Fellini Cafe: More Than Just a Taste of Italy

When I think of my time in Italy, I think of glorious pasta dishes, ultra thin, starkly topped pizzas with amazing crust, savory prosciutto and gelato so good it makes you want to cry. The service was always so friendly and everywhere we ate felt like home. It's pretty difficult to find food of the same quality here in the states despite the sheer volume of Italian eateries.

I don't know what the statistic is for the number of Italian restaurants in the U.S. but I would wager that there are more Italian restaurants than any other ethnic restaurant (Mexican is probably up there too). I had heard good things about in Newtown Square and apparently others had too. The restaurant was super crowded on a Tuesday night and my original group of three had swelled to five.

I brought a Central Coast Pinot Noir to this BYOB for our dinner and our server opened it up and filled our glasses right away. My other guests were early and a plate of delicious bruschetta materialized out of nowhere before I got there. It was tasty–plenty of diced tomato, basil, and garlic made each bite burst with flavor.

I ordered the mussels marinara, the prosciutto and melon and the special salad for our official starters. The mussels were swimming in a delicious marinara sauce which was bright and savory. The prosciutto slices were arranged over knots of fresh mozzarella and large slices of honeydew with some olive oil and black pepper. This dish was light and refreshing with just a hint of fatty richness from the thin slices of prosciutto. I can't wait to try this dish again in the summer when melons are actually in season (and will undoubtedly be sweeter).

The salad was one of the specials of the night and featured prosciutto wrapped slices of grilled asparagus, fried artichokes, tomatoes, parmesan and mixed greens with a honey mustard vinaigrette. It was the table's favorite. Well balanced, perfectly seasoned and generous in size, we loved it.

I didn't realize the dinner size portions of pasta were so large (it's more family style and could feed at least two people) so I ordered the penne bolognese, the spaghetti aglio olio, penne fellini (prosciutto, peas and cream), chicken marsala and a margherita pizza.

The penne bolognese was meaty and rich but not nearly as good as the penne fellini which was the clear victor among the pasta dishes. The prosciutto provided some saltiness while the peas were sweet and the cream added a richness to the dish–there was complete harmony.

It was a perfectly seasoned, prepared pasta dish. The spaghetti aglio olio was a garlic-packed flavor bomb which was also very good. All the pasta was cooked al dente which I really appreciated. Many Italian restaurants will overcook your pasta when they get busy.

The chicken marsala was also large enough to be family size and a decent rendition. There were ample slices of mushroom and the sauce was thick and savory. The chicken pieces were quite tender and we enjoyed the broccoli and fried potatoes that came on the side (you have the option of a side of spaghetti or vegetables).

The margherita pizza was not what I was expecting. I had envisioned the exquisitely thin and light pizza that I had in Italy but this was more like what you would find in a pizza parlor. Instead of thick slices of fresh mozzarella it was simply shredded mozzarella all over the top. The crust was thick and quite doughy but good.

For our sweet dining coda, we had both the vanilla and hazelnut gelatos. They seemed more like ice cream than rich and decadent gelato but were sweet and satisfying–a nice way to end the meal.

The service was excellent. Our server was quite friendly and quite accommodating (we asked for possibly a thousand share plates). Our water glasses were constantly filled, our plates cleared immediately, even our check was delivered as soon as we asked for it. The host sat our large group fairly quickly and brought over a bread basket while they waited for me.

The decor is marked by warm earth tones. There's an ochre-colored floor and marble table tops. Although the kitchen was right next to our table, we never heard a peep.

Fellini Cafe has a very extensive menu with almost every pasta dish you could think of, in addition to numerous veal, chicken and steak options. There are pizzas, panini, salads and a wide variety of appetizers so you'll find whatever you're in the mood for. The service is wonderful and the space so cozy and warm. This little cafe offers more than just a taste of Italy.