Caio Italia, I Drive

I had dinner at this Italian restaurant on I Drive and Westwood (under 528) last Friday. I had a egg drop and tortellini soup for $5 and spaghetti and meatballs for $15. The soup had a chicken stock. It was WAY over peppered. The tortellini were mushy (cheese filled). The spaghetti was al dente - a big portion. The sauce was a bit bland (at least that meant it was low cal and the tomatoes were fresh). The meatballs were soggy - too much breading. I can place part of the blame on myself. I could have ordered more adventurously. But, I wanted to see how they handled the basics. The place markets itself as a higher end option, but, I would place it with any mid-tier Italian restaurant. If anything separates it from the pack, it is the more esoteric ingredients like wild boar. However, I didn't have any of that. The pastas topped out at $20 (started at $14). The meats started at $15 and ran up to $40 (with spaghetti). The apps were from $6 to the teens. I'm not a big proponent of high end, home style Italian. I find it over priced and simplistic. Ciao Italia exemplifies this proposition. The place is small. Two rooms. Each seats about 50. My side (the no reservation or large party room) was about 3/4 full (with conventioneers). The other side was full. Most people were dressed casually. The decor was predictable (bad wall paper, a few tile frescoes, some old furniture and some mass produced, home store accents). The service was pretty good. Although, I did perceive that the service probably increases or decrease with the size of your tab. You can observe this by seeing how they treat you before you order and after (and if you buy an overpriced bottle of wine or not). Italian restaurants (probably all) aren't very populistic. You can definitely purchase their affection and obsequiousness. Overall I found it a bit disappointing. But, it isn't terrible. I told myself I would use the coupon they place in the Sentinel if they were rude or the meal was terrible. I didn't use the coupon. If you are in the area then, by all means, go and have a respectable meal. But, if you are in another part of town, save the gas. You probably have something comparable in your area.