My most recent meal at Rustica was last night; I have eaten there on three prior occasions. My dining companion last night lives in New York and routinely eats at top world restaurants and I have eaten my way through a couple dozen Michelin stars. It was a no-brainer to take him to Rustica because it is the most consistently great eating establishment in Kalamazoo.
Yes the restaurant can be loud and the lack of reservations means I avoid Rustica on weekend nights. Service was only satisfactory (our waitress was slow with a couple things and set the knives / forks on the wrong side of the plates when we got new utensils). But oh, the food! Following are my thoughts on each of the dishes we had:
Grilled Romaine Salad amish cheddar, garlic croutons, white anchovies, and caesar dressing $8
---My least favorite dish; you don't get much and everyone does this dish. But it was the best Caesar salad I have ever had with nice nuances to the flavor.
Prince Edward Island Mussels steamed with roasted garlic, white wine, herbs, and grilled bread $13
--Again, a classic dish. Prepared well and enjoyable.
Cold Crab Salad
baby greens, candied fennel, dill, cilantro vinaigrette $9
--This was not available, but we shared a similar dish that was a special that had a tempura soft-shelled crab with some sort of picked vegetable among fresh dandelion greens with an aioli sauce on the side. This was exquisite and a perfect pairing of the different flavors in the dish.
Sautéed Bay Scallops
lemon-parsley risotto, and brown butter $10
-- The risotto was well prepared and its flavor contrasted well with the buttery scallops.
Grilled Pork Loin
confit fingerling potatoes, swiss chard, golden raisins, chorizo, house-made mustard $19
--This was amazing, melt-in-your-mouth meat and the pairing of various flavors in this dish was new to me and quite tasty.
Baked Market Fresh Fish
in parchment paper with olives, capers, leeks, seasonal potatoes, and lemon herb butter $19
--I think it was Pacific Cod. Anyway, nicely done and the leeks and olives helped it stand out from the standard 'fresh fish en papillote'. But it wasn't really special.
Tagliatelle
smoked chicken, snap peas, arugula, sweet chilies, parmesan $17
-- Perfectly cooked pasta (slightly al dente) with excellent flavors.
On previous visits I have had their Rosemary bone marrow (something every meat-eater without a cholesterol problem should have) and some small bird and likely their roast duck. I have never had anything at Rustica that was not at least very good. The best things I have had were the less common things. The same goes for desserts: I have only had dessert a few times at Rustica but each one that I have tried has been at least very good; the best ones were the more unique things that can't be easily found elsewhere. Rustica remains my favorite spot in Kalamazoo for good food and its prices are lower than other nice restaurants in Kalamazoo. read more