[ANTIPASTI]
Asiago Artichoke Dip $8
Perfectly crusty (how your children describe you) savory bread topped with a delightful spread of Asiago cheese and diced artichoke hearts.
Grown-up Grilled Portabella $12
The word “portabella” actually means mature. Mama says sit up straight, act your age, and dig in to this fun guy (Get it? Fungi?) stuffed with goat cheese, prosciutto, and spinach with walnut, pesto, and chive vinaigrette.
Italian Nachos $12
These are nacho Mama’s nachos! (They’re our Mama’s nachos.) Toasted pita chips smothered in Asiago cheese, Italian sausage, banana peppers, tomatoes, and Kalamata olives.
Meatballs & Mozzarella $8
Even Mama says it’s a great day to be a meathead. Three meatballs covered in ooey-gooey mozzarella.
Artichoke Fritters $8
Don’t go breakin’ my heart, but feel free to dredge these artichoke hearts in seasoned flour and delicately fry them. Then serve ‘em up with horseradish dip.
Parmesan French Fries $8
Pardon our French. But add enough Parmesan and even the French speak with an Italian accent. Oui si. Do you?
Fried Oysters $10
Rolled like the pearls we found inside them, lightly fried, and served on a bed of spinach with an august Caesar dressing. See what we did there? Caesar Augustus?
Steamed Mussels $12
Hey all you 97-pound weaklings, here’s the best way to build your mussels. Steam in wine sauce with garlic, parsley, and thyme. Charles Atlas approved. (You’re young. Google him.)
Bruschetta $10
A toast to appetizers! Grilled bread (get it?) rubbed with olive oil and topped with tomatoes, cheese, basil, and garlic. Seriously, grilled bread…toast…work with us here.
[SALAD]
House Salad $7
A bed of beds topped with diced living room, roasted hallway, sliced… Oh wait. Not that kind of house? Got it. A bed of mixed greens with tomatoes, red onion, carrots, and cucumbers.
All Hail Caesar Salad $8
Or is that sleet? We can never tell. Romaine lettuce and Parmesan cheese in Caesar dressing with anchovies and croutons. Try these varieties too:
Chicken Seizure: Add chicken. So good it makes your brain twitch. $5All Shell Caesar: Add shrimp or fried oysters. $5 Upstream Upgrade: Add grilled salmon. $6
Crazy Caprese Salad $10
Because that’s how you pronounce it: Ca-prazy. And because it is crazy delicious. Tomatoes, basil mozzarella, and avocado, with balsamic vinaigrette.
Cantaloupe & Prosciutto Salad $10
I cantaloupe tonight, my dad’s at home. This marriage of sweet fruit and seasoned prosciutto on a bed of arugula with goat cheese and pine nuts will convince you that opposites really do attract.
Grilled Asparagus $10
Brittany Spears has nothing on these beautiful, well, spears. And pears. Shouldn’t those rhyme? Arugula with asparagus, Gorgonzola bleu cheese, and pears.
Spinach & Gorgonzola Salad $10
No, not the little boat in the canals in Italy. That’s gondola. This is an Italian bleu cheese, with baby spinach, pears, red onion, roasted red peppers, and pine nuts in a lemon and olive oil dressing.
Outrageous Tuna Salad $10
Mama’s in a rage over this explosion of tastiness: white albacore tuna with our own house-made balsamic Italian dressing, artichoke hearts, feta cheese, black olives, red onion, and diced tomatoes. Watch out. Mama can out rage us any day!
Mama’s Kiss Chicken Salad $10
Mama says, “Keep It Simple, Silly,” and that’s exactly what she did with this chicken salad whipped together with celery, grapes, and our own honey mayonnaise.
Raspberry Walnut Chicken Salad $12
Put your therapist on speed dial in case you go (caramel wal)nuts over this medley of grilled chicken and tossed field greens with diced tomatoes, feta cheese, red onion, raspberry vinaigrette and caramel walnuts.
Venetian Chicken Salad $12
Like Venetian blinds only tastier and easier to cut. Chicken, raisins, orange juice, olive oil and white wine vinegar over mixed greens, red onion, and pine nuts. Okay, not at all like Venetian blinds. But still tastier and easier to cut.
Balsamic Vinaigrette, Lemon & Olive Oil, Sweet Basil, Bleu Cheese, Parmesan Ranch, Caesar, Raspberry Vinaigrette, and, well, Italian.
Add chicken or shrimp to any salad for $5; salmon $6.
[SOUP]
Soup Every Day $4 cup/$6 bowl
Our Tomato & Artichoke soup never goes away, just like that stray cat you fed once. Pureed tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
Soup of the Day 4 cup/6 bowl
Mama says variety is the spice of life. (We say basil.) Either way, she insists on a different delectable soup daily. Just ask for it.
[ENTREE]
Served with your choice of a House Salad, Caesar Salad, or cup of soup. Substitute a small Caprese or Spinach & Gorgonzola Salad $3.
We apply a $3 charge to all split plates. (Somebody has to pay for all those broken dishes.)
Chicken Piccata $16
In Italy, the word piccata means annoyed, and while that might describe the chicken (and who would blame it?) it won’t describe you. Sauteed chicken in butter and lemon sauce with capers. Served with asparagus.
Salmon Piccata $18
Second verse, same as the first, with annoyed salmon instead of chicken. Served with asparagus.
Asiago Chicken $16
Asiago is both a small town and a popular cheese in Italy. We decided to go with the cheese. You’re welcome. Chicken with prosciutto, cream, onions and mushrooms tossed in an Asiago cream sauce.
[PANINI]
Served with one side: Parmesan fries, pasta salad, cup of soup, House Salad or Caesar salad.
Italian Club Panini $12
We’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse. Oh. Not that kind of Italian club. Right. Thin layers of olive tapenade and sweet basil dressing with salami, capicola, provolone, tomatoes, red onion, and romaine. Also available as a wrap.
Grilled Eggplant Panini $12
It’s not an egg but it is a plant and we grilled it so…whatever. Marinated grilled eggplant with baby spinach, portabella mushroom, prosciutto, Asiago cheese, sun-dried tomato, and basil vinaigrette.
Veggie Fresco Panini $10
Mama says you’re her favorite vegetable. Basil cream cheese and olive tapenade with avocado, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and romaine. Also available as a wrap.
Meatball & Provolone Panini $10
House-made meatballs using a secret family recipe. (The recipe isn’t secret; the family is. They’re embarrassing.) With provolone cheese, red onions, and sage butter sauce.
Basa Panini $12
Breaded and lightly fried white fish with romaine, tomato, red onion, and dill caper remoulade. Now that’s a sofishticated Panini.
Salmon Panini $12
It’s one halibut good Panini. Because one salmon of a good Panini wasn’t funny. With baby spinach, red pepper, prosciutto and a lemon- dill mayo on ciabatta.
[PIZZA]
All pizzas are 10”
Margherita Pizza $12
No, not pizza with tequila in it. Pizza named after Queen Margherita, who was scandalous in her royal love for the peasant food. This version was made for her with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella to rep the Italian flag.
White Pizza $14
It’s as white as a Donald Trump rally. Or those little lies Hillary likes to drop. Garlic and olive oil base with spinach, mozzarella, and dollops of ricotta. Add chicken for $4. (This is a non-partisan menu.)
Chicken & Sausage Pizza $14
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other slice. Diced chicken with Italian sausage, bell peppers, mozzarella, and provolone.
Three Cheese Pizza $12
Even tastier than Luciano Pavarotti and The Three Tenors, this trio sings of provolone, mozzarella, and Parmesan. Go ahead and flick your Bic for an encore.
Pepperoni Pizza $10
We (pepper)oni have eyes for you…and this simply delicious pizza piled with pepperoni and mozzarella.
Additional Toppings
Want to clutter up our nearly perfect pizza recipes? Feel free! Only 75¢ per veggie topping.
(We said feel free, not that it is free.)
Olive • Garlic • Mushrooms • Spinach • Basil• Tomatoes •Artichokes • Onion • Pepperoncini • Sun-dried Tomatoes
Meat toppings (prices vary):
Chicken • Pancetta • Sausage • Meatball • Capicola • Salami • Prosciutto
[Entrees]
Chicken Capellini $18
Thinner than spaghetti but heavier than angel hair, capellini literally translates “little tongues.” Insert your own joke here. Chicken with spinach, pine nuts, tomatoes, and mushrooms in lemon butter.
Sweet Chili Pasta $16
Strangely reminiscent of that first serious relationship. Sweet and spicy with a kick. Blackened chicken in a sweet chili sauce with parmesan cheese and cream. Add chicken or shrimp.
Scallopine di Pollo $18
Scallopine means thin and boneless. Like that guy in high school. Thin and boneless chicken in a lemon butter sauce with pancetta, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and capers over pasta.
Shrimp and Polenta $18
This is one a-maize-ing dish. Because polenta is made of corn meal which is maize so … oh never mind. Shrimp sautéed in a roasted red pepper sauce served over herbed polenta and drizzled with parsley oil.
Eggplant Parmesan $17
In 13th century Italy, folks called eggplant the mad apple because it was thought to incite insanity. In 21st century Old Louisville, we just call it insane. Like Mama. Lightly breaded and fried eggplant slices over capellini, tossed in ragu al pomodoro, and topped with parmesan and provolone cheeses baked to perfection.
Hearty Lasagna $18
Which is nothing like our Lungy Lasagna. Nothing. House-made family recipe layered with Italian meats, ragu al pomodoro, and ricotta and provolone cheeses. Topped with parmesan and baked to a golden brown. Please allow extra time for perfect baking. (If you’re in a hurry, we’ll do the imperfect one.)
Blushing Florentine Ravioli $17
It’s embarrassing to be this beautiful a dish. Ravioli shells stuffed with ricotta and Romano, tossed with wilted spinach and a creamy blush sauce. Available with chicken or shrimp.
Pesto Tortellini $18
Mama says, “Don’t pesto me off! Clean your plate!” No problem with this cheese tortellini served in an asparagus pesto cream sauce with chili flakes, garlic, pine nuts, and white wine vinegar, sliced chicken, and fresh basil. Available with chicken or shrimp.
[SPAGHETTI]
Amici Spaghetti ($16) with your choice of House Salad, Caesar Salad, or a cup of soup. What? You want more choices? Fine. Spaghetti smothered in your choice of …
•Ragu al pomodoro (tomato sauce, silly, not a jar of sauce) •Meatballs
•Italian sausage and peppers
•Clam sauce (red or white)
•Chicken Alfredo (Batman’s butler’s personal recipe)
•Vegan meatballs (how is that possible?)
•Alla Puttanesca (An Italian all-purpose profanity, as in, “I threw a
bunch of %*#! in a pot and here it is.” Tomato sauce and anchovies, capers, and olives. No %*#!.
Substitute whole grain or gluten-free pasta.
[BREAD]
Basket Case 3
No need to be one. Here’s an entire baguette served with butter. Add olive oil dip for $1.
Mozzarella Stuffed Breadsticks 10
Served with garlic olive oil and Italian seasoning. But seriously, how do they get the cheese in there?
Proud partner of WaterStep: Save Lives with Safe Water. waterstep.org
We put that after the [BREAD] section on purpose. Get it? Bread and water?