Creating Nostalgia Through Food

If you are seeking the “Dinner at Nonna’s” feel CasaBenedetto’s is the place to be. I originally found this restaurant using TripAdvisor. It was late on a Sunday evening and I had planned to make pasta, but by the time I finished my homework I was too exhausted to pick up a pot or pan. I read the reviews of Casa Benedetto's and knew it was a place I needed to try. They had Brasiole (Braciola), so I knew I’d feel at home.

From the time I first walked in the door I felt nostalgia rushing over me. The walls were adorned with antique books, posters and photographs and vintage bird cages hung from the ceiling. The décor was almost an exact replica of my Grandmother’s living room. It had a very warm comforting feeling. Then against the wall at a small table sat an older Italian couple sipping coffee, dipping Biscotti and chatting. I soon found out that these were the owners of the restaurant and they welcomed us as if we were family.

Because it was my first time at the restaurant we decided to indulge. My friend Candice and I missed the comfort of slow simmered tomato sauce and wanted to feel at home. When we ordered we were brought warm baked

bread garlic butter and another ramekin filled with the sweet love of homemade gabanadine, an eggplant and tomato tapenade. My first thought was back to the World War III that erupted when my Great Aunt Theresa refused to give her nieces and nephews her recipe, and my Aunt talked the recipe out of her anyway.

My friend and I shared similar experiences about our crazy yet lovable Italian families. We enjoyed rice balls and reminisced about the delis in New York. We ordered Calamari and joked about who would get the “tentacles” which we both felt were the best part.

By the time our entrees arrived we knew we would have to be wheeled off the premises, but we simply could not stop eating. The sauce was rich and filled with the flavor that only hours of slow simmering can produce and we both laughed knowing our grandmothers would have referred to the tomato sauce as nothing other than “gravy”.

Although we put up a fight we had to take most of our food home with us. It was so rich and indulgent that we could never leave it behind. With us we also took an Italian cookie tray. Before leaving the restaurant I had to open the tin and smell the sweet comforting aroma of anisette.  We took the cookies home and enjoyed them with coffee as we continued to chat about our families. 

Casa Benedetto’s has made its way into my favorite places. If not for the first experience, when we returned weeks later, the owners remembered us and joked with us about how we were too thin and needed to eat more… just as our grandparents would have. While it is a bit of a drive from downtown (on south St. Augustine Beach), Casa Benedetto’s provides the perfect cozy Italian experience.

Casa Benedetto's is located at 6357 A1A South , Saint Augustine, FL 32080

They are open Monday- Thursday 12 p.m.-9 p.m.
                      Friday-Saturday      12 p.m.-10 p.m.