Last Dinner in Newport

So we ate at Mamma Luisa Italian Restaurant for our last dinner in Newport. The website is here. I reviewed this on urbanspoon but in a nutshell the owner is from Bologna, home of the slow food movement. He tries to emulate the style and approach to food he grew up with in Bologna and mostly succeeds. That said I'm not sure the Newport supports the fresh and organic produce necessary to really carry this off well all the time.

One thing he did succeed with was the 'bombette' (don't say it going through TSA)

It's a kind of gnocchi but it's made only with ricotta and spinach (obviously with a tomato sauce and arugula). These are amazing - never had a non-potato gnocchi but I'm defiantly going to try and make this.

Here's the rating on the rest of the meal:

Appetizer:
Fran - procuttio and melon (Great)
Ken - carpaccio (Good - dump the button mushrooms)

Pasta: See above

Secondi:
Fran - Steak (Good)
Ken - Special of the Day - Breaded Lamb Chops (Meh - dump the breading)

Wine:
Il Nero Di Casanova 2005 (sangiovese) EXCELLENT

I seem like I'm being hard on them. They are the most Italian restaurant we've eaten at on this trip to date and by far the best. It's just that when you compare yourself to Bologna you live up to a standard that's really hard to attain in the States. For real Italian places I give them a 3.5 out of 5. For Italian places in the US I give them a 5 out of 5.