Little Italy Restaurante - Tuscany on the Lower Hillside

A great little "hole in the wall" Italian/Greek restaurant is about a 10 minute walk from my house....Little Italy Restaurante.  It is a perfect example of what is great about Anchorage cuisine.  You can find the most amazing little restaurant in a strip mall or, in this case, what I would swear is an old garage.  My wife and I consider Little Italy as one of our favorite restaurants in Anchorage, and this last Saturday we needed a little time for us at "our" restaurant.

The interior has just the right level of light and mood music playing as you come in and are seated.  There does not really seem to be a bad seat in the place, although I do prefer the booths...for the romantic times.  The service is always friendly, and the recommendations and specials are spot on.  They do have their own bar and, if you are a oenophile, they have a pretty nice selection of wines.  My wife and I always listen to the specials and look for recommendations on wine from the waitstaff.  The staff loves the food and wine they serve...and they make great meal advisors.

I have eaten at Little Italy a few times and love the appetizers.  My favorite is the sauteed mushrooms.  They are sauteed in olive oil, garlic, oregano, and lemon.  Having said that, this time they were a little dry without much jus.  Next time I will ask the waitstaff to check to see if they are looking good before I order them.

We also had marinated artichoke hearts.  I have had artichoke hearts that are too oily or too vinegary.  These were just right, marinated in some lemon, olive oil, herbs, and dusted with little paprika.

Our waiter recommended the R Barbera 2009 of Jeff Runquist Wines.  It was just right for our appetizers and what we were about to have for our entree.  This is one of the things I like most about Little Italy!  They always seem to be able to make the right recommendation for pairing appetizers, wine, and entree.  This particular red was light with hints of mocha and plum.  The perfect balance for our meal.

My entree came with a lemon chicken soup.  It was ok, but far from transcendent.  It didn't matter much, because my entree was on it's way...and it was inspired.  The seafood cannelloni made my day.  It was a special, not on the menu, but as I have said before their specials are spot on.  The crepes were stuffed with crab, shrimp, and scallop.  A light cream sauce covered the two crepes and a spoonful of marinara had been ladled across the top.  A side of fresh steamed vegetables accompanied them on the plate.

I love a creme sauce that does not feel heavy and allows the flavors of the crepe and filling to step forward.  The accent of the perfect amount of marina brought the plate together.  The seafood was sweet and flavorful...the sauce magnificent.  Needless to say, I gobbled up my meal.

My wife had a special as well, linguini with tender slices of chicken in a red wine reduction.  The sauce had capers, pine nuts and my wife loved it.  I was too focused on my meal to get a taste, but I did get a whiff of the aroma as it was placed on our table, and it smelled devine.

Someday my wife and I will have to save room for a desert.  To date, we have been too enthusiastic about our appetizers and entrees to make it to a desert.  It just gives me an excuse to make another reservation to have dinner there.


Little Italy Restaurante:

Address -
2300 E 88th Ave
Anchorage, AK

Phone - 907-344-1515

Website - www.littleitalyalaska.com

Reservations - recommended!  Little Italy's seating is limited and on a busy Friday or Saturday night it can fill up between 7-9p.

Overall Recommendation:  This place is a gem and should be tried.  It is a great little Italian restaurant with great service.  They do not take Visa/Mastercard, but do accept American Express, checks, and cash, so plan accordingly.