At the beginning of July, Ryan and I enjoyed a spontaneous date night out at a brand new restaurant and had a lovely time. I mentioned to him that we should write a blog post about it together and he agreed so here we go. The name of this new restaurant is Tavola Calda and it’s located on the Commellini estate. What a delightful addition to the food scene and fellow far northsiders, rejoice, it’s up on our side of town. If you guessed that it’s an Italian restaurant you are correct. In a nutshell, here’s how it works when you visit Tavola. You order your food and drinks (good luck deciding as everything sounds delicious) and then choose where you’d like to sit, there are many beautiful areas outdoors around their grounds including a patio area, next to the creek, bistro tables and chairs and some nice green grassy areas if you’d like to go more of the picnic blanket route.There are also options for indoor seating if that is your preference and it is of course socially distanced. For our date night, we chose to sit outside near the pond and fountain for obvious reasons, haha. If you order a drink you take it with you and then they bring your food to you. They offer a nice variety of wines, beers and cocktails. During our visit we enjoyed the Italian sunset (which really does look like a sunset) and it was a lovely drink, I can’t guarantee that you won’t want several, haha. During our next visit I plan to on try their limoncello martini which I suspect it will transport me back to the trip that Ryan and I took to Rome years ago. Speaking of Rome they also have gelato which they weren’t serving when we visited the first time but you can sure bet we will be ordering and trying that the next time we go. We did however have their eggplant Parmesan and good gracious was it ever good, we were instantly big fans. The Chicken Cacciatore was perfectly cooked, tender and loaded with flavor. We also enjoyed the antipasto which was a nice selection of meats, cheese, marinated olives, bread, crackers and pickled vegetables, everything was delightful. As Ryan observed the menu offered a nice variety of options and was well rounded. After our meal we were so caught up in the beautiful setting and music playing that we just had to dance under the portico. They had Frank Sinatra and other songs from that era playing so naturally it felt right to end our lovely evening by dancing. It really was quite magical. Tavola Calda was a wonderful surprise and great treat for anyone looking to experience authentic Italian in an out of town country setting. It’s nestled down in a beautiful draw with a charming stream which makes the air refreshing and cool on a summer day. It’s an ideal to visit on a date night, with a group of gal friends or even dining out as a family. Needless to say we aim to make Tavola Calda a new part of our regular rotation.
Hours
Wednesday – Saturday 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Sunday 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Take out orders are also welcome 1-509-466-0667
Please note that because Tavola is located at the Commellini estate which is a wedding venue there are times when they are having private events so their days open and hours may vary. If you are planning to visit I would recommend calling ahead or checking their Facebook or Instagram page.
Address
14713 N. Dartford Dr. Spokane, WA 99208
All images used courtesy of Tavola Calda & Commellini estate
