The Magnetti family was one of the first to set up an Italian restaurant in Galway, and that was the original la Trattoria in Cross Street in 1989. They moved to their current location in Quay Street in 1994 where, if I remember correctly, Craughwell Electric started out. In fact they had a 20 year anniversary party earlier this year and everything on the menu was priced at 1989 prices! It is now run by the second generation of the Magnetti family and the emphasis is on authenticity. All the pastas and all the sauces are made by themselves and it shows through in the taste.
There were three of us for dinner on a cold Wednesday night. An average number of diners were already there and a party of about 25 followed shortly afterwards. My advice for weekends would be to book ahead at (091 ) 563910.
We ordered cozze alla Romana, €8, which was a dish of very tender mussels in the shell sitting in a delicious wine/tomato sauce. We all dipped our Italian bread into the sauce as it was so good. We also had zucchini grigliate, €6.50, which was grilled courgettes stuffed with spinach and mozzarella; this was good but lacked a depth of flavour that I had expected. Next up was the carpaccio of beef, €9, and as it was sourced from Justin Flannery in Peterswell, I knew it would be excellent.
Our main courses were tagliolini allo scoglio, €15.50. This is a skinny tagliatelli served with clams, mussels, squid, and prawns. The sauce was supposed to be a spiced white wine and cherry tomato, however my guest asked for a cream sauce instead. If you want to chop and change any of the sauces between dishes there is no problem. It was excellent and this was topped by a gigantic barbecued tiger prawn.
My dish was similar, however the pasta was of a type that I had never tried before. Passatelli is pasta made from breadcrumbs, parmesan, lemon juice, and eggs. The dish was called passatelli fantasia di mari, €15.50, and it would definitely be my re-order dish when I return. It is served with mussels, clams, prawns, squid, cherry tomatoes, and courgettes. Like the other seafood dishes it is topped off with a very large tiger prawn. My other guest ordered a pizza puttanesca, €12.50, and had a delicious topping of pepper sauce, peppers, olives, and salami. The base was the crispy thin type and we all agreed that it was excellent. We had glasses of house wine, a Valpolicella, and a Pinot Grigio for €5 each. The portion size of the wine is one of the most generous in Galway and it was commented on by my two guests. There is also a good selection of several high quality wines by the glass, all the way up to an Amarone. I am still bemused by the fact that it is not standard in all restaurants to offer five or six reds and five or six whites by the glass. Every restaurant that has done so has increased wine sales. People are not ordering bottles as they did in the past (drink driving is an issue, and of course the recession ) so why miss out on the sale of a glass or two? So well done La Trattoria for serving a good selection at good prices.
There are now some really good deals available in La Trattoria — €12.50 for any pizza and a glass of wine or a beer. There is a lunchtime special on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 noon to 5pm. A generous slice of pizza and a soft drink for €5.50. The newest offer for night time is two courses and coffee for €15.50 and add a glass of wine or a beer for €3. These deals make eating out affordable and it is one of the good results of the recession
On a different topic, I spotted a coffee with a really catchy name, Badger and Dodo, in Delight which is the deli next door to the White Gables in Moycullen. Badger and Dodo hails from Cork and roasts a range of boutique coffees; all made from single origin estates. I tried the Monsoon Malabar and recommend it highly for any coffee addicts out there, particularly if you have an espresso machine.
