CHEAP EATS
L’Isola D’Oro: Authentic Sicilian cuisine
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If L’Isola D’Oro, a marvelous little Italian place on Camp Road in Hamburg, isn’t on your culinary radar, it should be. Like the little trattorias scattered across Italy and Sicily, this family-run operation is homespun and dedicated to slow-cooked dishes made with only the freshest ingredients.
We dropped by for lunch last week and were graciously greeted, seated and waited on by Patty, the owners’ daughter. Along with the menus, she brought us a basket of focaccia, a flat bread sizzling with olive oil and sprinkled with Parmesan and oregano. Crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside and delicately flavored with garlic, these plump slices make ideal starters.
The lunch menu covers all bases. If you are in the mood for something light, a tomato salad with mozzarella is yours for $3.95, a tossed salad and a bowl of soup costs $5.95, or you can choose a personal pizza ($5.25) or stromboli ($6.25).
But, if you’re here for hearty Italian—and you should be!— for $6.95 you’ll be served a generous portion of classics like baked ziti, lasagna, spaghetti Parmesan or, my pick, manicotti.
The cornerstone of any Italian restaurant is its sauce, and Sicilian-born owner and head chef Vince Chiazzese creates a delicious blend of herbs and spices to complement his tomato base. The dark red color is proof that it simmers for hours before being poured over the homemade manicotti—three tender crepe sleeves stuffed with a creamy ricotta blend and baked under a light blanket of mozzarella. Subtly flavored, these little numbers are melt-in-your-mouth divine.
My friend Kathy selected from the “combination dishes” section of the menu, all priced at $7.95. She passed up offerings of chicken Parm, eggplant with baked ziti, and fettuccine alfredo with shrimp in favor of linguine with red clam sauce. The sauce was lightly seasoned with garlic and mixed with tomatoes and a healthy portion of chunky-chopped clams, all ladled over al dente linguine. Neither the clams nor the sauce takes center stage, creating a perfectly balanced duo that Kathy touted to be “as good as I’ve eaten in Naples or Rome!”
For dessert, try the luscious and not-too-sweet cannoli ($2.25), or the firm and velvety tiramisu ($3.75), both homemade.
L’Isola D’Oro is open 11 a. m. to 10 p. m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a. m. to 11 p. m. Friday and Saturday; and 1 to 10 p. m. Sunday.
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