This 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.
Copyright 2013 Willamette Week Newspaper & WWEEK.COM
