Skip to main contentThis is Italy in a shoebox, people. Born as a takeout pit stop, Taste Unique's tiny Division Street storefront is dominated by a giant chalkboard full of daily offerings of housemade soups and sauces and fresh pasta and a pair of big fridges packed with family-sized take-out freezer trays of meat cannelloni and baked risotto pie (around $15-$20 a tray). Smart eaters claim a barstool or one of the handful of tables for truly wonderful lunch specials: Big, peppery balsamic-dressed salads ($6); super-eggy, Parmesan-salty, put-you-in-a-coma-rich spaghetti carbonara (scarf it down fast and don't let it congeal on the plate); or a whole crusty corner of tart tomato and meat lasagna (both $9). They'll serve you the best focaccia in town while you wait, hot and salty, straight from the oven. All the while, the musical sound of Italian shop talk flows out from the kitchen, where Perugia-born chef Stefania Toscano lovingly prepares everything from her takeout basics to a special dinner menu of 18th-century dishes culled from a rare cookbook called Il Cuoco Maceratese. Plus, every other Friday Taste Unique holds its "Aperitivo Italiano"—that's $18 for a glass of wine and all-you-can-eat appetizers.
WWeek 2015