Kat's 9 Lives

It was MBA's B-day on May 28th. We had a delay celebration by going to a restaurant of her choice. She chose Tutto Fresco in RSM. MBA has loved this place ever since I first took her there a few years ago. It's tucked away in the back between Trader Joe's and Target. I usually try to come here on Friday or Saturday because I love their chicken tortilla soup! Even though the soup has beans, I still love the soup and eat everything in it. They are usually pretty busy on the weekends and it's definitely a favorite of locals. The interior has a rustic decor. It's not quite as corny as the Venice paintings in every possible Italian restaurant, but the walls are still the same color. =P
They always bring you fresh moist bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The bread here is usually pretty flavorful and tasty. The texture reminds me of a mix between corn meal with flour. It's still soft with a bit of a gratier texture. My meal came with a soup and since it was Thursday I couldn't choose chicken tortilla soup. =*( I chose to try their Meatball Soup recommended by our server. I'm glad I listened to her because it was extremely flavorful and filled with substance. The meatballs were good and the fresh stewed vegetables were just right. To finish the soup off, I dipped the bread in to add more texture. Now I might come back on Thursdays so I can get this soup again. I am so torn now!
MBA always gets the same dish because it's her favorite. She ordered the Tagliatelle alla Norcina. It's flat ribbon pasta with sautéed red roasted peppers and Italian sausage in a tomato cream sauce. The sausage tastes very similar to the meatballs and they were good. She loves to dip her bread into the sauce as she eats. The portions are always very generous and definitely enough for a next day's meal.
I keep ordering different dishes when I go there because I haven't found anything that is amazing to me like the Tagliatelle is to MBA. After many hits and misses, I think I have finally found something that I would get again for sure. I ordered the Carre di Agnello this time. It's New Zealand spring rack of lamb with a mustard garlic sauce. At first when I read mustard, I was grossed out but since it said garlic and I wanted lamb then why not try it. I am so glad that I did because the portion was tremendous. They actually gave a huge rack of lamb! It might not be of the best quality but I am all or the portion-size! ^_- yum yum! The sauce was surprisingly tasty! There wasn't a strong mustard flavor, it was more of a creamy taste. I gave MBA a taste and she loved it. The pasta was only decent, I think I will go back to the Rosemary potatoes instead. If you love lamb then you should definitely try this out.
To finish off the night, MBA ordered the Spumoni. It's your typical Italian ice cream of chocolate, cherry bits, and pistachio layers. The portion was very generous for the price. MBA always gets the ice cream here.
All in all this place is solid. I haven't always gotten things I liked, but I keep coming back because I was sold on the soup and bread. This time I finally hit gold and found a dish that I really liked. The food here is pretty consistent and the prices are very reasonable. I always say yes to this place when MBA has a craving. =)