Diners at Little Italy's La Dolce Vita are served arias amid the antipasti

Posted January 19, 2012 in Articles

Author: Donald Rosenberg

The menu at La Dolce Vita in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood occasionally expands in grand fashion. Along with pasta, customers savor tidbits of Puccini. Garlic-glazed greens with stuffed chicken breast are accompanied by morsels of Verdi. And what could be a more delectable dessert companion than a melting slice of Mozart? Arias and duets meld seamlessly with Italian cuisine at Terry Tarantino's venerable restaurant, where young artists hoping to pursue operatic careers sing for their supper two Monday nights per month. On a recent evening, five singers who study at or graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music raised their voices amid salads, antipasti, wine and other goodies that flowed from the kitchen. Most of the time, they sang from a little stage at one end of the room where CIM faculty member John Simmons -- subbing for regular pianist Adam Whiting -- played an upright piano.

Original Article: http://www.cleveland.com/musicdance/index.ssf/2012/01/diners_at_little_italy_restaur.html