It’s been said that everyone needs that one local place to go to relax and enjoy a great atmosphere and amazing food. This is that place! Located at 7610 Heths Salient Street Suite 104 in Spotsylvania, Itavie New York Grill & Bakery is currently #2 on TripAdvisor’s website and one of my family’s personal favorites!
Itavie is located in Spotsylvania Courthouse Village, and it is about a thirty minute drive from Locust Grove. It is the perfect place to stop on the way home from downtown Fredericksburg which is only a few miles away because the drive home on Brock Road gives you a break from busy Route Three. On the day that we visited Itavie, several of the people we talked to drove all the way from Harrisonburg, VA just to dine again after having stopped here for a business lunch! These glowing reviews made us excited. Itavie offers an eclectic mix of your well known American comfort dishes as well as inspired Italian favorites. Their pallet of deserts is unparallel with a multitude of cheesecake options, gelato, and other “must try” tasty treats to explore.
The appetizers at Itavie include Italian favorites such as warm garlic knots, fried calamari, lobster arancini as well as southern comfort food like fried green tomatoes and wings. Itavie offers paninis, an Italian burger, salads, crab cake sandwiches, and an Italian sub that are perfect for lunch. One of my personal all time favorites is the Reuben sandwich. There is something about fresh rye bread, sauerkraut, tangy thousand island dressing, aged swiss cheese, and corned beef brisket that just works!
For dinner, Itavie has a delicious selection of pasta dishes that make it difficult to select just one. During our visit, my wife ordered the abbuffatu chicken-a mozzarella stuffed chicken breast that is fried and served over capellini. It was delicious and such a large portion that she had lunch for the next day. Some other delicious options from the menu at Itavie include the lobster ravioli, shrimp and crab cognac, and gnocchi nonna rosa.
Itavie also has a selection of pizzas and Stromboli that we can’t wait to try out on our next visit. The littlest Jones was ecstatic to see ravioli on the kids menu and she happily enjoyed hers with a side of mashed potatoes because, well, she is six.
If you just need a little boast of caffeine, then you can stop in Itavie to grab a cappuccino, latte, or expresso. It will be very difficult to ignore all the desserts on display at the counter. Cakes, cheesecakes, and pastries fill the cases. After staring at the counter during our meal, we couldn’t walk away from Itavie without picking up a few to sample later at home. They were as delicious as expected.
The service at Itavie was fantastic too. We happened to visit the restaurant on an evening where they we particularly busy due to a high school dance. While our wait to be seated was long, the attentive service from our waiter, recognition of the long wait, and hot food that arrived quickly at our table once we ordered it more than made up for the wait.
ITAVIE New York Grill & Bakery has worked it’s way into our permanent “must visit” list and I hope it does for you as well.
