A friendly hostess at Napoli Villa (758 Main St., Beech Grove, 317-783-4122) seated us in the (thankfully) TV-less bar, near two large windows overlooking Beech Grove’s quiet Main Street. The setting—with white plaster walls faux-painted brick in places, a light blue ceiling, and terra cotta stained concrete floor—is pleasant enough. But clearly the focus here is on the food. ??We started with two glasses of wine suited for the hot day (a Lambrusco and a Chianti), while munching on the table bread, a crusty white loaf still steaming from the oven and brought out with a side of creamy dipping sauce made withfreshly grated Parmesan, ground pepper, and olive oil.
After some indecision and help from our waitress, we ordered the gnocchi, perfectly pillowy (though sadly not made in-house) with a delicious and simple house-made pesto; and a spicy Farfalle Alla Milanese featuring the peppery house tomato sauce, prosciutto, pancetta, and Italian sausage. Some entrees, like the gnocchi, come with an antipasti salad (iceberg; deli-sliced salami, pepperoni, and ham; black and green olives; feta and provolone; peperoncinni; and red onions), which was decent, fresh, and enough for two to share. (Entree portions are so large we noticed that almost everyone left with to-go boxes, doubled wrapped in plastic and bagged.)
For dessert, we ignored our server’s tiramisu recommendation and ordered the Tartufo, a double-layered ball of creamy vanilla and chocolate gelato, which was the perfect light ending to a filling meal.
