Economical Rosinella’s graces downtown Miami

The Miami Herald – By Kendall Hammersly
“Crusty bread is being dipped into olive oil spiked with crushed red pepper. Homemade noodles are being boiled. Plum tomatoes are being chipped and seasoned with basil and balsamic vinegar. Red wine is being poured, freely. And people are congregating in destination downtown, inside the city, gazing with one eye at insalata tricolore and the other at the NationsBank Tower, thinking Miami is for me.

Downtown has quitus except for its piazza di Italy, Miami Avenue, home to some of the city’s better economy-priced Italian dining. A place that, coupled with new condominiums plus a gleaming new Publix and other chains in the Brickell Avenue neighborhood, has the local gentry talking revival, speaking of nightlife and thriving and other terms foreign to the area since I-95 cleaved Overtown into history.”

“The menu is identical to that found at Rosinella’s on the Beach, and that is good. Pasta is fresh, wine is reasonable, fish is beautifully prepared and the camaraderie is vibrant, and all that is good, too.

Appetizers are musts

Do not fail to order a signature appetizer, vitello tomato, veal with tuna sauce, an oddly described but utterly fantastic dish, veal sliced thin as parchment and arrayed in geometric pattern upon a plate and then decorated with a delectable dressing made of pureed tuna, mayonnaise and a touch of anchovy and finished with a dotting of sprightly capers. The certainty that this is a cholesterolic disaster should in no way impede your enjoyment of a wonderfully rich and flavorful treatment of veal.

Those in more of an aerobic mood will be delighted by the soup of the day, which usually is some sort of pureed vegetable done without stock or cream. Our broccoli was just that, much broccoli and celery, onion and carrot pureed together with hebs ans studded with bright-green pieces of al dente broccoli, for visual and textural accent.”

“The entrée menu features several panini (sandwiches), pizzas, five standby pastas and then a long list of specials. Among the standbys, the star might be penne arrabiata, tubes of pasta tossed with a wonderfully spicy sauce imbued with both depth and a fresh-tomato flavor. A terrific lunch.

Sublime Swordfish

Your fish of the day often is swordfish, and it will arrive charcoal-grilled. Get it if you have any affinity for this fish, for Rosinella’s treatment is sublime, the meat retaining all its moisture, seasoned just so with rosemary, parsley and extra virgin olive oil. On the plate will be a smattering of steamed vegetables.

The special pasta of the day was gnocchi, a good opportunity to sample Rosinella’s salute to gluttony, the Gorgonzola cream sauce. This is pure silk, creamy white, sauce made to order each time, just Gorgonzola with a touch of cream and Parmesan, coating the soft pillows of potato, each morsel surely 100 calories and worth it.

Each day, as well, there is a special ravioli. This one was stuffed with spinach and ricotta, a simple, typical yet notable dish, elevated by the spry house pomodoro sauce with fresh basil.

To finish, you will be offered tiramisu, the creamy kind (top-notch, just as you’d find at Sport Café). Take it as the cap on your downtown experience.”