— TheToothfish

I know I know. It’s been so long since I’ve last posted. I haven’t been too lazy to blog. I’ve been too busy to blog and hence too busy to get off campus and eat out. So yes, it’s been cafeteria food for longer than I’d like to think.

Last night after a magical performance of Mary Poppins at the Fabulous Fox Theatre, I scurried over to Baraonda Cafe Italiano. Years ago my family dined here regularly but eventually they tired of the drive downtown. I do remember though one dish that was fantastic every time I ordered it. As soon as I sat down last night, I ordered that dish and a few others.

I’d like to introduce you to Penne Salsiccia. Penne is an old friend of mine who has never once let me down (for obvious reasons I’m going to stop the analogy here). The sausage in this dish is sweeter than it is salty, and it’s a wonderful change from the kind of salty sausage that brings about eater’s remorse. Combine that with mushrooms and an ironically light cream sauce. Yes. How much does this dish cost? $12. Make that a double “yes.”

Baraonda’s main dining room feels “casual upscale” with its dark wooded interior but the bar in the middle of the room keeps things loose. Weather permitting, the patio is a great place to sit since Baraonda is in the heart of downtown Atlanta just a block from the Fox.

I also tried the Anatra, a pizza of duck, sundried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. I should mention that Baraonda prides itself on its pizzas which are cooked in a wood-fired brick oven. The light, crisp crust complemented the duck, which tasted wonderfully duck-y, and the large sundried tomatoes. The pizza was everything I imagined it would be. Yes again. How much did this cost? Around $13.

The only dip in the meal was the lasagna ($12) which was more like meat-sauce soup than a dish with sheets of pasta. In fact, I had a hard time finding the actual pasta. The sauce though was quite nice.

So Baraonda has a rather large menu, and I’ve only tried about ten dishes in my lifetime, but it would appear that the restaurant hasn’t broken down with time. I remembered how the penne dish tasted from many years back, and somehow, it tasted just like that last night.

If you’re in the area, stop by Baraonda. It’s one of the best deals in town.