Deep-fried calamari with spicy tomato sauce. Fresh slabs of mozzarella and tomato drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Crispy balls of risotto oozing mozzarella, bolognese sauce, and peas with every bite. These are just a handful of the authentic Italian appetizers you can expect at Basilico Cucina Italiana, a restaurant that opened in November not far from Creekside Park. And the apps are just the beginning.

Your "primi" course will consist of traditional, house-made pasta—or whole-wheat or gluten-free. Try the sacchetto vegetariano, a plate of pasta pockets stuffed with veggies and mozzarella in tomato sauce, or the gnocchi smothered with a Gorgonzola-walnut sauce. Save room for the secondi course, though, because that part of the menu encompasses prosciutto-stuffed chicken, tiger prawns seared in white wine and basil-lemon sauce, and veal in marsala wine sauce. Dig in!

Basilico Cucina Italiana
4776 Sonoma Highway
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
(707) 539-0260
www.basilico-cucina-italiana.com
www.yelp.com/biz/basilico-cucina-italiana-santa-rosa

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr russelljsmith