First look: La Famiglia

Yes, La Famiglia's seafood stew is just as delicious as it looks. (Credit: Molly V. Strzelecki)

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Pasta is pasta, right? Wrong. The new La Famiglia restaurant has been packing in customers every night since opening Feb. 2, which has got to mean they're putting something special in the sauce. Or maybe it's just that the tasty food and close proximity to the hopping Hopkins area are just what Baltimoreans have been looking for. (Who isn't looking for an Italian feast without flying to Europe?) Either way, come on over. The staff here quickly adopts diners as part of the family.

Crowd: In a word: Everyone. Everyone wants to eat at La Famiglia: The old, the young, the hip and trendy and the not-so-hip or trendy. In regard to Famiglia, when we talk about crowd, it's not to identify the restaurant's demographic. It's really more of a warning: There will be a crowd.

Food: It's German! Kidding. It's Italian, of course, and while the menu isn't terribly lengthy, it does offer hungry pastaphiles classics like fettuccine alla Bolognese, with a rich, yet light, meaty sauce. (We begged for the recipe, but the staff very much declined to reveal it.) The seafood risotto is another hit, the risotto creamy with the perfectly mingled flavors of garlic, scallops, shrimp and calamari. Patrons also lap up the zuppa di pesce e crostacei con fumetto di pesce e pomodori, which is a fancy Italian way of saying seafood stew. (See? Not only do you get a good meal at La Famiglia, you get language lessons, as well. Che bello!) Also, the veal chop and osso bucco are popular dishes.

When you're finished licking your plate (and you'll want to lick your plate), we hope you have room for dessert. While the dessert menu is also peppered with Italian classics—cannoli and gelato, for instance—the zabaglione with mixed fruit is simply sinful. And the classic tiramisu is house-made and fragrant with espresso. It really gives new meaning to la dolce vita.

As a side note, La Famiglia is on the higher end of the price scale, with less expensive dishes, like pastas, creeping into the high teens.

Digs: If not for the slim sign outside, you might drive right by the restaurant, surrounded as it is by apartment and condo buildings. The nondescript facade doesn't encourage high hopes of a noteworthy interior, but happy surprises await. The swanky, elegant decor features swooping circular booths, perfectly polished glassware, gleaming silverware and a substantial bar area. The bar area is key, particularly if you forgot reservations (which are highly recommended). Grab a table there, instead, and mangia, mangia!

Through a hallway and past the window to la cucina (that would be the kitchen) is the banquet area for private events, as well as the spacious patio area. In warm weather, there will be a plethora of outdoor seating. Lights are strung above and landscaping adds to the ambiance. We're guessing it will all make La Famiglia-goers clamor to dine al fresco.

Bottom line: When seeking tasty Italian from Mamma's kitchen, La Famiglia is ready to take you in and make you part of its family…and stuff you with food until you burst. In a good way.