All over Rhode Island, houses have been transformed into restaurants, often in crowded commercial zones that no longer have any visible residential space. From the Red Rooster in North Kingstown and Nonna Cherubina in Warwick to Casa Christine, just off Federal Hill, these establishments have internally held on to the look and feel of living spaces once used by a family for their daily activities. Casa Rossi is just such a place, with the privacy of small dining rooms, the hominess of drapes at the windows, and the Rossi touch of homemade pasta.

Located near one of the busiest intersections in South County, Casa Rossi could easily be missed among the heavy traffic on Route 108. Indeed, I cruised past the left-hand entrance, as I have done many times, and had to find a way to turn around. Once in the parking lot, I met up with a friend from North Stonington, Connecticut, who turned out to be a very perceptive reviewing companion, ordering a different appetizer, salad dressing, and pasta for her side of the table. There are, after all, responsibilities associated with what many of my friends consider a cushy assignment.

Reading Casa Rossi's selection is a bit like facing down a long Chinese menu -- there are so many permutations and combinations of sauces with pasta, seafood, chicken, and veal, plus other dishes, that it takes a bit of concentration to figure it all out. My Connecticut friend lingered among the "traditional Italian favorites" section, longing for braciola, thinly sliced beef wrapped around seasonings and Romano, simmered in a red sauce. Eggplant dishes dominate these popular Casa dishes, as parmigiana, stuffed with cheeses, or layered with veal or chicken.

There are family-style combination plates, with sausage, meatballs, mushrooms and peppers; fresh pasta specialties, such as ravioli and lasagna, and eight different sauces on linguine, fettuccine, or ziti. Entrees come with a nice house salad and a side of pasta, so that I ordered fettuccine with my sfoglia (flounder) francaise ($13.95). I didn't, however, notice the fine print. Instead of the marinara meat sauce that came with it, I could have ordered a pesto, Alfredo, aglio olio, red clam, white clam, or broccoli sauce for an additional $2.50. It pays to pay attention.

But we did listen carefully to the specials and ordered a slight variation of the calamari dishes on the menu (fried, picata -- white wine and lemon -- and Pietro -- roasted red peppers and red wine), called calamari Giovanni. Similar to the picata, these squid rings (thank you, no tentacles) were sauteed in white wine, butter, and lemon juice, with a dash of Romano and a sprinkling of capers. Sliced black olives and hot pepper slices were tossed in, and the result was so delicious and so bountiful that we could barely face our entrees.

We struggled through, however, and my flounder was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sauce nicely lemoned. The house-made fettuccine was also quite good. My friend ordered a scallops special, scallops Messina ($15.95) Instead of the other scallops options -- marinara, fra diavolo, pesto, aglio olio or Alfredo -- this was a scampi sauce, the scallops sauteed in white wine, butter, garlic, and lemon, and they were tossed with mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and artichokes. So many layers of flavors going on, but each individually enjoyed.

We asked about desserts and were told about carrot cake, tiramisu, spumoni, and cannoli (since when is carrot cake Italian?). The cannoli, crisp shells stuffed with a sweetened ricotta mixture, were the only house-made dessert, so we decided to split an order. Our waiter soon returned, however, to inform us that they had run out of filling. Sigh. Another reason, in addition to that voluminous menu, to make another trip to Casa Rossi in the near future.

As do so many locals and visiting tourists. It's such a popular spot in the summer and on weekends that the noise level can sometimes be overwhelming. But if you choose a corner table, a weeknight, and an early hour to visit, as we did, you'll be able to converse without a strain.

Perhaps this busyness and the habit of moving people through their meals as quickly as possible contributed to our waiter's gentle push. He was the essence of helpfulness, although also a little too eager to take away our appetizer, and my friend's entrée, as we were still working on it. Now that the high season is over, everyone in South County should take a deep breath and move a bit slower, including the Casa Rossi staff. Except, of course, for the cook who turns out that pasta every day -- hand him another cup of coffee!

Issue Date: September 28 - October 4, 2001