Piazza Del Sol
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[SECTION]
Piazza Del Sol[/SECTION]
I have long wanted to try the food at the Piazza del Sol and having been invited there recently, I had to cancel babysitting for my grandchildren which I was to do at the same time, as I have wanted to visit this restaurant for over a year now!
I had heard so many good reports about it but they only open at night time and when I eat out, it is generally only at lunchtime. This Tratorria is tucked away in a very unlikely area of Tuart Hill - on a corner, where it is surrounded by quite a large residential suburb.
The restaurant has been run by owner and head chef, Lou D'Annunzio, since its inception in 1987, and in fact, they recently had their 30th birthday!.
I had heard that the Italian food served here is always at its best, and as I like genuine Italian food, I could not wait to try it.
I was fortunate to be able to go into the kitchen while I was there, and was impressed by the cleanliness of it.
They do not take bookings, so we got there very early as we were a party of 7 and did not want to miss out, having also heard that it is a very popular restaurant and being that it was a Saturday night.
[SECTION]
Menu[/SECTION]
Many of their pasta dishes are made from their homemade pasta.
Their menu was very extensive, having foods like:
ANTIPASTA OR STARTERS
Feta Marinata
Danish feta marinated in garlic, oregano, basil, parsley and olive oil. Served on fresh roquette
Funghi al Marsala
Sautéed button mushrooms with roasted garlic, sweet Marsala and topped with toasted flaked almonds.
Salsiccia al Forno (in two sizes)
Wood fired oven seared hot or mild Italian cacciatore sausage infused with fresh lemon, served on fresh roquette.
Bruschetta Tricolore
Crispy garlic bread topped with roast capsicum, sautéed mushrooms and fresh basil
Calamari Sott'Olio
Served cold - BBQ'd calamari marinated in extra virgin olive oil, chilli, lemon, white wine vinegar, garlic and parsley.
Polenta Ammucchiata
Char-grilled polenta cake stacked with grilled zucchini, sautéed mushroom, sun-dried tomatoes, feta and basil
Pollo alla Griglia
Grilled chicken wings coated with a light bread, herb and garlic crust, and served with a spicy mango dipping sauce.
Cipollata di Melanzane
These ranged in price from about $9 to $20, and there are more than I have listed.
They also have pizza, pasta, grill, salad, bread, soup and risotto.
MAIN MEALS:
Tortellini alla Panna
Hand-made pasta with a chicken and almond filling in a creamy mushroom and Parmesan sauce
Cannelloni Ripieni
Baked home-made pasta filled with ricotta, pumpkin and spinach, topped with fresh Napoletana sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese
Lasagne al Forno
Traditional baked home-made pasta with layers of Bolognese sauce and mozzarella cheese
Panzotti alla Zucca
Hand-made pasta triangles filled with pumpkin, ricotta and walnuts in a creamy tomato sauce
Ravioli al Sugo
Veal filled hand-made pasta cushions in a fresh Napoletana sauce
Scialatelli Rustica
Hand-made short pasta with a sauce of sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, roast capsicum, Spanish onions and pancetta in a creamy sauce
Controfiletto al Ferri
Grilled scotch fillet topped with sautéed mushrooms & buttered spinach, served on garlic potato mash.
Cotoletta alla Parmigiana
Crumbed veal steak baked with ham, Napoletana sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese topping.
Scaloppine alla Panna
Sautéed veal slices with a white wine and mushroom cream sauce
Bistecca al Pepe
Grilled Scotch fillet steak with a brandy pepper cream sauce served on garlic, potato mash
Capretto al Forno
Wood fired oven roasted baby goat pieces, marinated in white wine, garlic, rosemary, cracked pepper, capers and lemon, served on a creamy potato mash and Milanese rice
Pollo alla Diavola
Grilled chicken breast in a spicy onion, capsicum, olive, wine and tomato sauce
And heaps more.
[SECTION]
Our Meals[/SECTION]
The piazza was buzzing with people on the night we were there and even at 6 pm it was quite full. It was another case of "What can I choose" as there is just so much on their menu. They also had a list of about five daily specials, however, this only complicated the matter by adding more to chose from!
We all started off with garlic bread, and this was delicious - sometimes garlic bread can be very ordinary, but this one was on Italian bread with enough butter and garlic to make me eat more than one piece.
Eventually, I decided on the Scaloppine al Marsala (cost of $32) and this was sautéed, thin veal slices with a sweet marsala and mushroom sauce.
Other dishes ordered by our group were;
Fettuccine al Salmone costs $29, and this was their home-made fettuccine tossed in a creamy tomato sauce, with smoked salmon pieces, Spanish onions and capers. There was no skimping on the pieces of smoked salmon and this meal was delicious though the two people who ordered it, could not finish - it was large enough to be shared!
Penne alla Boscaiola which cost $25 and was a vegetarian meal consisting of penne pasta with a creamy tomato sauce of mixed mushrooms, garlic, onions, basil and grape tomatoes.
The lady who ordered this dish assured me it was delicious though once again, she had to take half of it home, as it was just too much - a problem I never seem to encounter!
The next meal was the Spaghetti alla Marinara which was also costs $29. This one was spaghetti with fish, squid and mussels in a chilli and garlic tomato sauce.
I tasted a bit of this one and there was no skimping on the seafood which was tender and the sauce very tasty. Meanwhile, we were all eating and one meal had not arrived. Our waiter, Jerome, apologised several times and after about ten minutes he brought out a complimentary home made grissini.
This was on the menu as grissini, costing $9, and was a garlic and herb pizza twists served with both e.v. oil and balsamic and garlic aioli.
We were all pleased with the delay as this bread/grissini was nothing like a bought one. It was crisp on the outside but soft on the inside and dipped into the sauce, it was an extra treat that we were not charged for. It disappeared quickly leaving the poor person who was waiting for the meal with just one piece!
The last meal was from the specials menu and was "mums" homemade Cannelloni filled with ricotta, and minced chicken breast, and topped with fresh Napoletana sauce, creamy mushrooms, and parmesan cheese (costing $29).
I also tried a bit of this and it was rich, and absolutely delicious also!
[SECTION][b] The Staff**[/SECTION]
Our waiter was Jerome and he was bubbly, efficient, and very friendly.
Most of the people working here are family, so it is virtually a totally run family business. I ventured into the kitchen however they were so busy that I did not spend much time there as I would have delayed people's meals by talking to the chefs! As mentioned previously in this article, the owner, Luigi D'Annuzio is the head chef.
Luigi Coc is the grill chef and Carrado (the pizza chef) and makes those lovely looking pizzas that they have become known for.
[SECTION][b]Kids Menu**[/SECTION]
They also do a kids menu, as well as many vegetarian meals. Their kids menu is unusually large as most restaurants only have about three or four items for children to chose from.
All the children's meals cost $15.00, and they are for children under 12 years of age.
They can choose from a drink, dessert and activity pack, as follows:
Spaghetti Bolognese with minced beef and tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese and a side of garlic bread and
Macaroni Cheese with a creamy, cheesy sauce topped with mozzarella cheese, and a side of garlic bread
Lasagne with layers of fresh pasta with Bolognese and mozzarella filling, and a side of garlic bread
Grilled Chicken Strips which is grilled chicken tenderloins served on mash with a side salad
Veal Cotoletta which is grilled crumbed veal steak topped with tomato and mozzarella and served on mash with a side salad
Cheese Pizza topped with tomato and extra mozzarella cheese
[IMAGE="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/003/04/kidspizza.jpg" width="400" link="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/003/04/kidspizza.jpg" align="CENTER" thumb="http://www.weekendnotes.com/im/003/04/kidspizza1.jpg" border="1" caption="Special children's pasta available - Image:
www.facebook.com/Piazza-Del-Sol-Trattoria-Pizzeria-Lucafe-Italian-Takeaway-122713727755583" wrap="0" title="Kids,pizza" margin="5"]
Ham Pizza topped with ham, tomato and mozzarella cheese
Chicken Pizza topped with chicken, tomato and mozzarella cheese
With every Kids Meal, you get for FREE a Busy Nippers activity pack which is also available to buy for $2.50
DRINKS
Spring Water
Coke
Lift
Sprite
Fanta
Coke Zero
Fresh Milk
Orange Juice
Apple Juice
Pineapple Juice
DESSERTS
Pizza Candy
Kids Gelato in Jelly Cup
Shortbread Smartie Cookie
Chocolate Brownie
Or the children could always share one of their dessert pizzas!
[SECTION][b]Notes[/b][/SECTION]
Piazza del Sol is also known as Lucafe Takeaway and they obviously also do takeaway meals. They do not do separate billing (one account per table), however Jerome split the bill 7 ways for us.
B.Y.O. Wine Only is $8.00 per bottle and this includes a complimentary bottle of spring water.
There is however no BYO on Friday and Saturday nights.
Piazza del Sol will open specially for function on a Sunday, and set menus are also available.
They have a 10% surcharge on public holidays and all prices include GST.
No bookings are taken, however for queries or takeaways, you can phone them on 9440 1645.
They are situated at the Corner of Stoneham and Lawley Streets, Tuart Hill.
They are open from 5:30 pm till late from Tuesday to Saturday.
Piazza Del Sol is a restaurant that is well worth a visit more than once.
#child_friendly
#dinner
#family_attractions
#food_wine
#italian_restaurants
#takeaway
#tuart_hill
%wnperth
118653 - 2023-06-12 20:51:59