Antonia's

A couple of weeks ago, we finally got around to going to
Antonia's in Davis Square. It's a teeny Italian place which has
apparently recently changed hands. They were unusually busy for a
Sunday night (or so they implied) and it took them longer than
expected to seat us. The ambiance and decor were nice, and the air
conditioning mostly managed to keep up.

We started out with a couple of appetizers, an eggplant dish and the
jalapeno raviolis. Both dishes were good, though I wished the
jalapeno raviolis had been a bit spicier. There was the hint of
jalapeno flavor and a good garlic flavor, but not anything I'd call
spicy. The eggplant appetizer was quite good as well.

For dinner, I had the Gnocchi Carbonara which was outstanding.
Wonderful gnocchi with an exceptionally done carbonara sauce. They
managed to strike an impressive balance; cream based sauces so often
seem to be too heavy or too mild and this amnaged to find a delicious
savory "sweet spot". The Fettucini Alfredo, on the other hand, fell
solidly on the too mild side of things. It was entirely pasable, just
a bit on the bland side. Next time I think we'll be getting two
gnocchi dishes.

The prices were quite reasonable and the service was polite and
helpful, if a bit slow and occasionally seeming to have difficulty
understanding English. The view into Davis Square adds to the
ambiance and let's you stop at JP Licks for ice cream afterwards.
Overall, definitely recommended, if you get the gnocchi and avoid the
fettucini.