If you’ve ever been to Rome, you’ll have noticed how ubiquitous pasta alla carbonara, all’amatriciana, and cacio e pepe are.
They are found on every menu, along with suppli (croquettes), artichoke dishes and saltimbocca, a veal escalope wrapped in prosciutto and cooked in butter.
A brand new restaurant in the Saint-Henri district wants to transport us to the Eternal City, with Italian music, photos and a service staff dressed to the nines. La Spada is a large, lively (not to mention noisy!) restaurant that is more suited to great meals with friends than romantic dinners.
If you’re lucky, co-owner Scott Usheroff will personally pour the consommé over your ricotta-stuffed tortellini. The excellent food photographer teamed up with chef Steve Marcone (Bistro Amerigo) to bring this new “concept” to fruition, replacing Conceria, an Italian-vegan restaurant that didn’t last two years.
La Spada’s menu is ambitious, with its dozen sfizi (starters), almost as many primi (pastas), half a dozen secondi (proteins) and verdure (vegetables).
Just a few days after the opening, we were still waiting for the wines on private order, but the choices made at the SAQ were nevertheless very good. Precede with a classic negroni and the evening will be well underway!
3580 Notre-Dame Street West, Montreal
Visit the La Spada website