We were the first diners to arrive at the restaurant (OK, so 5pm is a little early to eat on a Friday) which meant we had the luxury of picking from the many seats carefully arranged in the small space. We chose one near the completely open, or really missing, window/front wall. The decor was simple and comfortable. The open kitchen greeted us towards the back, a nice setup. It was a pleasant cool evening. The sun was shining in at just the right angle to give the restaurant a kind of angelic glow. Our wine was opened and poured, glistening in the glass. I was happy. We were served a dense slice of warm bread with a delicious olive-garlic butter. It was a nice beginning to the meal.
We started with a charcuterie/cheese plate which we were able to construct ourselves. I really liked that we could pick our quantity of and specific elements for this plate to ensure we got what we liked. We opted for the spicy chorizo with two of our favorite cheeses, the grassy and buttery Pierre Robert and Caciotta al Tartufo a harder cheese with the decadent flavor of black truffles. The three items were $15. Not bad, considering the portions of each were pretty generous. Bread was not served with the plate, but the server was quick to offer us more as soon as we had finished our initial slices. The cheeses were served with a pomegranate jelly which was sweet, thick, and crunchy. The house-made mustard was excellent. While I didn't care for it with the chorizo, I did eat it on its own. It wasn't too tangy but had a mellow mustard flavor with pieces of what I thought were mashed apples. It was like a mustard flavored apple sauce. All in all a nice plate with well done accompaniments. B.
For my entree I decided to try the Pasta of the Day which consisted of house made fettuccine, mussels, shrimp, cherry tomatoes and spinach. The plate was nicely presented with a big piece of crusty bread on top to sop up all of the drippings. As I dug into the pasta, I found it had become one big clump of mush. It had turned into an overcooked solid mass that I had to carefully pry noodles from without splashing myself with the red sauce-I was not very successful and my dress became speckled with red dots. The shrimp were incredibly tiny like you would find in a deli shrimp salad (I've had nicer shrimp for Chinese take-out). Both the mussels and the shrimp were overcooked and dry. To top it all of the dish was incredibly spicy. I do love heat, but I wasn't expecting it here. Beads of sweat began forming on my forehead and the previously angelic sun now seemed to beat down upon me mocking me for thinking everything was off to a good start. I couldn't eat the dish and was glad I had filled up on the cheese and chorizo. C.
My husband had better luck with the Pan seared Diver Scallops. Aside from a slightly burnt parmesan tuile, everything was nicely done here. The scallops were seared nicely, perfectly cooked and sweet. The wild mushroom risotto with peas was creamy and rich. I have always been a sucker for the explosion of peas in your mouth in a perfectly rich, slightly al dente, and creamy risotto. My only citicism would be that it had a touch too much parmesan in the risotto. The dish was beautiful. At least he had an edible dish that didn't attack him when he tried to eat it. B. We ordered two cappuccinos and a selection of gelatos to finish the meal. Sugar cubes made from raw sugar were presented with the cappuccino's which I thought was really cute. The cappuccino itself was not the best, the foam lacked the indulgent thick and creamy texture that I love. As the server brought the gelatos, he quickly turned and left without telling us the flavors, and then seemed to disappear so we were on our own to discover them for ourselves.
The meal had a nice beginning, the atmosphere was pleasant and quiet when we arrived (but much more lively and crowded by the time we left). But after the pasta of the day, I was turned off and disappointed. My husband's meal was better, but for around $25 an entree, I expect all the kinks to be worked out. Especially at a place with this much interest. I can see the appeal of the open windows, the BYO atmosphere, sidewalk dining, and lively scene, but I think people get too caught up in this alone. If the food doesn't leave me anxious to go back again and again, then I think the restaurant has missed the mark. In my opinion, a little fine tuning is needed here.
Overall: B-
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