La Casa blog

La Casa on Channel 9's Today show!

Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:42:00 +1000

Video: Spaghetti Bolognese: La Casa style

To celebrate the Italian national holiday, Festa Della Repubblica Carmel and Paolo cooked up a delicious traditional spaghetti recipe.

Five of the best travel deals JOIN Sydney restaurateur Carmel...

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 10:06:00 +1000

Five of the best travel deals

JOIN Sydney restaurateur Carmel Ruggeri on a fully escorted seven-night food journey to her homeland, Sicily, from $3500 a person, twin share. Feast with Ruggeri’s family in their small fishing village of Scoglitti on the south coast of Sicily.

Learn to make gelato from a true gelato artisan, watch village matriarchs make fresh pasta, pizza and bread, and visit the home of Modica chocolate. The tour departs Catania on May 2. You will stay in a beachfront hotel on the Mediterranean Sea, enjoy seven breakfasts and 10 main meals.

The price also includes entry to all scheduled activities and transport in a private vehicle with a driver.

See sicilianfoodtours.com

The Australian, 16 September 2012

Waiters flirt with customers as Frank Sinatra classics fill the...

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 09:19:00 +1000

Waiters flirt with customers as Frank Sinatra classics fill the air at this casual Italian diner. The pork ribs (half rack $29/full rack $38) are a signature dish. They’re massive but not overly saucy. The marinade, a mix of orange juice, barbecue sauce and balsamic vinegar, adds tang to the smoky striations of fat. The crunchy chips with fluffy middles are a must, too.

Stephanie Clifford-Smith, Sydney Morning Herald, 15 May 2012

The famous and popular La Casa Ristorante on Ch 7’s Sydney...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:07:41 +1100

The famous and popular La Casa Ristorante on Ch 7’s Sydney Weekender

Tastes in 2012 IT’S a new year and time to reflect on what...

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 11:02:00 +1100

Tastes in 2012

IT’S a new year and time to reflect on what and where we’ll be eating. Elizabeth Meryment consults the experts on what we can expect.

CARMEL RUGGERI

Restaurateur and hostess at La Casa Ristorante, Russell Lea

What was your food highlight of 2011?

At Easter time we Sicilians from the region of Ragusa make a dish called scacce (similar to pies). It had been a couple of years since we had them, so this year my gorgeous 4-foot zia (aunt) Dora made enough for a small village when there were only 10 of us for lunch.

What’s your food prediction for 2012?

People will go back to the rustic charm of simple, real tasty food. They won’t really care any more if it’s grown on the south valley of the Po River where the sun sets at a 90 degree angle or if it’s sous vide. More and more I hear customers want to eat like they are home, but as long as someone else is doing the cooking.

Who’s your food hero and why?

My current food hero is my one and only and always hero, my great aunt, zia Matilda. She is in her 80s and still making fresh pasta, biscotti and feasts for the family.

What ingredient can’t you live without in 2012?

Ricotta of course. We Sicilians put it in everything!

Elizabeth Meryment, The Sunday Telegraph, 1 January 2012

10 pizzas with the lot - Simon Thomsen tracks down our best...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:49:35 +1100

10 pizzas with the lot - Simon Thomsen tracks down our best slices of life

Mamma’s meatballs are the best thing at this gregarious Italian ristorante, so shoving them in a calzone with fior di latte mozzarella is pure genius. Pizzaiolo Enrico Sini makes 14 different pizzas in this wood-fired oven and we also say yay to the bruschetta della casa, which piles tomato on a pizza base. The newcomer is chiocciola, a thinly rolled twisted pizza filled with Caminiti’s sausage, onion and potato that takes its inspiration from Croatian burek. The $18 kids deal for a margherita pizza, gelato and a drink makes it easy for families.

The best pizzas in Australia, Taste.com.au, October 2011

…….One year on

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 00:00:05 +1000

September 15th, 2011

Seems like yesterday we were writing up menus, choosing paint colour, designing the kitchen, employing staff, and going nuts with councils. I was also visiting a neurologist for head spins because I was so stressed, thinking “Is this going to work, am I doing the right thing, will we succeed?” Well that was a year ago.

Seems the paint colour was right, the menu was perfect and most of the staff were all the right choice because I’m writing this as a successful restauranteur. The dream came true. They came - and they came in by the thousands.

Papa sat there on that chair the day before opening and cried and said “what if noone …” I stopped him and said “Papa, I promise they will, they will come, we will do it right.”

And right we did it. We gave it our hearts and souls. We gave it 1000%. This game takes over your life and if you want it to work you have to let it take over - especially in the first year.

I missed out on my best friend’s 40th because I had to work. I missed ladies weekends, lunches, anniversaries, and so many great events because I had to work. My husband and I have had about two normal sit down conversations in the year, we put our relationship to the side believing that it was strong enough to ride the wave. All I can advise is make sure you get some serious surfing lessons because every wave that strikes it’ll knock you to the ground, you’ll be gasping for air and you’ll just want to walk away.

My husband Smiley is the driving force of this business, he has been the tower of strength, he spends day and night here, he did things which so many of us didn’t agree with but yet they were the right decisions and we are successful because of it.

This is a team effort, our head chef Kilian and his assistants Raj and Sal have given it 150%. They’ve shown total commitment, not one sick day, always giving it their best. Yes chefs are notorious for their less-than-accommodating demeanor and attitude in the kitchen and, yes, our chef is no different. But even in those moments he’s performed to his utmost. The kitchenhands, our pizza chef, all working with heart day after day.

The dishes they put out day in day out, the rabbit, the ribs, the steaks, the pastas, the pizzas and the meatballs. Who would have thought we’d become famous for our Mamma’s meatballs. Food critic for the Sydney Telegraph, Simon Thomsen said it perfectly: “Meatballs so brilliant you’d swear Leonardo Da Vinci must have slipped her the recipe. These roughly shaped balls of polpette della mamma are so gloriously soft, yet tangy..”

Our floor staff that have been here since day one, Hannah and Salvatore treat it like their own business, they are like family. The rest of the front of house team, give it their best shift after shift.

Then there’s Tony my brother, our Rock. He’s been in this game since he was a boy and most days he reminds me how much he loves this game, even after we’ve sweated it out and it’s been nothing but chaos he’s still standing and smiling. He’s taught me so much. I feel like we are back as kids living in Drummoyne and I’m still learning how to walk and he’s holding my hand assisting me through everyday. Tony is the man that everyone loves. Every phone call I get, “Is Tony there?”, “Can I sit in Tony’s section?”

Everybody loves Tony. The customer on table 15 said it right a few weeks ago, I asked him “How was your meal hun?” He said, “Who cares, Danny DeVito made our night!”

Eating out isn’t just about eating great food, it’s a total experience. We’ve had nights with groups of people singing Volare and Elvis songs, we’ve had people dancing on tables (or maybe that was just Tony.) We’ve even had customers cry because we’d run out of their favourite dish.

You have amazing moments and of course you have moments you’d rather forget,

Like BYO Tabouli, BYO Pizza Hut, BYO eggs - that had me searching for a gas leak for an hour! Digging kids toys outta the toilet, cleaning up kids vomit and the everyday stuff. No one mentioned there would be glasses and cutlery to polish, straws and toilet paper to order, toilets to clean, skirting boards to dust. And the bookwork, the bookwork, the bookwork, seriously I had no idea. Every week my dear friend, Michelle Hobbes who became my PA sits and laughs at the mess on my desk, the pile of junk, the never-ending emails. I insist when you sign up for this restaurant game make sure you sign up a PA immediately, Michelle has been my savior.

To my dear friends, Restauranteurs David Tsirekas from Xanthi, Stuart Knox from Fix St James, Traci Trinder from Buzo, Jen Moonie from Capital Wines, you can say it loud and clear “I told ya so” I really had no idea. BUT would I do it all over again? - HELL YES!

Thank you to all our friends and my amazing family for their support, patience and love, particularly to my mum and dad – both in their 70s - for their behind the scenes work everyday, so proud and so giving every single day. To my brother Emanuel - the time you have given us and the amount of fires you put out, you are an angel.

To all our customers from Sydney, from Twitter, from Facebook and from around the world, from all of us, thank you. Thank you for letting us into your hearts, thank you for giving us a chance, thank you for your support, thank you for allowing our dream to come true.

La Casa Ristorante has become to so many people exactly what we dreamed it would be – a place you call home.

Carmel Ruggeri
Owner - La Casa Ristorante

A remarkable dining experience

Thu, 12 May 2011 00:00:00 +1000

A remarkable dining experience:

Sure, the food must absolutely appeal to one’s palate, however there is a myriad of factors at work that makes one’s dining experience enjoyable AND memorable. In my case, I’m not a hard soul to please. As long as great food is placed infront of me by warm, friendly staff with good customer service and in an equally friendly atmosphere, then I’m a happy camper.

And true enough, all boxes were ticked when Mr J and I decided to pay the Queen of Twitter, Carm, a visit at their restaurant at Russell Lea…

- Trish, Sugarlace, 9 May 2011

Grab your fork!

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 10:50:53 +1100

Grab your fork!:

I’ve left our favourite dish until last, the squid ink linguine that has us each furtively returning for more. The glossy black strands of pasta are sexily smooth and slippery, the faint taste of squid amplified by fat lumps of king crab meat dotted throughout.

- Helen, Grab Your Fork, 7 March 2011

mi casa e La Casa

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 10:07:00 +1100

mi casa e La Casa:

Carmel and the team are like a second family which is what makes La Casa your new Italian home and besides if the Sicilians like it, you know it’s good!

- Bianca, eat.drink.write, 24 March 2011

Grazie La Casa!

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 16:20:00 +1100

Grazie La Casa!:

After such a warm, friendly and genuine family hospitality, there is no doubt we will be back. Not only was the food excellent but thanks to Carm, Tony and their team, it had to be one of the most fun non-romantic dinners ever. Grazie La Casa!

- Demos & Gianna, The Empty Fridge, 27 February 2011

30 second teaser of La Casa

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:19:22 +1100

30 second teaser of La Casa

An attractive alternative to the Italian districts of Leichhardt, or even Haberfield

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:16:27 +1100

An attractive alternative to the Italian districts of Leichhardt, or even Haberfield:

Were I to condense my experience and feelings towards the relatively new restaurant La Casa Ristorante down to a single word, warmth would be the one that comes to mind.

From its predominantly wooden decor to its casual & friendly hospitality. Even down to the comforting, unpretentious food. Food that seems more like mama’s home cooking than “restaurant food”.

- Simon, theheartoffood.com, 17 January 2011

The Tweethearts of Social Media

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:04:00 +1100

The Tweethearts of Social Media:

Take a trip out to Suburban Russell Lea in Sydney’s Inner West and you may notice something unusual taking place. A certain rumbling if you will, a ground swell of epic proportions. That rumbling that you feel is feet, feet pounding the pavement and there all making a beeline for La Casa Restaurant.

What is it about La Casa Restaurant that has so many people barnstorming their way to this family run Italian ristorante for a mid-week dinner?

- Bridget Davis, The Internet Chef, 29 January 2011

Yes we were on “The Oprah Show”. The 7pm Project put...

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:43:04 +1100

Yes we were on “The Oprah Show”. The 7pm Project put a call out on Twitter for Oprah fans. In true Carm fashion I replied. They came out to a fan night we had, unbeknown to us Carrie Bickmore was there as the Australian correspondent for Harpo! We had our 15 seconds which we will never forget.

Daily Telegraph Insider Awards: Best Suburban Eatery

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 15:36:00 +1100

Daily Telegraph Insider Awards: Best Suburban Eatery:

BEST SUBURBAN EATERY - La Casa
BROTHER and sister team Carmel and Tony Ruggeri have made their inner-west Italian restaurant an instant classic.

- Sunday Telegraph, 12 December 2010

La Casa by Not Quite Nigella

Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:34:12 +1100

La Casa by Not Quite Nigella:

Writing about friend’s businesses is always delicate as they are friends of course but as you want to support a friend you want to come along, pay for your share and help contribute to their business. So when Buxom Wench suggested a dinner with her family and Mr NQN and I at La Casa I jumped at it. I had eaten enough free pizza at their opening to start up a food tab so it felt right that we come and pay for our meal and also see what this new Italian family style restaurant was all about…

- Review by Lorraine Elliott, Not Quite Nigella, 29 November 2010

Tweet dreams for restaurateur - Inner West Courier, 30 November...

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 19:30:00 +1100

Tweet dreams for restaurateur - Inner West Courier, 30 November 2010

La Casa Ristorante’s Carmel Ruggeri has an unusual recipe for restaurant success.

She mixes her brother’s years of industry experience, adds her mother’s much-loved meatball recipe, throws in some traditional woodfired pizzas and combines the mixture with an unconventional extra ingredient – Twitter.

Ms Ruggeri, 40, began using Twitter – a social networking and micro-blogging service – in May last year as a way to talk about her love of food while tweeting her intent to open a restaurant with her brother, well-known local restaurateur Tony Ruggeri.

at the time she had no idea how important her 140-characters-orless tweets would be in enticing future diners to two-month-old La Casa Ristorante in Russell Lea. “When I was living in Queensland I was emailing my friends daily and one of my girlfriends said to me you need a blog or a Twitter account. I had no idea what a blog or Twitter was, only that it was some website that celebrities use,” she said. “I started searching food, Sicily, pizza and things like that and before I knew it I was tweeting people like Jamie Oliver.”

Growing up in Five Dock, the Ruggeris were a passionate foodie family. Tony began his long career in the restaurant industry aged 15 and has since graced the floors of Haberfield’s Napoli in Bocca and Walsh Bay’s Ventuno.

Carmel moved with her husband to the Gold Coast and after 10 years in property development came back to Sydney to open a restaurant with her brother. She began tweeting a month after she submitted a development application for a space in Haberfield that after folded. From there her followers increased as they read all about the bittersweet ups and downs of opening a restaurant.

“People don’t realise the power of Twitter,” she said. “I know people from the restaurant industry who use it correctly and I have become friends with them. It’s definitely a nurturing environment.”

Ms Ruggeri said she has learnt a lot from fellow tweeters, including David Tsirekas of Petersham’s Perama Greek Restaurant.

“I’ve met so many people I would never have met any other way and they’ve told me all about what you have to deal with when you run a restaurant,” she said.

“It’s unlike any other learning environment because the information is ongoing … it’s an instant way to get the information you need and have a chat.”

- Samantha Day, Inner West Courier

La Casa photos by Alan Benson 0412 563 182

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:40:10 +1100

La Casa photos by Alan Benson 0412 563 182

Video

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 12:39:02 +1100