La Medusa

La Medusa is a romantic, lively, and warmly lit Italian restaurant in Columbia City.  They focus on using the Northwest's freshest ingredients and giving it a Mediterranean flair.  Their menus change seasonally to reflect what's fresh and in season.  La Medusa's dishes are from the Sicilian region of Italian, meaning salty and nutty flavors, that leave an impact on the diner and keeps them ordering more.  There is something for everyone, from seafood dishes, to spaghetti with marinara, to hot skillets filled with roasted vegetables.  I found all the flavors to be incredible.  I sat back and relaxed while or server coursed our food beautifully, leaving us to really enjoy everything. 


I started with a glass of red wine from Sicily that I thought was light with the perfect amount of acidity, not too full bodied, and with just a hint of fruitiness.  I knew it would pair well with whatever I ordered and I was correct.  My husband chose a Manhattan because sometimes, one just wants a martini.  To eat, we stared with some bread, which is from Columbia City Bakery.  It was so, so good and it had green olives in some slices and nuts in other slices.  There was a nice variety of bread and it went well with our Baked Cacio Cavallo Cheese- a large portion of baked cheese with spicy pepper vinegar and oregano.  One bite of that and I about fell off my chair.  I want more cheese now as I'm writing this, please.  If some melted cheese was so good, I knew the flavors in our next dishes wouldn't disappoint either.  My husband and I decided to share everything so we could try more things.  Next, we ate the Roasted Cauliflower Gratin which had pinenuts, golden raisins, and a spicy butter.  It arrived hot and ready to dig into and the spicy butter gave the dish the perfect amount of heat, which we wanted on a cool, winter evening. 


Then our pasta arrived.  We went with the Campanelle and Talleggio Pasta which was creamy and cheesy and tossed with Brussels Sprouts and pinenuts.  I was excited about the Brussels Sprouts since I had been craving them and I like eating produce that's in season.  All the flavors went well together and the serving size was very large, perfect for sharing.  By the time we started in our pasta, we were getting full though from the cheese, cauliflower, and the drinks. 


There's always room for dessert though.  Even if you have to ask for a box because you know you only have room for two bites.  So we ordered the Cassita Cake, also from the Columbia City Bakery nearby.  This cake, an Italian cake typically served at weddings,  is a sponge cake with layers of marzipan and topped with chocolate frosting with hazelnuts.  It was so, so moist and so unforgettable.  That marzipan is some wicked stuff.  It leaves an impression on your taste buds and you want more and more.  The Cassita cake was a sweet surprise and a perfect ending to our dinner out. 

Their menu is written on a board and changes regularly to reflect the seasons.

My husband's Manhattan, in a frosty martini glass, ready to drink.

The fresh bread was served with olive oil.

Our memorable and very tasty cheese. 

The Roasted Cauliflower, ready to eat up!

My husband also ordered a gin martini with a twist.  It was very strong so we shared it. 

You can't go wrong with a big bowl of house-made pasta on a Saturday date night. 

Serve me up some, pretty please!

And finally, the perfect piece of cake.  It actually made it home and we finished it the next day!