Oggi Cosi Si Mangia

What's it like?

I like to think of myself as being pretty knowledgeable about restaurants in Fresno, but I didn't even know about Oggi Trattoria until about 30 minutes before we were to meet some friends there for dinner. Located in the Tower District in the converted house where Senses used to be, Oggi has a casual charm that begins with the red neon sign in the upstairs window that proudly proclaims "PASTA". Directly across from the entrance is an open doorway to the kitchen, giving you a full view of the activity inside while taunting you with some wonderful aromas.

Upon entering, we were seated and attended to right away. The restaurant was about two thirds full, I'm guessing they could seat around 50 people at capacity. While the dim lighting attempted to set a more relaxed, elegant mood, the diners that evening were not cooperating–I found it to be very noisy (the only reason I graded down on ambiance). Our server was very attentive and friendly, my only complaint being that she wasn't completely comfortable making a wine recommendation. She checked in on us at all the right times but let us set the pace of the meal, something I appreciate greatly.

The menu consists of mostly traditional Italian fare: salads, pizzas, and pasta dishes. We started our meal with an order of the mushroom bruschetta, which was very tasty. It consisted of six slices piled so generously with mushrooms, parsley, cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette that the bread almost seems like an afterthought. After eating all six slices, there was still a good amount of toppings left on the plate, which was quickly scooped up and eaten between the four of us.

There were three specials that evening, I chose the pan-seared salmon with angel hair pasta. Most of the dishes include a cup of soup or salad. I'm not the biggest minestrone fan, but I wasn't feeling like a salad so I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. It was very hearty and completely filled with fresh cut vegetables and pasta. The salmon was perfectly cooked, with a slightly crispy exterior and not too much seasoning to distract from the flavor. The portions were very large in all four dishes we ordered. Mine came with a generous amount of pasta and vegetables, which were very flavorful but used a bit too much olive oil for my tastes.

Despite the fact that we were all quite full by then, we couldn't resist ordering the chocolate lava cake. Our waitress warned it would take about 15-20 minutes, which didn't bother us at all. Some of the larger parties had cleared out, bringing the noise down to a more enjoyable level. The chef came out and was making his way around the tables, saying hello and asking how the food was–a nice touch. As with everything else at Oggi, the lava cake was quite large. It was good but didn't knock our socks off, however the side of homemade vanilla bean ice cream was quite good.

Dinner came out to $105 per couple with tip factored in, which I found fairly reasonable for a meal including a large appetizer, several glasses of wine, a couple beers, and dessert–especially when you consider the size of the portions pretty much guarantee a decent amount of food will be going home with you. I enjoyed our meal at Oggi, it's a great addition to the Tower District. If you're a fan of traditional Italian cuisine you should check it out–just make sure you go there hungry. You definitely won't leave that way.

Sorry for the poor photos, iPhones just don't do well in low light.