If you looking for a good Italian meal, I would recommend trying a
restaurant that opened at the end of last year (1997). The place is
called La Medusa, and is located at 4857 Rainier Avenue South. I guess
that is in Columbia City, actually, and is several miles south of Eagle
Hardware on Rainier Ave. S.
I had dinner there a few weeks ago with my girlfriend. I had a
pasta dish called Spaghetti con Sarde, which has sardines, capers,
raisins, and tomatoes, and other flavorful items in the sauce. It was a
generous amount, and came out pretty hot from the kitchen (this is
important, IMO, for pasta). My girlfriend had Lasagna with chicken
livers, which has a distinct taste (I had a little bit), and a
well-balanced spiciness to the sauce. An appetizer we really liked was
salt-cod fritters, three fried cakes like crab cakes. The seafood
available with the pasta is pretty interesting.
The theme of the menu is Sicilian, and this cuisine, I gather, is
somewhat different than the cuisine of northern and central Italy. There
are apparently some influences from Africa and the Arab world in this type
of cooking. From the menu, there were several unusual offerings.
Anyhow, I thought I would put in my two cents for this place. The
prices for entrees were as I remember 10-15 dollars, and salads, another
3-4.50. You get a complementary small cup (plenty for an appetizer) of
caponata and a basket of bread (I think Grand Central Bread) with your
meal. I can't remember too much about wines; though I did have good beer
while I was there. I will definitely go back and try something different
there from the interesting menu.
-DanSeattle, WA