A friend had heard rumors about a decent Italian restaurant in Middletown, so we decided to check it out a couple of weeks ago. We found ourselves at the Cantina Cafe Ristorante, which is located in the basement of the Italian Society at 74 Court Street, but to our surprise the wait was an hour and a half. This both upset and intrigued us. That night, we opted for more standard Wesleyan student fare and hit Mikado for some sushi, and planned for a return to the Cantina Cafe.

Armed with a reservation and empty stomachs, we returned to the Cantina Cafe Ristorante the following week. As we descended the steps into the cave-like dining area, we took in the tacky, yet comforting, atmosphere. White cinder block walls were adorned with bunches of hand-painted grape clusters, while most of the lights bathed the tables in a red or green glow. In the next room, it seemed like a good percentage of Middletown’s Italian population was celebrating with a banquet.With three friends, we took our seats at a round table by the door and started deliberating our menu choices. Cara chose a rigatoni dish with sausage, broccoli rabe and peas in a marinara sauce. Jenn went with an antipasti appetizer dish and Chicken Rollatini (chicken stuffed with spinach, prosciutto and provolone). Other dishes at the table included gnocchi with veal and prosciutto and Penne Arrabiata (spicy red sauce).

We started the meal with complimentary basket of toasted Italian bread and a huge bowl of salad for the table. The bread was fine, but the salad was oily, although we all agreed that the hunks of orange mixed into the greens were a nice touch. Next came the antipasta platter, which consisted of pieces of soft buffalo mozzarella, squares of Italian sharp cheddar and marinated and pickled vegetables and 0lives. Getting to all of these things required careful excavation through generous layers of prosciutto and capicola, which were topped with a few unidentifiable green peppers that resembled giant jalapeños. After we got past the overwhelming amount of meats piled on the plate, the platter ended up being a fun dish. Some highlights were the Italian sharp cheese, which was smooth and flavorful, and the salty prosciutto. Jenn enjoyed her deep-fried mild green pepper and urged Cara to try it. Unfortunately, Cara’s pepper was not of the same variety. Pain ensued, but passed by the time we got our main courses…

… (an hour later).

The waitress apologized for the delay, explaining that the kitchen was running behind because of the party in the next room. The hour had allowed us to recover from the antipasta dish, and just as we were regaining our appetite, the main courses arrived. We were shocked by the size of the portions. Each pasta “dish” was actually served in a giant bowl, and the Chicken Rollatini was the size of a hearty loaf of bread. We quickly realized that two dishes would have easily satisfied the five of us, but instead we had four. So we got to eating.

And eat we did. We ate and ate until we couldn’t fit one more piece of penne into our stomachs. And even then we had hardly made a dent in the food. We would post some of the before and after photos, but there was no visible difference between the plates as they first arrived and when we had finished with them.

The food itself, we agreed, was pretty good. Honestly, the size of the dishes were more noteworthy than the taste. We enjoyed the food but in the way you enjoy comfort food, not a gourmet meal. This isn’t to say that comfort food is sub par, but for the prices, we were expecting something a little more upscale. Our dishes ranged from $16 to $21 and we found this to be a little expensive. However, if we had ordered properly and gotten two or three dishes for the five of us, the prices would not have been such an issue.

Here’s what we thought:

Cara- After sampling all the dishes, I decided that I enjoyed my rigatoni dish a little more than the others. The heft of the sausage and the rigatoni was balanced by the sweet peas, slightly bitter broccoli rabe and garlicky marinara. My least favorite dish was the Chicken Rollatini. The chicken itself was moist, but it didn’t overcome the dish’s failings: the fillings were underwhelming, the outer crust soggy and the gravy thick and not terribly flavorful. Grade: B

Jenn – For me, the gnocchi while good at first, soon felt too dense after a few bites. The Chicken Rollatini was prepared beautifully and cooked well, but the flavors never completely came together for me. The gravy also seemed out of place. My favorite dish was the spicy Penne Arrabiata. This pasta dish was to the point: well cooked penne with a rich and flavorful and hot red sauce – simple and tasty. Grade: B

Of course we didn’t pass up dessert. The menu included classic Italian tiramisu, Spumoni, Tartuffo and Mud Pie. We got the tiramisu and Mud Pie. They were delicious.

We left the restaurant carrying bags of leftovers and full almost to the point of discomfort. We would recommend Cantina Cafe Ristorante if you’re in the mood for some heavy Italian comfort food, and if you are not at all opposed to sharing.

About Jenn So

Jenn So is a senior Film Studies major who hails from a quaint town nestled among the pine trees of Maine. On campus, she is one of the head house managers of the Wesleyan Film Series. In Maine, she grew up eating her mother’s traditional Cantonese cooking and worked at her parents’ restaurant. This ignited her love for all things food and restaurant related. She has worked as a pantry chef in a French bistro and loves to travel and try exciting new dishes food from all over the world. In the recent past, she has tasted the cuisines in Australia, Thailand and China. After graduation, she hopes to roam the globe in search of even more delicious adventures.