sour dough breads, Miguel left to provide
us an opportunity to look over the menu.
The fresh breads were soft and delicious
and were served with an accompanying
olive oil and tomato based dipping sauce.
I thoroughly enjoyed the focaccia bread
while my guest was a fan of the sour
dough slices, and was very impressed to
learn that both breads are freshly baked
on-site daily.
I had arrived that evening at
Famiglia Italian Restaurant with full
expectation of enjoying an authentic
pasta dish; however, Miguel’s mention of
the popular pizzas continued to resonate
even as I looked over the many menu
selections. A separate sheet described
the Specials of the Day, which were a
Butternut Squash Soup starter; and three
entrée specials: Penne Dijonesse, Grilled
Pork Chops with Porcini Cream Sauce,
and Pan-Fried Trout with Garlic Aioli
Sauce. It was truly difficult to choose
from so many wonderful options. When
Miguel returned to take our orders, each
of us ordered soup for starters, and for
his entrée, my guest chose the traditional
Spaghetti con Polpette (Spaghetti with
34 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM MARCH 2018
homemade meat balls and
marinara sauce.) After much
consideration, pizza won
out as my entrée choice! I
chose the Pollo E Tequila
pizza, which sounded both
intriguing and appealing. It is
made with spicy salsa verde,
lime tequila chicken, fresh
avocado, and fresh cilantro--I
couldn’t wait to try it!
Minestrone soup is
always available on the
Antipasti menu, and there
is always at least one other
soup of the day featured at
Famiglia. My guest ordered
the Minestrone, and I opted
to try the special Butternut
Squash Soup. The bowls of
soup were very generous
portions, served in what
I might characterize as
cereal bowls. The soups
were delivered to the table
steaming hot and the server
topped each bowl with fresh
parmesan cheese. I noticed
that the color of my soup
was not that of butternut squash soup,
so I questioned Miguel about it. He
quickly apologized, saying that the server
had instead brought me the Cream of
Artichoke soup, and offered to replace
it for me. However, the artichoke soup
sounded equally appealing to me, so I
decided to keep it and give it a try. Boy
am I glad I did! The soup was very rich
and smooth, and I could really taste the
fresh cream and the parmesan. Yum! The
minestrone soup received similar raves
from my guest, who said that it was filled
with tender vegetables and pasta bits
immersed in a very flavorful broth.
We were still enjoying our soups
when our dinners arrived. My guest’s
large portion of spaghetti and marinara
sauce was generously topped with at least
six large meatballs. The meatballs are
made with beef and are seasoned with
various herbs and spices, making them
extremely flavorful and complementary
to the pasta. My personal pizza was larger
than I expected and the presentation was
beautiful. There were six slices of pizza in
my pie, which had a tender golden brown
and deliciously light crust. Six slices of
fresh avocado were neatly arranged in
the middle of the pizza, and cilantro
leaves were sprinkled all over the top,
adding a lovely green contrast. My guest
acknowledged that the spaghetti was the
best he’s eaten in a very long time, citing
the rich flavor of the marinara and the
meatballs. My pizza was also excellent and
quite enjoyable! Having already eaten
several pieces of bread and the large bowl
of soup, I was only able to eat two of the
six pizza slices. Although the pizza was
described on the menu as being spicy
due to the salsa verde, I did not find the
pizza to be spicy at all. The salsa verde
added a very delicious flavor to the pizza
which lingered after the pizza was eaten.
Pollo E Tequila Pizza
Strawberry Gelato
812 San Pablo Avenue, Suite 1, Pinole | (510) 283-5971 | famigliaitalianrestaurant.com