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Business & Tech

Trattoria La Strada Casual Italian Restaurant

Sometimes the most tedious part of dining out is figuring where to dine out. Patch makes it easy every Thursday, this time with an East Cobb eatery.

Overview: East Cobb residents will tell you Trattoria La Strada is a tiny restaurant with tons of atmosphere. From the outside it looks like a cozy cottage. Inside it has an Old World feel; a hand-painted mural of Venice covers an entire wall.

As soon as I walked into the restaurant, John Lefkaditis, the owner, gave me a warm greeting. The service is superb: My server knew the menu front to back and helped me navigate the menu and answered questions. You may want to try the Early Bird special at $11.95 Sunday through Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. It includes entrée, soup or salad, and bread with a scrumptious minced olive spread.

I would suggest thinking beyond the typical Italian lasagna and spaghetti menu items. Instead, try one of La Strada’s signature dishes, listed below. You will start thinking about Italian food in a whole new way.

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The Food:

Appetizers—I’d suggest the lobster ravioli at $9.95, served with leeks and scallion fricassee and finished with shrimp bisque sauce.

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Entrees—I chose salmon and shrimp from the Early Bird menu at $11. 95 with Portobello mushroom ravioli, tomatoes, onions and asparagus tossed in a pesto white wine garlic sauce. The salmon and shrimp tasted fresh, and the combination of these ingredients with the sauce was heavenly.

Another great Early Bird entree is pinenut-crusted flounder for $11.95, made with flounder crusted with pinenuts, flash fried, served in a sundried tomato buerre blanc sauce with sautéed spinach and mashed potatoes.

Vegetarians will love the farfalle tricolore for $13.50. It is a farfalle pasta with squash, zucchini, carrots, kalamata olives and feta cheese tossed in white wine garlic basil. Gluten-free pasta and rice also are used at La Strada.

Entrees are priced from $8.95 to $22.

Desserts—You must try this dessert: Cioccolato al Forno at $6.95 is a warm, flourless chocolate cake served with a chocolate sauce topping. Superrich, gooey and good.

The Drinks: A fully stocked bar and an extensive wine list are available.

Need to Know: Trattoria La Strada offers monthly wine tastings and private lunches for 20 to 40 people. For more information go to www.lastradainc.com.

Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m.

3920 Johnson Ferry Rd., 770-640-7008

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