N'ata Cosa
Have you ever been to Italy before?
I haven’t. But it’s definitely on my list.
With COVID-19 preventing almost all travel, it’s hard to predict when I will actually get to visit that beautiful country.
In the meantime, I know where I can get a taste of Italy, right here in St. Catharines, Ontario.
Welcome to N’ata Cosa.
A restaurant with not only a wide variety of Italian foods to select and enjoy from, but created from a chef who has the prestigious APN certification for pizza.
outdoor heated patio
APN stands for the Associazione Pizzaioli Napoletani. What you need to know about APN is that this is a certification for pizza from Naples, Italy. Out of every restaurant in Niagara, N’ata Cosa is the only APN certified award winning ristorante. This certificate is proof that N’ata Cosa’s chef, Chef Cristoforo is a true master of his craft.
I’ve had the opportunity to dine at N’ata Cosa more than once. Each time I’ve gone, I’ve enjoyed different foods and been delighted with every selection. Each visit I had, I was lucky enough to have Caterina as our incredible, friendly server.
One of my favourite things about N’ata Cosa is how great they are with accommodating allergies. When I booked my reservations, they went out of their way to see if I had any allergies so they could accommodate. Having a severe peanut and nut allergy is definitely not easy, but with their attentiveness they made it as seamless as possible.
Also, to all my friends who have a peanut and nut allergy, N’ata Cosa’s pesto is peanut and nut free! YAY! Considering pesto usually is always made with pine nuts, and people with this allergy can usually never enjoy it, how incredible is this?!
The atmosphere at N’ata Cosa is great. It’s romantic and cozy which makes for a perfect date, but also has a perfect outdoor heated patio which makes for a great option to bring your friends and enjoy a night out!
Our first time dining at N’ata Cosa we started our experience off with ordering a bottle of Ruffino’s Chianti. If you enjoy red wine, you will probably love this one.
One thing we learned during our visit is that if you order a bottle and don’t finish it, N’ata Cosa will cork it for you so you can enjoy the rest at a later time.
APPETIZERS:
If you enjoy Rice Balls, you will love their house made Arancini Calabrese. Filled with mozzarella, egg, peas, San Marzona DOP tomato sauce(DOP sauce is imported from Italy), and topped with their nut free pesto. It will melt in your mouth on first bite.
We also enjoyed the Fresh Burrata which is a great lighter appetizer option. The Burrata cheese is imported directly from Italy and the Prosciutto di Parma makes the appetizer all come together.
Dinner:
Rigatoni all’Amatriciana Bianca con Guanciale
and the
Vitello alla Parmigiana
(Rigatoni all’Amatriciana Bianca con Guanciale is the dish closest to me)
Our first time dining here, we decided to order a pasta and entree for our mains, and then come back for another visit to enjoy some wood oven, award winning pizza!
For our pasta we ordered the house made Rigatoni all’Amatriciana Bianca con Guanciale. This is served in a cream sauce with pepper and shallots.
For our entree we ordered the Vitello alla Parmigiana which is a 14oz veal chop bone in served with san marzano DOP tomato sauce (my favourite sauce) with house made spaghetti pomordoro.
Another thing I enjoyed at N’ata Cosa is that their portion sizes are incredible. One thing I dislike at restaurants is paying a lot of money for 4 pieces of pasta (I’m being dramatic but you get my point). At N’ata Cosa, this is definitely something you don’t have to worry about.
Out of these two meals, my favourite was the Vitello alla Parmigiana. If you enjoy veal, I recommend this meal 10/10.
pizza’s:
fresh
Margherita
pizza
I’ve already mentioned N’ata Cosa’s award winning, wood oven pizza. The dough for this pizza is to die for. Fresh, light and delicious. They use only 00' Caputo flour to create the dough which is a very popular choice for pizzaioli and bakers across the world (the double zero is a scale of refinement of the four being used). On every pizza created, Chef Cristoforo uses the DOP San Marzano sauce imported from Italy.
Since I love crispy, next time I go I’m going to try ordering my pizza a bit more well done.
During our pizza visit we enjoyed two different pizzas:
Margherita - This is a classic that you can never go wrong with.
Amaro Bastardo- Made with san marzano DOP tomato sauce, local honey, and radicchio and hot chill flakes from the Nata Cosa farms in Niagara, it doesn’t get better than this. Also this pizza is SEASONAL. It won’t be around forever, so if you like spice make sure to try it out on your next visit.
I have to say the Amara Bastardo was out of this world. The spice was the perfect amount, and the honey made it sweet and complimented it perfectly. This pizza is full of flavour and as I am writing it is making me want to go get another one right now. This pizza is like nothing I have tried before, it’s incredible!
No matter what you decide to order from N’ata Cosa, know that it will be cooked to order, and made with the freshest ingredients.
Next time I go back I will be ordering another Amaro Bastardo pizza, and trying out their Gnocchetti!
What will you be ordering on your next visit?
Comment below!
