SPEZIA
Hoppen Hierarchy:★★★
District: Aksarben
Pasta, Seafood, and Steaks
Perfect For: Upscale Dining; Date Night
Standout Dishes: Seafood Diavolo; Cioppino Spezia
Let’s play a quick game of word association: what’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say the words, “Italian restaurant”?
Is it giant plates of pasta? All varieties of noodles and sauces, with maybe a few meatballs thrown in for good measure?
To most Americans, Italian cuisine and pasta are nearly synonyms. But while pasta does indeed factor heavily in the Italian diet, the country is also well known for its love of steaks and seafood.
That’s what allows Spezia to be a standout Italian restaurant despite some rather ordinary noodles.
This is not by any means to suggest that Spezia’s noodles are bad. It’s just that when one has tasted fresh made pasta from Dante, WD Cravings, or Via Farina, it’s quite obvious these are on a completely different playing field.
What Spezia makes up for in average pasta is excellent proteins, particularly its seafood. Each fish I’ve tried has been cooked extremely well, very tender and with just the right amount of seasoning. The Fresh Scottish Salmon practically falls apart with the touch from a fork, and the lemon pepper seasoning adds both salt and acid.
The Walleye La Spezia uses a less fatty cut of fish, but reintroduces fat by seared the fish with butter and olive oil, adding a welcome richness to an otherwise lean cut.
The true star, however, is the Cioppino Spezia, a tomato-based stew with mussels, cod, basa, and giant king crab legs. The acidic tomato sauce is accented with wine, which pairs perfectly with the tender seafood.
The fish work very well in dishes, as well. The Seafood Diavolo (pictured in the header photo of this post) is a wonderful combination of tomatoes, heat, and beautiful fish. The scallops are enormous and buttery soft, and they absorb just enough flavor of the sauce while maintaining their inherent deliciousness. The Salmon Pasta Spezia is another example, where a beautiful fillet of wood grilled salmon pairs with a bed of penne alfredo, prosciutto, and baby peas to create a wonderful dish.
It must be noted, however, that the seafood is far and away the star of each dish. The pasta is a fine accompaniment, a good distraction that keeps you from finishing the protein in a few minutes. But in terms of flavor and texture, it doesn’t add much.
But when the proteins are this good, I’m willing to give Spezia a bit of a pass on the pasta. The restaurant also does steak quite well, and the Hunters Duckling has a strong reputation. The service is attentive and friendly, and the restaurant features a gorgeous patio perfect for enjoying a balmy Omaha evening.
So what if Spezia doesn’t knock pasta out of the park like some other restaurants do? It’s become one of Omaha’s most respected Italian restaurants for a reason, because pasta isn’t all Italians do well.