Capone Foods - Union Square, Somerville

Capone Foods

One of the true hidden gems of the greater Boston area, Capone Foods makes restaurant-grade pasta and sauces as well as carrying staggeringly good balsamics.

It's a small shop, smaller than a grad student's apartment. You walk in and immediately on the right are several tall freezers packed with tasty goods. One is full of prepared pastas and dishes - parmigian of eggplant and chicken, stuffed shells, etc. - which I haven't tried.

The other freezers are the reason I make the trek to union square once every few months. Packed with amazing pasta, the kind of stuff that makes you appear to be a gourmet chef after 15 minutes of salted, boiling water.

The tortellini and gnocchi are superb. I can without hesitation recommend the smoked gouda, porcini, and bolognese tortellini, and also the sweet potato and chive gnocchis. The black pepper is something I love but you really gotta love black pepper :-)

There's a full freezer of sauces - fantastic putanesca, alfredo with shallots, marinara, porcini. the newburg sauce is exquisite.

Ravioli are also standout here. The lobster ravioli (pair with newburg!) is top shelf and I am addicted to the sweet potato version. There's a handy chart on the wall for pairing sauces and pastas out of the freezer, and great friendly service if you're stuck.

Rounding out the place is a set of barrels of olives, homemade ricotta, and the right to buy sheets and fresh cut pasta behind the counter. And if you're in the mood to spend $100 on a bottle of balsamic you're in the right place.

It's not in the most convenient place on earth - union square tends to disorient non-residents and people who haven't invested in learning the quirks of east somerville streets - but it's worth the effort. Not open after normal business hours during the week but open on saturdays. The web site is user-friendly and they'll deliver to you if you just can't get there..

Gets four stars from the visiting scientist.