Park & A Italia is concocting delicious Italian cuisine like never before in eastern Idaho
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IDAHO FALLS — Park & A Italia is changing the Italian food game in Idaho Falls, and we were lucky enough to try three of their most popular dishes.
Matt Feldman, the executive chef for 100 Proof Hospitality, which owns Park & A Italia, The Snakebite, and XVIII, says when they opened the restaurant, they wanted to pay homage to its predecessor, The Snakebite, and the beautiful building that housed it.
“When we moved Snakebite across the street, we knew we wanted to do something special with this building and highlight the architecture,” says Feldman. “An Italian restaurant felt right.”
The first dish we tried was the Chicken Parmesan, a hand-breaded chicken breast topped with house-made red sauce, melted mozzarella, and basil and served with buttered capellini and primavera vegetables.
This dish is simply outstanding. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked, the house-made red sauce was to die for, and the plating was downright beautiful. Perfect for a date night.
“This is our take on a classic chicken parmesan,” says Feldman. “Our pasta is made regionally, very close to here in Montana.”
Their parmesan breading is also gluten-free, which is a huge plus for anyone with any kind of gluten intolerance.
Next, EastIdahoNews.com tried the Fettuccini Alfredo with shrimp, which was tossed in a house-made Alfredo sauce made with pecorino romano, fresh garlic, and Italian seasoning, and topped with fresh lemon and fried capers.
The shrimp in this dish are HUGE, and you definitely get your money’s worth. The pasta is cooked perfectly, and the sauce is creamy, well-seasoned and pairs perfectly with the lemon and fried capers.
If you’re not a fan of shrimp, you could instead opt for hand-breaded chicken breast, or sea scallops.
“This dish we have multiple variations of, we leave the options open to the guests to add protein,” says Feldman. “This is definitely one of our most popular.”
Lastly, we tried the Lasagna Al Forno, consisting of layered pasta sheets, seasoned ricotta, béchamel, house-made wagyu bolognese, and melted mozzarella.
To me, this was the ultimate comfort food dish. Filled with beautifully cooked pasta, delicious sauce and wagyu bolognese, this is high on my list of the things I would go back for.
“This is our house Lasagna Al Forno, made with local wagyu ground beef,” says Feldman. “We knew opening an Italian restaurant, we were going to need lasagna on the menu, and we knew it had to be a home-run.”
Everything we tried at Park & A Italia was phenomenal, and I cannot recommend it enough.
The restaurant is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
They are located at 401 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls. Make sure to like their page on Facebook.
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