Venice - Libreria Acqua Alta + Trattoria Alla Madonna

Here's the thing, Venice is a small island, but I still think its easier to get lost than it is to find your way to a planned destination. Even when you're following a map. Travelling by vaporetto is much simpler. The Grand Canal carves in and around Venice's biggest hits, laying out the city. So it was funny when I stumbled, on foot, onto Libreria Acqua Alta the first time. I just turned a corner and there it was.

Fettuccine with Peas and Prosciutto

I made this pasta for the first time over a year ago with my friend Katy. We were planning her wedding and all of the sudden it was 7 pm and we were starving. I remember we were so indecisive, we spent at least half an hour trying to decide whether to go out to eat or make something at home. Finally we settled on this recipe out of the Everyday Food cookbook, mostly because Katy already had a pound of fettuccine and I had frozen peas.

It's pretty darn tasty. And it only takes around twenty minutes start to finish. Prep the garlic, lemon, prosciutto while your pasta water heats up, then start cooking the garlic when you drop the pasta. Totally easy. The lemon adds a brightness that really makes the dish. Going back through the recipes I've blogged, pretty much all of them feature lemons. When I was little I ate lemons as if they were oranges. So I guess it isn't surprising that so many of my favorite recipes include them.

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion

Back in August I wrote about Topo Gigio and the amazing seafood pasta my sister ordered. That pasta had fantastic calamari and mussels and scallops but what made it really delicious was the sauce. It had the most perfect tomato flavor with minimal chunks and an underlying richness. I dreamed of that pasta for months. Then, in November, I found myself devouring months and months of posts from Orangette. When I came across Molly's blog on tomato sauce I thought, 'I can do that.' So I did. And with my first taste it was like 'that's it!' It's probably not exactly like the sauce from Topo Gigio, but it's close enough for me.

Lemony Chickpea Pasta

This is a super simple dish that comes together very quickly. I like to make it on nights when I work late and don't have much energy, but still want to make something yummy and homemade. I love how the heat of the pasta warms up the chickpeas so they get nice and creamy. If you want to be fussy you can remove the skin from the chickpeas. It just makes the dish a bit more elegant. I usually run a knife through a tablespoon of the capers then leave the rest whole. This would also be great with some artichokes or kalamata olives. If the capers aren't briny-salty enough for you!

Spicy Peanut Noodles

These yummy noodles are a bit addictive. My mom used to make them for our family when I was younger. Then in high school it was one of the first (and only!) recipes I cooked myself. The noodles are based on a recipe from one of my mom's old Moosewood cookbooks. I tried to find the exact recipe online, but the one I found on the Moosewood website was a little different than I remembered, it doesn't have garlic or ginger. So I improvised a little, adding the minced garlic and ginger as well as some honey to balance out the salty/spicy flavors.

Olive Garden

Whenever I'm in the mood for giant portions of sodium+butter+cream laden pasta, naturally, I head for Olive Garden. This time, Mariann was down from Chicago for the weekend so we had a mini girls night out. Lots of people think Olive Garden is evil, and it probably is, but Bloomington is surprisingly deficient in Italian Restaurants.

Noodles & Company

I have a bit of an addiction to Noodles & Company. At least once a week I end up there for lunch. It's just super convenient to my work and service is so fast! It's pretty cheap for a big bowl of noodles. There are "Italian Mediterranean," "Asian," and "American" options. In quotes because I don't quite trust the authenticity of any of their ethnic dishes. But I don't care about that, because they all taste good! So for around $8 you can get a huge bowl of noodles plus a protein. OR a smaller bowl of noodles plus a soup or salad and a protein. Pretty good deal if you ask me, especially for dinner. And you don't have to tip! At least I never do. They don't have a tip jar after all, and it's not an option on the receipt.

I rotate through several of the different noodle dishes. Most often I order the Pesto Cavatappi, pictured above. It's not too basil-y which I like. And it's garlicky without being overpowering. It has a few veggies in there, mostly mushrooms and a few random tomatoes, but not quite enough to be healthy. Lately I've been adding asparagus which is delicious. It does add an extra $1.25 to the price though. You could buy a soda with that extra money! I always get the parmesan crusted chicken with the pesto. It is delicious. Yummy crispy/crunchy cheese all over and I've never gotten any sketchy pieces.

The other "Mediterranean" dish I get a lot is the Penne Rosa. It is penne pasta, obviously, served with a spicy creamy tomato sauce. The sauce is delicious with a surprising kick. And it's creamy without being too rich. The veggies are wilted spinach, mushrooms and tomatoes. Like the Pesto Cavatappi, I usually order it with the parmesan chicken.

My other top choice is the Japanese Pan Noodles. Thick udon noodles in a dark spicy/sweet dark soy sauce carmelized slightly from a quick pan fry. Sometimes they are a little crispy on the outside which is awesome with the chewiness of the noodle. Included vegetables are carrots, yummy mushrooms, and too few broccolis. It would be more perfect if they included more pieces of broccoli, you're lucky if you get four. For the protein I've ordered it with shrimp, which was just okay, seared beef and tofu. Both the tofu and beef are good choices, they pair really well with the sauce. I keep meaning to try the Indonesian Peanut Saute, but I always end up with the safe choice, because I know it's good. Maybe next time!

If it's cold and/or rainy or if you're in a bad mood or feeling like you need something rich and comforting the Mushroom Stroganoff is the way to go. Thick, wavy egg noodles in a creamy stroganoff. You can taste the sherry really well in the cream sauce. I order it with the braised beef, which is always extra tender and tasty. The Wisconsin Mac & Cheese is also great for a comfort food fix. It is cheesetastic and delicious. But SO rich. The regular portion is just too much cheese and pasta for a normal human. But leftovers are good!

Go to the Noodles website for the full menu. You can also sign up for the email list and get awesome coupons. For signing up I got a bogo coupon for a regular size order. Anyway, it's not like gourmet or anything but it is cheapish and filling and tasty.

Noodles & Company
Bloomington Von Lee
517 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone: (812) 323-1400