Casa Italiana Restaurant — Restaurant in Virginia

After living in Italy for 4 years and visiting the country all over otherwise, I am not sure what was Italian here except for some of the words on the menu. The absolute closest thing at our table of 5 was the sauce on the Gnocchi with a baseball sized meatball. The carbonarra was overly creamy (there is no cream in the sauce, as carbonnara was one of my top go to dishes in Italy, it never had cream or sauce, maybe at Casa Italiana, but not in Italy). The Alfredo lacked in flavor, probably from substandard cheese being used in the sauce or lack of cheese; it just did not have that bite I am accustomed to. At least it was not gritty like other places. The spaghetti aglio (pronounced ah-lee-o not ag-lie-ī-ō) & olio was bitter as the sliced garlic was well on its way to being burnt. The meatball on previous mentioned dish... I guess it was Italian because it had oregano in it? Not too sure what was going on with that. The bruschetta (pronounced brū-sket-ta not brush-et-ta) was okay, Americanized and it had oregano in the tomato topping (no traditional). Too bad they don't serve pizza for supper, it probably would have been better than the dishes all containing pastas of sorts that we had. There was also a grilled vegetable salad that was ordered at the table. Grilled vegetables consisted of 3 grilled slices each of zucchini and eggplant. Those were on top of a mound of mixed fresh greens with tomatoes, onions, shaved carrots, and roasted red peppers from a brine soak of sorts. The salad dressing that was supposed to come on it was forgotten and that had to be asked for. The server was good, way over tasked with being a hostess, server, table bussing and working the bar. She gets the credit of giving the place 2 stars. She was not receptive to learning how to properly say Italian words and due to her being overworked, her personality was meh, which I cannot blame for all the leg work she was doing. Kitchen needs some serious help. Suggest having pizza available for supper dine in, reputable establishments all over Italy have it available at supper. We were hoping it to be much better...

This restaurant has an interesting set-up where you walk into an open room that serves as the bar area, with two booths sort of off to the side along the wall where the door is. Then there's a ramp up towards the dining area.

I have to admit I was a little put-off when I was taken to the booth next to the door, but it was a little chilly so I asked if I could at least get the next booth that is essentially at the bottom of the ramp. The entire room/bar area was completely empty and everyone else was seated in the dining area up the ramp. I thought perhaps it was full up there but then a couple entered after me and was taken up to the dining area.

I thought it was because I was eating solo that perhaps they thought I wanted to view the TV in the bar; however, nothing was playing on the TV. So it was just odd that everyone leaving walked towards me down the ramp, sitting in this area completely to myself.

Aside from that I found the service to be very attentive and the food was served quickly. Thoughts on what I had:

Salad - it was a very generous portion of fresh mixed greens, shaved carrots, and onion. I was informed that all salad dressing is housemade so I always find that impressive. I opted for the balsamic vinaigrette, which is not your standard, as it is more of a creamier blend.

Basket of bread was served warm with butter packets (I was surprised it was not with olive oil). The bread was still tasty, especially since it was served warm.

Entree - Pappardelle With Sausage Ragu. I found the sausage Ragu had a bit of heat to it so couldn't eat the whole entree. But it was a very tasty meal, especially with the fried fennel topping.

Bathroom - Single use bathroom for male and female. They didn't skimp on the toilet paper, which is always a nice surprise for a public bathroom 😊 The mirror is hung a little high so if you're a bit short you won't be able to check your reflection. Also there is not a changing station available in the...

We were visiting from out of town and visit restaurants almost daily. This was the most incredible food and experience. The pasta is made from scratch and is clearly made with extreme care. I felt like I was back in my grandmother’s kitchen eating authentic Italian pasta made with love. The wine selections are high quality and pair perfectly with any dish. As far as the price goes, patrons are paying a fraction of what this food is worth. The owners clearly appreciate their patrons because the food is easily worth $50 per meal. The value is unmatched. A few things that made the experience even more memorable and speak volumes for the level of perfectionism of service: We arrived at 9:21 when the restaurant was closing. We were greeted by the bar artist who made us feel like we were visiting a friends home and we were so welcome to be there. He immediately made sure we had water and drinks while the Amanda, our server was headed to our table so we didn’t have to wait. We weren’t made to feel like we were imposing in any way and we’re told to enjoy our time. Everyone worked together to make sure we were treated like an important guest. What the restaurant didn’t realize, is that I never get to stop running my businesses to spend time with my family anymore. Tonight was so special to sit without a phone, computer, or the stress of 7 businesses distracting me. We got to sit as a family and enjoy 5 star, perfectly crafted Italian food with the perfect portions. The attention to making sure our night was perfect is something I will always remember and appreciate for the rest of my life. If you haven’t tried this restaurant, please get everything on the menu as many times...