Di Stasio lasagne gives Italian grandmothers a run for their money

Review by Nicole Azzopardi (1), left on 04-07-2007 at 10:23

Food:    Wine:    Coffee:    Staff:    Style:    Value:   

Overall:

Ok, so it's not some huge new discovery tucked away in one of Melbourne's newly hip areas but if it's ever in your budget, Fitzroy Street's Cafe Di Stasio is an institution well worth discovering - even if it's just the once.
Crisp white linen, waiters who almost salivate with enthusiasm about what's on the menu, and forks made to find their way onto your fellow diners' plates; Di Stasio is a Mother's Day, Christmas Day kind of event for the average punter, and it's an experience of consistent culinary quality that makes you understand why restaurants in the medium to fine dining echelons need to charge a premium.
I've passed by this St Kilda icon for many years, peering through the window and always being slightly afraid of the expense of the fine dining option.
In a fit of abandon, my brother and I decided to take Mum out for a deluxe meal and soon I was tucking into the seafood lasagne (around $40 ).
Pricey but well worth it and beyond anything anyone's Italian grandmother could make at home.
Mum had the veal (around the same price), again delicious and my brother the pork (this is when the excellent choice of wines kicked in and my memory starts to fade).
Fresh, seasonal, beautifully executed, it was one of those meals where you know you could have ordered anything on this modern Italian menu and been happy with what was placed in front of you.
We then each ordered a dessert and reluctantly shared.
After the chocolate tart had run the family gauntlet the panna cotta and tira mi su did have to take a back seat.
After a round of well-made coffees, I braced myself for the bill.
There was damage but the damage was not as bad as I had thought.
I would definitely visit Di Stasio again. How many days before Christmas?