Happy Italian
Harahan and River Ridge have a restaurant community all of a sudden. It was a long time coming, after decades of having fewer places to eat out than you have fingers on a hand, and the nearest restaurants rather far away. Some of the new Harahan-River Ridge places are actually innovative, perhaps even unique. At the same time, the nature of the town is that it's a great place to raise children. The new Harahan restaurants catered to that clientele with what seem like straightforward local dishes, but which often turn out to be quite original.
Anecdotes & Analysis
Harahan and River Ridge have a restaurant community all of a sudden. It was a long time coming, after decades of having fewer places to eat out than you have fingers on a hand, and the nearest restaurants rather far away. Some of the new Harahan-River Ridge places are actually innovative, perhaps even unique. At the same time, the nature of the town is that it's a great place to raise children. The new Harahan restaurants catered to that clientele with what seem like straightforward local dishes, but which often turn out to be quite original.
Backstory
After decades in the wholesale seafood business, chef-owner Lenny Minutillo returned to his New Jersey roots a couple of years ago by opening this place. Before the seafood gig, he managed the memorable Old Spaghetti Factory in the CBD. The previous restaurant here was Nuccio's, a good standard New Orleans neighborhood cafe. It was on the verge of getting people to dine out more often when it ran out of gas. Lenny moved in, took months to pull the place together, and then started running.
Dining Room
One big room in a small strip mall, the Happy Italian is antiseptically and simply furnished, with bright lights, ever-active television screens, and a wide-open kitchen. There's a more lived-in private room for meetings. If you don't know Harahan well, look for the tall, modern St. Rita's Church on Jefferson Highway. The restaurant is across the highway.
Why It's Essential
At first glance, the menu at the Happy Italian seems like that of any of the thousands of neighborhood pizza-and-pasta eateries across America. Read the dish descriptions carefully, and you find many dishes you've never heard of before. Some of these sound routine, but aren't. Example: the meat sauce pizza. Sure, meat sauce on pasta is routine, but can you remember having a pizza made with Bolognese sauce? Best of all, it's not merely offbeat, but terrific.
Why It's Good
Italian cooking encompasses dozens of styles and thousands of recipes, each with as much claim to being "authentic" as any other. The Happy Italian defies category in its exploration of new paths to goodness. Here is, for example, the first conveyor-belt pizza oven that actually makes a good crust, because the elements of the belt are made of thick granite. The sauces on the pasta dishes break new ground--notably the garlic variety. The daily specials break away from Italian cooking altogether, with some fine seafood offerings. .
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em> Italian soups of the day Caprese salad Italian salad Caesar salad Roasted portobello mushroom salad Pizza to order, traditional or multi-grain crust Pizza with meat sauce ~ <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em> Ziti, roast garlic sauce, Gorgonzola, walnuts, pancetta Linguine marinara, Italian sausage or meatballs Cannelloni stuffed wtih veal, spinach, four cheeses Ravioli with wild mushrooms or four cheeses Lasagna Tricolor tortellini ettuccine Alfredo Eggplant, chicken or veal parmesan Broiled Gulf fish Muffuletta ~ <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em> Canoli Creme brulee
Deficiencies
A number of dishes here are almost inedibly rich. I found myself adding crushed red pepper many of the platters. .
For Best Results
In the pizza department, try the house combinations, which are much better than such things are elsewhere. Beware of portion size: most entrees are too much even for two people.
Bonus Ratings
2
Attitude
1
Local Color
1
Service
3
Value