Casa Calabria Italian Restaurant

Before moving out of the city of Marquette, MI, Casa is what I grew up with and knew as good Italian food. Realizing now that there are many other choices surrounding the area that serve Italian, this is still not a bad choice when you have a craving for greasy Italian food (not necessarily a bad thing). Casa is one of three Italian restaurants in Michigan that is owned and operated by the Johnson, Barbiere and Fernandez families (they also own 19 restaurants in Wisconsin). That is why if you have ever been to the Villa in Marquette, or Mama Mia's in Ishpeming, you may have noticed some taste similarities.

Many people go for the garlic bread that is freshly baked everyday and then literally dunked in melted butter... (shiver). I am not personally a fan of the garlic bread, but there are a few select dishes that I seem to always revert back to when I order from there. We ended up getting takeout, which is why all of the pictures show the meal in to-go containers.

The Pasta Milano is my absolute favorite pasta dish from Casa. The bow tie pasta is tossed in an Asiago garlic cream sauce and topped with grilled chicken, ham, mushrooms and green onion. It is unbelievable. The cream sauce which is on the rich side goes perfectly with the salty ham and the mild onion flavor from the green onions.

My husband ended up ordering my other two favorite items, which would be the Italian Tenderloin Tips and the Penne pasta with meat sauce. The beef, which I don't normally eat often, is seasoned and marinated in an Italian dressing, and comes in a 7 ounce or 14 ounce portion (the picture above is 7 oz.). It looks like it is grilled with a skewer, and then taken off of the skewer for serving purposes. The steak gets a great char on the outside which makes it juicy on the inside. 

My only complaint (that I forget about every time I order from here) is this.....

Most people probably see a pretty standard  antipasto salad. I see wilted lettuce, DRENCHED in house dressing. I'm sure if you asked they would put the dressing on the side, but it always slips my mind. The texture just becomes chewy and the longer it sits the worse it gets.

I don't have too many complaints versus all of the great food that the Casa is serving up. If you are a steak lover, try the Italian Tenderloin tips. If you love chicken, you need to try the Pasta Milano. And if you don't like or eat meat in general, try the Three-Cheese Shells with the Marinara sauce. There is definitely something here for everyone.

The link to their Facebook page as well as their main website are below:

Casa Calabria, Facebook Page

Casa Calabria Main Site