By Valerie Tort

Pizza, pasta, and passion made Italian cuisine one of the oldest favorite foods in the world. Casa Rialto, one of the many Italian restaurants in the Philippines, managed to retain the authenticity of Italian cooking and brought the best-tasting dishes in the South (of Manila).

Casa Rialto opened in December of last year to acquaint diners with a bona fide Italian fare. With other competitive and established Italian restaurants, why would people choose Casa Rialto?

Located in an accessible place in Casa Susana Building, Madrigal Avenue, Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City, Casa Rialto replicated an Italian-inspired ambiance with a touch of Filipino-inspired interiors. Native seats made of rattan and as soft as a sofa created a homey environment for diners.

The well-arranged tiled flooring produced a living room like facility. The accompanying Italian music for customers completed the Venetian theme of Casa Rialto. Cozy interiors and elegant setting will make diners feel like they belonged to a royal family.

A typical Italian cuisine is a combination of vegetables, fruits, fish, cheese of different kinds, whole grains, and a wide range of meat selections cooked in olive oil. Wine and olive oil will always be a part of a traditional Mediterranean meal. The dishes are also cooked with herbs and spices to create a distinct taste to be found only in Casa Rialto.

Hot and cold appetizers are called antipasti. Insalata del Carabiniere Oca is a cold antipasto choice of most diners since it is comparable to a pate. The rich goose liver and toasted smoked bacon bits are tossed with mixed vegetables and served with Italian dressing on the side. For a hot antipasto that can also be served as primo (First Course meal, in English), Zuppa di Zucca is a healthy way to include a serving of vegetable in your diet. It is a chunky pumpkin soup mixed with herbs and spices for exquisite and unique flavor.

Bread can also be ordered to go along with the soup. Ciabatta is one of the options for the bread that can go along with Zuppa di Zucca. Ciabatta is a crusty Italian bread. Another option is foccacia, a flat bread that can be used in pizza making.

Other primo choices are Fusili con Gamberetti e Mascarpone or pasta with zucchini and shrimp topped with mascarpone cheese sauce. Mascarpone is a smooth cream cheese that can also be used in desserts and other sweet dishes. The traditional primo selections are pasta dishes.

For the secondo (Second Course meal, in English), Lavarello di Marsala or Chilean seabass cooked in marsala wine sauce served with potato wedges and mixed side vegetables. The vegetable sidings are commonly called as contorno. The dishes are very rich and flavorful that eating a small amount satisfies a ravenous appetite. Secondo is the main dish composed of meat or fish without any pasta.

Pizza is the most commonly known Italian food aside from pasta dishes. Quattro Formaggi (Four Cheese pizza) is a kind of pizza topped with four kinds of cheese sauces namely ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, and gorgonzola piccante. Sicilian pizza is another kind of pizza that contained mozzarella cheese, bread crumbs, black olives, tomato sauce, basil, oregano, red or green bell peppers, and anchovies as toppings.

Sorbetto di Ananas, an ice-cold pineapple sherbet served directly from the freezer, is a perfect summer drink for diners. It uses half of a pineapple peel to hold the sherbet instead of a tall Collins glass.

Other house specialties include Scamorza alla Caprese with grilled fresh melanzane (eggplants), tomato, basil, with smoked mozzarella cheese, Ravioli di Antra or ravioli filled with duck in cream sauce, and Tortelino Alfredo or meat-stuffed pasta in cream sauce, and Guazzetto di Cozze or mussels sautéed in olive oil and saffron and other herbs and spices to give it a succulent taste.

Casa Rialto made good food with an exceptional mix of right ingredients and right spices and flavorings to bring out the best. Scamorza is a slightly salty cheese similar to mozzarella and made from cow’s milk. Caprese is a sauce made from lightly cooked tomatoes used on salads, pastas, and other dishes. Ravioli is a kind of pasta filled with meat or vegetables that looked like pillows when served to guests and diners.

Tortellini is also a kind of pasta filled with meat or cheese and formed into rings. Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice. It is used to add the sunny color to foods and intense aroma. Gorgonzola piccante is made from cow’s milk and also known as Blue cheese. It has a sharp flavor and creamy texture. Ricotta cheese is a kind of cheese made from the whey leftover of in the cheese-making process and is similar to cottage cheese; though ricotta is grainier.

Italian cuisine is also famous for their tasty, delightful, and very rich desserts. Tiramisu is made from lady fingers soaked with a mixture of espresso coffee, eggs, sugar, cream, mascarpone cheese, marsala wine, rum, and sprinkled with cocoa powder for garnishing. The soft and creamy texture is like a different variety of custard. Panna cotta is a kind of custard mixed with gelatin, cream, vanilla, and seasonal fruits of your choice. Different sauces can also be topped in Panna cotta such as chocolate sauce, blackberry sauce, or strawberry sauce.

To complete the Italian dining experience in Casa Rialto, paintings of the Grand Canal in Venice, stone bridge adornments, and brick walls completed the Italian setting inside the restaurant. It is like glancing at the whole city of Venice in a window sill.

Casa Rialto offers catering and functions for special occasions. For functions, a person on a specific budget can choose from a set menu rather than preferring a buffet or a la carte orders from their guests. Casa Rialto Management Team can also adjust the set menu choices depending on the budget allocated for a special event such as birthdays, weddings, debut, and other memorable and cherished once in a lifetime happenings. It depends on the customer if he will incorporate soup, appetizer, salad, pasta, pizza, and main course.

Pizza, pasta, and passion will continue in Casa Rialto because it is their commitment to bring out the best Italian dishes matched with fine restaurant service in Town.