Trattoria Della Nonna, Lunenburg, NS

March 10,2007. A visit to Trattoria Della Nonna , Lunenburg NS. Three of us of the Gourmet Ox tribe made our first trip to this new Italian restaurant tonight (opened in February for Valentine's Day). It exceeded our expectations -- hard to get something this good in a trattoria in Italy itself.. Della Nonna is a family-owned operation, the couple having moved from Halifax where he was the chef at The Five Fisherman. He works the kitchen and back of the house, and she , the Sommelier, does the service and front of the house. It is literally in an old house in the centre of Historic Lunenburg (a World Heritage Site) that has been lovingly restored and upgraded to be a fine restaurant. This is a linen table cloth and good stemware kind of place, with a nice warm ambience and colourful paintings of Tuscany on the walls. The food was superb -- and we don't say that lightly!! As one member of the party said, this is the best calamari I've ever had -- thick, tender rounds from baby squid in a marinara sauce with little dressed baby greens. We also tried the mussel appetizer, which as good but especially so, done in a "cascabel infused tomato broth" (our Larousse Gastronomique is of no help in figuring that one out -- Webster's says it is spanish for a bell like a jingle bell, but also a vicious South American rattlesnake with a powerful neurotoxic venom -- suffice to say it was a tasty tomato broth and no one suffered from rattlesnake venom!). For mains, one of us had roasted halibut with "puttanesca sauce" -- though not in Larousse either, it was a good accompaniment made of olives, capers, anchovy, onions and garlic in a tomato base. It was served on an artichoke and potato puree with rappini, asparagus, pattipan squash and carrot. The piece of skinless halibut filet was a decent size and cooked to perfection -- served hot and moist. Nice to see more than just a scrap or two of vegetables. Another person had saltimbocca made with pork loin, overlain with proscuitto and fontina cheese, served on lemon-infused rice, with same vegetables as halibut. It was lushous. The third main was roasted organic chicken, a breast piece served as a supreme with wing bone attached and sliced on the bias. Skin was crisp and the interior moist and stuffed with a mushroom mixture. It was served on a carrot and fennel risotto, with a Marsala jus and same vegetables as others. Wonderful. For dessert, we split a Tiramisu, which had a rich coffee flavour and lovely sauce. A decaffe latte was smooth and hot, and the coffee was great. The main meal was washed down with a 2003 "Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Reserva" from Frescobaldi. The wine list was extensive, especially of Italian whites and reds, and a decent number were available by the glass. If there was a criticism, it was that the wine was served too cool, apparently right from a cellar that at this time of year was probably in the 10-12 degree Celesius range. I should add that the meal began with some hot, seasoned flat bread, with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar in a glass container. The service was good, attentive, friendly and obviously doing all they could to make the dining experience pleasureable. Total cost before tax and tip was $163 for three, of which the wine was $44. The appetizers were mostly $8-10, though there was a fois gras for $16. The mains were $22 (for the halibut and saltimbocco), $23 for the chicken. There was a NY striploin for $27 and the most expensive was rack of lamb for $32 -- we saw this come out, and there were three great looking double-ribbed pieces. Definitely a good place to go back to. Now we can say Lunenburg has at least two places The Gourmet Ox can recommend in Lunenburg -- Della Nonna www.nonnadining.ca and Fleur de Sel.