December 27, 2001
NONNA CHERUBINA
Nonna Cherubina: The right turn to Bologna


By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Reviewer

See the menu

WARWICK -- You could drive right by Nonna Cherubina and miss it -- in fact, we did. But the intimacy of Nonna Cherubina's small front dining room draws you in -- lacy curtains, low-lit itty-bitty tables dressed up in white linen tablecloths.

The restaurant is tiny, obviously someone's house in a former life, and on a recent visit I felt warmed by the thought that I was sitting in what was once someone's living room.

Our waiter's presence was in direct opposition to the daintiness of the decor. He reminded me of James Gandolfini from the HBO series The Sopranos -- a cumbersome-looking fellow who looked like he'd be all thumbs but was actually agile in his delivery and had a soft spoken, well-versed knowledge of not only Nonna Cherubina's menu, but Italian food in general.

He expertly filled a short lull between appetizers and entrees with a small tasting of hearty minestrone. Later, after our meal, he brought us iced shot glasses of house-made lemoncello, a refreshingly light liqueur with tart, citrusy overtones that made a perfect intermezzo before dessert.

But I'm ahead of myself.

"By bread alone"

The meal started with a specialty of the house -- a lightly fried round of soft dough -- called crescentina (from Bologna), dotted with fontina cheese and prosciutto and topped with wild greens. It was small, but so satisfying -- a soft tuft of dough with just a whisper of crispiness around its outer edges. The nuttiness of the cheese and the salty, buttery essence of the prosciutto made me wonder about all that "by bread alone" business. If this is how it's going to be dressed up, I could survive on bread just fine.

Spezzatino -- a classic Italian stew -- was rich and earthy, with astringent notes from tomatoes and onions and loaded with potatoes and meat. It came as an appetizer in a small but generous-sized bowl.

Several pasta dishes were worth a once-over, and I finally narrowed it down to two: a penne with sauteed mushrooms, mascarpone cheese and white truffle oil, or pasta shells in a sauce of lentils, rosemary and goat cheese. I tossed a coin in my head and went with the lentils.

A fortuitous choice. The sauce was rife with rustic, woodsy tones from the beans -- creamy, yet light. It was heavily laced with the pungent, piney flavor of rosemary, a blend of ingredients that warmed me to my toes.

A pork loin chop had been cut from the bone and nestled into a creamy mustard sauce laced with grappa. The mustard lent an Alsatian flavor to the dish, especially when coupled with mashed potatoes. Its only sin was that the pork was too tough.

I couldn't resist ordering a separate side dish of peas sauteed with onions and pancetta to go with it -- another bit of good fortune, because it was one of the best dishes of the evening. The sweet, plump peas, with their rich backdrop of flavor from butter, onions and salty, crispy pancetta, were like a little symphony of flavor and texture playing in my mouth.

Welcome departures

A dessert of tiny, crunchy almond-flavored amaretti cookies filled with a creamy dark chocolate ganache, as well as a smooth frozen parfait of nougatine, called torroncino, were whimsical dalliances and welcome departures from tiramisu. It was also pleasant to experience the authentic nature of the restaurant's mostly Bolognese menu all the way through to the last course.

The wine list reflects the care and detail of the menu, with bottles ranging from $16 to $68.

There are several pizzas and salads on the menu, as well as a few very interesting-sounding vegetarian selections such as seitan ("wheat meat" made from wheat gluten) stewed with garlic, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots in wine and spices. Appetizers, including salads and soups, are $4.15 to $5.15; pizzas are $5.50 to $11.95 (in two portion sizes). Pasta and entree dishes are $10.95 to $18.95. Desserts are $5.25.

If you go looking for Nonna Cherubina and drive past it, don't give up. Turning around will be well worth the effort.