An Italian Encounter at the Columbia Inn

The Columbia Inn at 29 Main Road is gearing up to celebrate 14 years in business at the end of this month, and after my inaugural visit this past weekend, it’s easy to see why.

The restaurant opened as a family operation in 1997 and was named after the original building’s name. Proud owners Aran and Ryan McDermott, who also own Harrigan’s down the road, are quite happy with their much-loved establishment.

“Our philosophy is good food,” Aran said. “We work hard at it.”

I settled in to the traditional Italian restaurant feel immediately. From the atmosphere to the signed photographs of Tony Soprano in the foyer, I knew we were in for some real Italian cooking.

The menu proved to be more varited than the average Italian restaurant fare. The Quinoa Salad, for example, was definitely not what I expected to see. But I was astounded by how put together it was. With pine nuts, artichoke, baby spinach, salad fixings, avocado, gorgonzola cheese, quinoa (obviously) and three separate drizzles of dressing, I was absolutely blown away by the blend of flavors and innovative combinations. There was a wealth of flavors ingredients in every bite I had never anticipated eating when I walked into the as-advertised Italian restaurant.

That is part of the Columbia Inn’s allure. On any given day there are 25-30 specials that feature the restaurant’s fresh ingredients and run the gambit on flavors, styles and cultures that are chosen by the owners, chefs and manager. My date ordered the Chino Cin Cin, a lightly-fried calamari dish with scallions and teriyaki sauce. These folks knew their calamari – there was no overt chewiness that comes with poorly done calamari and, overall, the teriyaki was light enough that it didn’t overpower most of the dish. The only downfall for the last couple pieces was that they were in the bottom of the shallow bowl and ended up awash in the sauce that gathered in the bottom.

As we waited for our next round of courses, I dug into the bread basket in front of us. Thick cuts of crusty Italian bread sat atop half a basket of baked, lightly seasoned dough strips. They were like crackers, almost, or the Italian version of pita chips. Regardless, they were delicious, and I could have eaten a whole extra basket of them if we hadn’t been waiting on more food. These little snacks, we discovered, were pizza leavings – a pizza is made and then chopped up and baked and served (in some order or other). It’s a brilliant idea that was delivered excellently.

Though our appetizers hailed from the specials menu, our entrees came from the regular menu. For me, Stuffed Seafood Polenta. For my date (and, really, also me), Pizza Regina Margherita. I had never ordered polenta at a restaurant before, and I was very interested in the chunk of seafood mixed into the polenta itself. With a few enormous shrimp on top and a slathering of marinara sauce. I was intrigued by this dish and, having never eaten polenta with marinara sauce before, was excited to try it. I think that the marinara somewhat overpowered the seafood nuances here, and I wonder what this would taste like with a light white sauce. That being said, I was still very pleased with my meal selection.

And that pizza. I asked co-owner Aran McDermott if any of the chef staff was Italian, and was blown away by the fact that, though some worked under a previous Italian chef, the kitchen staff is American. And boy, do they know how to make a pizza. From shrimp scampi pizzas the standard pies to holiday favorites like the St. Patrick’s Day corned beef pizza or the apple or Nutella dessert pie, these pizzas are hard to beat.

I’ve yet to have a brick oven, thin crust pizza that tasted as good as the ones in Rome, but this is darn near it. With a generous proportion of cheese and hearty tomato chunks, this pizza was as delectable as they come without the post-pizza weigh down that usually comes with eating most of a pie.

In fact, though we each needed a box, we still had some room left for dessert. For me it was a cannoli, served with a drizzle of chocolate and strawberries. This was a real cannoli, without the over-sweet filling that counterfeiters use, and I was thrilled. My date had himself a piece of the restaurant’s lava cake, with hot fudge in the middle that oozed out as he ate. He couldn’t have been happier. Topped with a cappuccino, I left the Columbia Inn looking forward to my next visit.

Molto bene, Columbia Inn. Overall, count me impressed.