“Delicacies off Campus” opinions meals close to Stanford’s campus. We think about what issues to school college students: How shut is the restaurant? How costly is the meals? And, most significantly, how tasty is it? We hope that can assist you discover your subsequent favourite spot!
“I’m gonna cry. The pasta. Yummy,” mentioned one half of our reviewing crew, Isabella Saracco ’23, as we sat down at Caffe Riace for our Tuesday dinner. She was raving concerning the cannelloni.
The dish, enormous pasta tubes full of ricotta and spinach, got here topped with a tomato cream sauce. The ricotta stuffing was the proper texture, moist and never too crumbly. The cannelloni itself additionally displayed full textural excellence, with crispy baked corners and a middle that supplied simply the correct quantity of resistance. The flavors of the tomato sauce, easy but scrumptious, complemented the heavier stuffing terribly.
Being from Chicago, Illinois and New Haven, Connecticut — locales identified for his or her Italian delicacies, we’ve typically been dissatisfied by Bay Space choices. However the cannelloni and every thing else we had at Caffe Riace was scrumptious, tasting like residence.
The restaurant’s ambiance balanced magnificence with enjoyable. Strolling in, friends are met with quirky statues, reminiscent of a classical-looking fountain that includes a washer. A Greek-style statue of a unadorned lady holds the washer up like a trophy, water pouring out of its entrance opening.
The place has an in depth out of doors eating space in addition to an indoor sitting house, which feels cozy with heat colours and candles at every desk. The cafe is nearer to east campus, simply an 8-minute drive or 9-minute bike trip from EVGR Duan Corridor. From west campus, it’s both a 12-minute drive or 13-minute bike trip.
The gnocchi pesto is a filling, savory providing at Caffe Riace. It was pillowy with a satisfying softness, whereas the pesto sauce had a clean, natural style. The portion was monumental: after consuming a number of it, the dish felt a bit monotonous, and we wished the dish had another aspect to diversify its taste profile. However, total, it was spectacular.
Our appetizer order was the arancine, which have been completely very tasty. These fried balls of ricotta and mozzarella have been served on high of tomato sauce, which added a fruity be aware to the savory dish. The acid of the sauce was a satisfying pairing with the wealthy cheesiness. The arancine was fried to perfection, with crunchy outsides and moist insides.
Caffe Riace offers all patrons a complimentary plate of bread and permits free of charge refills. The bread was served heat and got here with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. The bread itself was wonderful, garnished with varied herbs that added a satisfying taste. The feel of the bread was heightened by its heat.
Caffe Riace is on the costlier facet of eating places we’ve reviewed, with entrees costing between $25 to $49. At this value level, it is perhaps a restaurant extra applicable for particular events, reminiscent of a dinner with visiting household. Nonetheless, strategic ordering could make Caffe Riace extra reasonably priced. Many of the pasta entrees value round $25 and are massive sufficient to separate or take residence for leftovers. We took about half of the pesto gnocchi residence, and it reheated properly.
Editor’s Word: This text is a evaluation and consists of subjective ideas, opinions and critiques. You probably have restaurant options for this column to evaluation, electronic mail arts ‘at’ stanforddaily.com.