LITTLE ITALY: Cafe Gia's

Disclaimer: This post will not do this place justice. I wish I had pictures of our meals. I, however, will add images of the restaurant in the next coming days!

This Saturday, I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday (which is TODAY!) with my lovely girlfriends. After spending the afternoon at the spa (read: About Faces Day Spa) getting facials and massages, we worked up an appetite!

Luckily, we had made reservations at Cafe Gia's in Little Italy! The outside is decorated and painted very artistically, ensuring a sensational experience on the inside! I have past by it many times and always wondered what was hidden inside... Now was my chance to discover!

Thankfully, we were able to find free parking outside (always a plus in Baltimore)! :) When we walked in, we were welcomed by warm painted walls showing Italian characters and landscapes all around. The restaurant is on the smaller side (with additional seating on a second floor), but that makes it that much more special! The bar on the right had warm lights and was decorated with beautiful fall flowers and winter twigs. All the tables were special pieces of artwork (I asked later, and in fact, all of their tables were "Christmas" tables that they bring out just for the season! they even have special ones for Valentine's Day!).


CafeGias.com

We actually sat at the table in the right of the picture. It was perfect. Our friendly waitress came to take drinks and my sister and I ordered Gia's Sangria. It was a red Sangria, and although it did not have the typical fruit you would expect, it was delicious! Not too over-bearingly sweet, yet not to dry either.

Their menu offers a little bit of everything, with a variety of dishes for all the tastes. For appetizers, we ordered the "Fritto Misto all'Italiana",  which was 'assortment of fried calamari, shrimp and scallops served with a spicy marinara sauce', and the "Bruschetta", which is 'grilled Italian baguette with fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, onions and bell peppers'. Both were delicious. The kalamari batter tasted authentic and pure, the scallops were cooked perfectly, and the shrimp were large and juicy! The Bruschetta lived up to its name and the capers were a nice addition to the traditional taste (at least what I am used to)!

For my entree, I ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana, as a suggestion of our waitress. According to her, it is award-winning! The portion was large and I can see why it won awards. The eggplant was cut into thin pieces and stacked. It was then topped with a fresh marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked (no greasy mess)! It was so good! It did not have the bitter eggplant taste and was very hearty! It was served with a side of linguine, which made it a perfect dish!

Other dishes on the table were the  Misto della Casa salad (mixed greens salad), Veal Marsalla da Zia Pina (Veal Marsala), Pasta Lucia (with sausage, cheese, and grapes), and the Risotto Vongole (the special). Everything looked amazing and my friends were all very satisfied! I tried the Risotto Vongole (thanks, sissie, for sharing!), which had an amazing element of flavors I did not expect! It was delicious! Our stomachs and hearts were very happy!

When we were finished, our waitress offered us dessert, and even though she mentioned everything was homemade, we had to decline. (Details in next post!)

The prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food. Entrees varied from $16 to $26. The service was great, the ambiance just perfect for my tiny celebration, and the food was delicious!

I will have to convince my love to take me to Cafe Gia's again... soon! ;) It it the perfect date/intimate get-together location!