello saltimbocca (veal saltimbocca). We started with wine, Canyon Road Cabernet ($22/bottle) from the limited wine list. Prices by the glass are reasonable, from $6-$7.50/glass.

We started with a stuffed artichoke, while tasty, and hot, was too "cheesy" and drenched in olive oil. A bit disappointing, but my standards are high because I learned an excellent stuffed artichoke recipe form my grandmother who was born in the Irpino region of Italy. We both had the ceasar salad which was excellent, the only problem being the very large (but delicious) croutons that had to be eaten by hand because they were too hard to cut into pieces.  My wife, an Italian citizen, had ravioli con funghi, stuffed with chicken, prosciutto, and capicolo in a mushroom sauce. The taste was excellent, but the pasta was too "al dente". Being Italian, she is hard to please when it comes to Italian food, but enjoyed her meal very much. I had the vitello alla parmigiana which was tasty, but a little tough for "milkfed veal" which was advertized on the menu. The color and texture seemed more like sliced beef to me, but it was tasty and resonaby priced, veal or beef.

The size of the portions was generous, so we had to pass on dessert. The owners stopped by to talk and one's family is originally from the same area of Sicily where my wife was born, so they were able to speak in Italian about their shared heritage.  Overall, we had a nice meal, the service was very good, and we will return soon to see if any of the problems noted above have been taken care of. After all, they have only been open for two weeks!

CombatCritic Gives Cafe Italia 6 out of 10 Bombs ... Bombs Are Good!

Menu:

http://www.cafeitalia2.com/user/web-storage/webstorage1/menu.pdf

"Our family is first and second generation Italian American.  Our heritage is laced in a rich culture of food and wine.  Most of the family hails from Sicily, the southern most state in Italy.  The food we bring to you at Cafe Italia strongly represents this Sicilian influence, especially in the rich red sauces and spicy pasta dishes we serve."

            Cafe Italia