By: Aumrita Savdharia, Roy Kapoor, and Roma Kapoor
Located a few blocks away from Fairmont Prep's campus, Cortina's Italian Market is a family-owned restaurant that opened its doors in 1963.Since then, they have expanded their menu to offer a wide variety of Italian-American food in their restaurant and market. While the restaurant offers classic Italian-American dishes, the market offers imported Italian products and a plethora of freshly baked goods. We had the pleasure of trying their New York-style pizza, fettuccine alfredo with a side of focaccia, and an eggplant marinara sandwich.
The New York-style pizza was a delight to try, as it was the perfect combination of a sweet sauce, delicious crust, and the perfect amount of cheese. The crust itself was soft yet crunchy, while the sauce and cheese effortlessly created that classic New York-style effect. After further research, we found out that this pizza is a family recipe which has been cultivated over the years. If you are in the mood for pizza, I highly recommend ordering this from their menu.
As for the fettuccine alfredo with a side of focaccia bread, the noodles were well-cooked and the sauce was creamy and savory. However, the dish lacks distinction from any other fettuccine alfredo. The side of focaccia bread is a delightful pairing with the dish, as it has a fluffy dough and lightly herbaceous flavor. It is a classic and comforting dish done well.
I was pleasantly surprised by the brilliance of the eggplant marinara sandwich. The eggplant was tender and flavorful, without being too mushy or bland. The marinara sauce added the right amount of tangy sweetness, and the bread was crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. I'd highly recommend giving this sandwich a try, even if you're not a fan of eggplant. It's a tasty and satisfying vegetarian option that's sure to hit the spot. Fair warning for when you order this-they absolutely load it with marinara, so it's gonna be a messy bite.
Following our dinner courses, it was time to enjoy some authentic Italian desserts. We ordered the tiramisu and Sicilian cannoli. The presentation of both desserts was phenomenal. The tiramisu was beautifully constructed with distinct layers and a chocolate shell wrapped around it. As for the cannoli, it was eloquently decorated with a chocolate dip and nuts on the top. An issue with most tiramisus is that the flavor of each of the layers can get muddled together in one indistinguishable, lumpy mess. However, each layer of Cortina's tiramisu stood out and was easily detectable on one’s palate. The flavor profile was solid and you could tell that there were high quality ingredients and phenomenal execution was put into making it. The tiramisu was excellent, yet, the real standout dessert was the cannoli. The cannoli was the perfect combination of textures and flavors, making it one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. Though a sweet dish, the nuts and crust do a wonderful job of evening out the flavor profile and making it a dish to truly appeal to all palates.
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