Caffe Casta Diva
227 S. 20th St.
(215) 496-9677
Walking into Caffe Casta Diva feels like walking into an Italian grandmother's living room. The space is small and dimly lit, with heavy red drapes around the windows. While the atmosphere is a little stuffy, and the cramped space may leave you listening into your neighbor's conversation, the service is quick and authentic. The owner, who is also the chef, makes a point of coming out of the kitchen to greet every table.
Casta Diva is more expensive than the typical BYO, but it's also nicer. My date, who spent the summer in Italy, found the food up to standards established on the Penn-in-Florence program. In addition to an appetizing menu, there are rotating specials offered.
The meal began with warm foccacia bread, the perfect opening to any Italian meal. Basic salads start at $6, with more elaborate versions such as the Carpaccio di Salmone and Scallops alla Figaro (scallops wrapped in proscuitto) priced at $10-12. Although expensive, these salads were beautifully presented and filling enough to be entrees on their own. Pasta entrees cost between $13-21 and meat entrees range from $16-24. We ordered the pasta special -- gnocchi with porcini mushroom sauce. It was delicious, but devastatingly rich. The tiramisu is rumored to be the best in town, but we were too stuffed on gnocchi and veal chops to even look at the desserts. We did, however, find room for the complimentary after dinner shot -- your choice of Limoncello or Sambuca.
Caffe Casta Diva is a nice change to the BYO scene, rather than La Baia ... again.
