Tucked away in the small corner location of a shopping center on Broadway Ave sits Osteria La Spiga. Despite having limited seating and an intimate atmosphere this is more than just a “date night” restaurant. When I stopped by the tables were beginning to fill with a mix of couples, old friends catching up and larger parties celebrating births and upcoming weddings. With candle lit tables and a view of the kitchen I wondered if the atmosphere was created to enhance or hide the quality of the food.

I started with a Caprese ($10.50) appetizer. Clearly what arrived was meant to be shared by two people, especially with the price tag. In the middle of a fair-sized plate sat a small mountain of heirloom cherry tomatoes; tossed in fruity olive oil, tangy fresh basil strips and the slightest hint of sea salt. The combination of flavors only helped to enhance the sweet, tart flavor of the tomatoes. While the tomatoes were fresh and flavorful I would almost have asked for larger sizes, as they were a bit too small to spear effectively. Along with my mound of tomatoes came two rounds of fresh, cool mozzarella. Firm and creamy it had almost no flavor of its own other than that of say, fresh cream. It played well against the bold flavor of the tomato.

For the main course I ordered the Gnocchi al Pomodoro ($10.50). Little potato dumplings dressed in a creamy tomato sauce. While the dumplings were firm and fresh I felt them to be a little bland. The tomato sauce while decent on the tomato flavor did little to help the dish overall and could have been thinned down just a little. A little more salt and some Parmesan cheese would have gone a long way to making this dish really stand out.

Osteria La Spiga, overall, is a nice restaurant that offers some nicely prepared meals. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the wait staff looks after your needs. Where they fall short in my book is with the pricing for the quality of food that you get. For Italian, there are many other places in Seattle where, for the money, you can get far superior quality food. My suggestion is to go with friends or take a date and dine from their appetizers, which they seem to do a very good job with.