Normally this exclusive establishment is only open to a few hand-selected individuals who meet strict criteria and hold a membership card but once in awhile they will allow you to peek into their privileged world by throwing a charity event for a good cause. The Spaghetti Dinner was one such event to help raise money for the local Valley Forge Volunteer Fire Company. It's a great cause. These volunteers dedicate their energy and time to help protect the citizens around the area and need funds, lots of funds for things like rubbers, long hoses, boots, suspenders, trucks, gas, electricity, training, helmets, walkie talkies, flashlights, jaws-of-life, maintenance, pressure pumps, gloves, sirens, flashing lights, visors, air tanks, caution tape, axes, ladders, and a plethora of other life saving equipment - so a little pasta goes a long way.
Upon arrival I found the ample parking lot almost full and I was lucky enough to grab the last spot and with first impressions being so important, this was a good sign. We (my wife also accompanied me for I hate to eat alone unless I'm in front of my own TV in boxer shorts) were directed to the main seating area which is a huge ball like facility nicely decorated in the theme of a firehouse. I would suppose if the charity were to be say "Forest Fire Prevention" it would decorated in very much the same manner. In other words, these people go all out in themes for their charities and it really is a nice touch. The only thing that was missing were those spotted black and white dogs in which their name eludes me at the moment, this was a good thing, I'm allergic to dogs, not cats though, which I find strange. Anyways, we were met by the hostess where she gracefully accepted our donations of $7 each to partake in the dinner event and gestured for us to stand in line. So stood we did and to our surprise the line moved rather quickly unlike my buffet line experiences at Indian or Chinese restaurants. My first choice, well It wasn't much of a choice compared to a must, was picking up a paper plate. I found it quite sturdy, no distracting decorations, with no flex or roll, and certainly up to the challenge of not letting my meatballs fall when somebody sneezes. It was at this point in time I noticed the wait staff. I was a little shocked at first by their outfits. I was expecting them to be donned the traditional Italian flag colors but then my wife pointed out that their aprons were the color of the Mediterranean Sea in which Italy's boot sits almost in the middle. It was a nice relaxing blue. With plate in hand it was onward to the pasta. The pasta choice was slim at best, you had your choice of spaghetti, just spaghetti, there was no fettuccine, lasagne, linguine, or tagliatelle, there was no manicotti, penne, agnolotti, or rigatoni, there was no farfalle, fusilli, mezzelune, or bucatini, no tortellini, no gnocchi, not even raviolis, just spaghetti thus the reason this event wasn't called the Pasta Dinner. The portions size were perfect and the pasta al dente, which means "to the tooth" referring to the need to chew the pasta due to its firmness and is often considered to be the ideal form of cooked pasta. It was ideal. It was then onto the next station, my favorite by the way, the meatball station. Dalmatians - I knew I would come up with it. Back to my balls, the balls were your average size balls, not too big and not too small, though I tend to gravitate towards the bigger balls given the choice. But as they say, it's not the size that matters, it's the taste, and these balls were tasty. They were simmered perfectly in a bath of traditional sauce, they were firm, the one thing I hate is a mushy ball and these balls were not mushy. If I had to rate the balls on a scale of 1 to 10, I give them a 9.5. Next up on the array of goodies was the sausage; again these were simmered in the same traditional bath of homemade goodness and just as tasty as their meatball cousin. In fact two balls and a sausage was the perfect portion to the pile of spaghetti. Our last hot item was the option for more sauce and it really wasn't an option. Warm and aromatic the sauce was, with vine ripe tomatoes and just the right blend of seasoning. - more please.
Once the main meal was selected and if you had a free hand, you could elect to pick up your salad if you like to eat the American way of roughage before the main course. We chose the European way and had the crisp lettuce afterwards. There seemed to be an endless supply of gourmet toppings that reached from around the globe, from Italian, to Catalina, to blue, to raspberry vinaigrette, and everything in between. And we didn't forget the bread and cheese on the table. The bread was some of the best we ever had and the little pads of butter were just like any cafeteria where the standards are high. The Parmesan cheese provided a sharpness to the sweet succulent sauce - it was like Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney singing together in perfect harmony. Wine was provided in some very nice glassware and the cost of such a sip was fractional compared to other places in the area. We both chose the merlot by one of the founding fathers of Napa, Robert Mondavi. We found it was balanced from beginning to finish with a nose of currant, a wisp of earth, seeded in oak. Delightful. Desserts were prepared for the calorie conscious in little foil cups. My wife and I both choose the berried top cheese cake although our decision was very tough. We couldn't have ended our meal in a more fitting manner.
It is safe to say that only you can prevent forest fires and also that you can't find a better meal for the price. As soon you entered through their doors you are welcomed with open arms. You are family and isn't that what Italian cooking is all about? The fire company Auxiliary and volunteers have dedicated their time and energy to provide us with an atmosphere that is fully authentic from head to toe, from kitchen to dining room, from salad to dessert. So the next time Valley Forge Volunteer Fire Company opens its door for such a rare event, even if the snow is up to our derrieres, we will be first in line. I give this pasta palace 4.75 yums out of 5.
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