Elizabeth’s Cafe
Penne alla vodka con gamberetti or in english translation penne in vodka sauce with shrimp is a dish I first had in Urbino, Italy where I studied for a summer and a semester back in college. This became my very favorite pasta dish to eat there. I am a huge fan of sauces and you really can’t beat all the big flavors of a thick red sauce, cream and vodka (I also add in white wine or extra dry vermouth in my recipe) that all come together to create this wonderful creation called vodka sauce which is exactly how it’s made here in Madison, CT at Elizabeth’s Cafe. Adding in the shrimp just makes makes it that much more amazing and Elizabeth’s Cafe hits it right on the nose really bringing back those memories from Italy!
Every time I have eaten at Elizabeth’s Cafe they out do themselves in executing fine sauces and flavors in their dishes. When my friend Wendy and I met there for our celebratory birthday lunch just recently they originally stated that they were making the vodka sauce and shrimp dish with rigatoni which wasn’t a problem for us, but since we had ordered saying “penne alla vodka sauce” when the plates arrived to our surprise they had specially made it with penne pasta for us. What a lovely thing to do, so simple yet going the extra mile for the customer! I highly recommend going to Elizabeth’s Cafe for the finer things in culinary cuisine. You can access their web site at perfectparties.com.
If you would like to make vodka sauce yourself I have two versions, one with cream and one with coconut cream for gluten-free:
