By Kelly McKnight
Ville Voice Eats Correspondent

For a little place, La Gallo Rosso delivers big on food.

I love Italian cuisine and have a long-held belief:  if you can’t cook the simple stuff, leave the veal in the kitchen.  When I say simple stuff, I mean the staples like Spaghetti & Meatballs or Lasagna. I’m no novice, I cut my teeth on Italian cuisine in places from New York City to the Hill District in St. Louis.

So when me and three of my trusty friends visited La Gallo Rosso, we stuck with the staples….we all ordered Spaghetti & Meatballs.  You used to be able to bring your own libations into La Gallo Rosso and they would serve it to you with a small pouring charge.  Some asshole blew the whistle on them so now they have a wine and beer license so one of our group ordered an Italian beer and the other a glass of Pinot Grigio. I stuck with water as did my other compadre.

Our waiter, Joe, talked a mile a minute but was very enjoyable.  It seems he doubles as a DJ and has his own sound system.  He remembered me from an earlier visit and anyone who remembers me instantly wins points.

After a short wait, Joe brought out warm, fresh-baked bread and dipping plate with olive oil followed quickly by our salads.  The salad presentation is special.  They are shaped like a little crowns with the lettuce tied together with a paper-thin strip of cucumber.  So good, so far.  I went easy on the bread because I wanted to save room for the entree.

As soon as our salads were finished, the Spaghetti & Meatballs made their appearance and my dinner mates were blown away!  Two gigantic meatballs next to a pile of spaghetti noodles smothered in a piquant marinara topped melting shredded cheese. OMG, this is probably the first time in my life a meal intimidated me.

Listen, I did the best I could but I could only knock down one meatball and half my spaghetti.  This was agony!  My taste buds screamed: More!  My stomach said:  Stop!
I take pride in never using a “Doggy Bag” but this meal was more than I could handle and to my shame, I could only manage to eat half my meal.

There wasn’t even room for a cannoli or from what I hear is “The World’s Best Tiramisu”.

Now, back to the Spaghetti & Meatballs.  Like the bread, the pasta was made on premise and tasted like only fresh pasta can.  I would have preferred more kick to the marinara sauce but then again, I like a lot of heat.  Good, not great sauce and could been thicker.  The meatballs?  Absolutely the best I’ve ever had.  Big, perfectly cooked and a combination of pork and beef with a mozzarella center.  I’m guessing on the contents but I’m probably right. Teamed with the spaghetti and marinara sauce, it was better than great.

When the bill came, we all ate for around sixty bucks without the tip.  The meal was worth twice as much and I would have gladly paid it.

La Gallo Rosso is tucked away in the back at a building right next door to the Bristol on Bardstown Road.  The place is small so make sure you call for a reservation.  My wife and I stopped in a week after our initial visit and they were booked at 6:00 on a Thursday.

The address is 1325 Bardstown  Rd and the phone number is 473-0015.  La Gallo Rosso is open for breakfast and lunch and I can’t wait to try them both.

You can pay a lot more in Louisville but if you want the kind of meal your Italian Grandmother used to make you’ll find it at La Gallo Rosso.  Just bring a big appetite and not a whole lot of money.