Tasty Thursdays: Grazie Ristorante

Tonight was girls night! This is why this Tasty Thursdays post is a tad late… I knew I was going to have the best food of the week for dinner.

I’d been to Grazie Ristorante once before, with my work team last December for our holiday lunch. I typically don’t go out for Italian food, as it’s a bit overdone and I can make some of the dishes myself (have I never posted my marsala or piccata recipes?). However, this particular restaurant reminded me that a restaurant serving authentic cuisine can really be an amazing experience.

Grazie is located in an unassuming, tiny space in a strip mall around the Southcenter area in Tukwila. It’s sort of squashed between a Men’s Wearhouse and a gym. However, the interior is absolutely lovely, intimate, and inviting.

Tonight we three girls were immediately seated, and an extremely friendly server–we had the same one all night–took our drink orders, handed out menus, and assured us that yes, the bread and dip would arrive as soon as she had taken our food orders.

I’d previously had the fettucine puttanesca, which rocked. Not for you if you don’t like anchovies, but I enjoyed the flavor and the spicy tomato sauce. There are a lot of things on the menu that sound attractive though and it’s not easy to decide what to have! Tonight I went with the capellini gamberetti, a light concoction of basil and asiago chock-full of shrimp and mushrooms over some angel hair. My friend Pritee had the pollo saltimbocca— the prosciutto and sage cream sauce over her chicken was divine. Jessica went with cannelloni. Extremely cheesy and not to my taste (I’m lactose intolerant) but she found it delicious and authentic.

Capellini gamberetti. Angel hair pasta with shrimp, mushrooms, artichokes, and tomatoes tossed in asiago cheese.

Pollo saltimbocca. Chicken topped with prosciutto, spinach, mozzarella, and sage cream sauce.

However, as good as the food was, all three of us took most of our meals home. Why? Grazie has some kickass bread. Well, really, it’s a kickass dip. The bread is a very fresh sourdough, which is great. But the dip, man. It’s olive oil, pepper, some chili flakes, garlic, and some other herbs and spices I don’t have the sophisticated palate to identify. But it’s soooo good. And best of all, it’s complimentary! I’m not a big fan of bread typically, but I spent most of this dinner eating bread.

And then, of course, we had to have dessert. I’d tried the tiramisu before (and it was quite excellent) so I needed something different this time. We shared a cannoli and a key lime pie with raspberry sauce. Of those two, the cannoli with its crunchy chocolate exterior, creamy filling, and chocolate drizzle was the definite winner.

Left: key lime pie with raspberry sauce. Right: cannoli. Yum!

The service was excellent, and the cost too–with the bill split evenly into three, I paid $25 (before tip) for a really great meal I would’ve gladly paid twice the price for.

According to the website, their staff visit Italy to experience true Italian cuisine. I think that dedication shows because their food is authentic and delicious. If you’re ever in the South Seattle area, Grazie is a must-try.