Having served the downtown Binghamton community since 1946, Little Venice is a delightful choice for house-made Italian cuisine this fall. Located at 111 Chenango St., the restaurant has been passed down from generation to generation and is currently owned by Romeo and his son, Piero, with his daughter, Gina, acting as general manager.

My photographer, Emzie, and I visited on Thursday night for Restaurant Week for the first time. As a lover of Italian food, I was thrilled at the opportunity to try their $30 dinner deal. This included three courses — an antipasti (appetizer), secondo (main course) and dolci (dessert).

Upon entering the restaurant, we were impressed by the cozy ambiance. With warm lighting, rustic exposed brick and stained glass accents, we felt right transported straight to Venice, Italy. I was especially in awe of the gorgeous paintings which covered every inch of every wall, making it feel as if we were in the middle of a museum gallery. We were seated in the middle of the spacious dining area by our server, Ken.

We were served bread and butter with glasses of iced water while we looked at the menus. The bread was warm and springy and was gratifying with the butter while we waited for our food.

For our first course, I decided on the fall “bruschetta,” which I was very impressed with. A unique take on the Italian dish of toasted bread with garlic and olive oil, the light flavors of the butternut squash paired very well with the craisins on the base of the garlic crostini. The garnish of fresh sage and toasted pumpkin seeds was a nice touch and definitely reminded me of fall. Emzie, who also tried one, raved about this appetizer after our meal.

Emzie got the seasonal focaccia, a flat Italian bread that had a pumpkin and sage filling. The texture was perfectly fluffy and the cracked sea salt that topped each triangle of focaccia added the perfect touch. Both were a fun autumnal twist on Italian classics — great appetizer choices to set the mood for a pleasant fall day.

For our second course, I got the rigatoni with house-made vodka sauce, while Emzie got the ravioli with meat logs. The vodka sauce was creamy and filling, and the rigatoni was well-cooked and great for carrying a lot of sauce, making each bite more fulfilling. It was a classic take on my favorite Italian dish.

Emzie’s ravioli was cooked just right with a savory ricotta filling. Paired with the tomato sauce, it was a hearty choice. The true star of the dish, however, was the house-made meat logs. The meatball-like side was moist, and the seasonings balanced out the plate wonderfully.

We finished off our meal with dessert, ending the night on a high note. I ordered the house-made chocolate mousse, which came in a mesmerizing swirl in a small cup. The mousse was fluffy and airy. For someone who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, this dish was the right amount of sweet, but not too sweet.

Emzie got the cannolis, the dish they were most excited about. And it certainly lived up to expectations. The flaky shell gave a satisfying crunch, and the filling was light and subtly sweet, topped with chocolate chips — a classic Italian dessert done justice.

On a chilly autumn evening, we truly enjoyed the warmth and heartiness of our meals, appreciating both the seasonal twists and the traditional takes on Italian cuisine. The Restaurant Week three-course deal was a great and affordable way to get a taste of everything the restaurant had to offer. Overall, Little Venice is a great place to get Italian food in Downtown Binghamton, and I highly recommend that other students take advantage of Restaurant Week and stop by.