The very name of Come a Casa tells you what to expect of this Italian restaurant in Belleville: a menu, and an ambiance, that makes you feel right at home.
We settled into the rustic dining room helmed by a genial, slightly too-cool-for-school server pouring natural wine by the glass and bottle. The cheffe, meanwhile, passes easily from back to front of house, her dramatic, kohl-rimmed eyes ensuring no one forgets she means business. That said, her sincerely humble gratitude at our praise of her dishes reinforced the overwhelming sense that here, the cooking is all about heart.
The menu at Come a Casa changes every day, with just a few options in each category. We decided to share two starters, beginning with the sautéed escarole and artichoke (17). Imagine our surprise when it arrived bedecked with Tuscan coppa – an unfortunate addition given the presence of my vegetarian girlfriend, whose birthday we were celebrating.
She gamely was happy for me to pick off the coppa, revealing the promised vegetables and a ball of smoky mozzarella, which made us realize that somehow, the first two starters on the menu had been cobbled together. I certainly wasn’t sorry to enjoy the charcuterie, and the smoky mozzarella offered a lovely counterpoint to the slightly bitter veg, and there was also something that seemed so, well, Italian about it.
My girlfriend was nevertheless even more excited by appetizer #2: cacio e pepe arancini topped generously with pepper and lemon zest (16). While I found it a bit odd that the cream into which they were settled was cold, the crispy fried arancini were positively perfect.
When it came time for the mains, we both opted for fresh pasta. I was enticed by the ravioli, stuffed with a sweet-and-briny combo of langoustines, crab, and shrimp (26). The Sicilian lemon cream sauce was brightened with generous blobs of parsley purée; I happily mopped up what was left with the delicious country bread, which was charred on the outside and tender, moist, and treacly within.
The lasagna, however, was the winner of the evening. Two are on offer – one with sausage and smoked provola (25), the other with a medley of vegetables (24). The generous portion saw perfectly cooked zucchini and eggplant married with toothsome sheets of pasta, a rich tomato sauce, and loads of basil.
We finished things off with tiramisu (13), which proved perfectly fine and generous, though perhaps a bit lacking in rum – an issue I find plagues many of Paris’ iterations of this dessert. Of course, it didn’t stop us from polishing it off.
Come a Casa is the perfect place to go to feel like you’re in Italy in Paris. The handful of missteps are nearly charming, given the homey quality of the restaurant, service, and plates. And I’ve yet to find anywhere with as delicious a lasagna… and that includes my own house.
Come a Casa – 74 boulevard de Menilmontant, 75020