Two Saturday’s ago was a rare date night for my wife and I. Since our son was born I think I can count on one hand the number of meals we have eaten without him. However now that he is less tolerable of sit down meals, this may become a more regular occurrence. Anyway, the destination for our dinner was Via Vite on Fountain Square downtown. I had seen the outside of this restaurant numerous times due to its very central location but had never ventured inside.

Via Vite’s Bar

We made reservations with OpenTable and arrived at our designated time, quickly being ushered to our reserved table in the relatively crowded dining area. It was crowded with nearly all tables being occupied, but it was also crowded in that the tables were very close to each other. The cramped dining area was therefore quite noisy.

Dining Area

Service on the other hand was wonderful! Our drinks were never empty and the pace of the meal felt just right. The first item delivered to our table was some fresh bread along with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. Nothing out of the ordinary here, but still a nice way to start the meal.

Bread And Dip

For dinner I ordered the Handmade Spaghetti Chitarra with velvet pioppini mushroom ragout and Parmigiano Reggiano ($19). The spaghetti is handmade and cut in the restaurant and thicker than what you would typically make at home. The mushroom based sauce was outstanding! It was still full of a nice tomato flavor and a hint of spice as well.

Handmade Spaghetti Chitarra

My wife had the Italian spicy sausage and caramelized onion pizza ($13). The pizza was large and covered with sausage and onions. I was able to steal a slice from her and I have to admit that this was one of the better slices of pizza I’ve had in a long time. The mozzarella used was certainly fresh and really stood out to me. With such flavorful cheese and toppings the sauce took a backseat, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t tasty on its own. I was very happy to have some of this leftover to take home with us.

Pizza

The food at Via Vite was excellent and the service was great. Twice Executive Chef Cristian Pietoso stopped by our table to chat and ask how everything tasted. I will definitely be back for more.