We went for dinner on pre-New Year's Eve. I ordered a bottle of 2020 Fattoria dei Barbi, Rosso di Montalcino DOCG for us. The sangiovese was medium-bodied and tart. It paired well with our appetizers.
My favorite was the Crispy Fried Artichokes with Bagna Cauda, lemon oil, espelette pepper, and sea salt. They were meaty yet light and I loved the bright lemon sauce.
We also shared the Wood Grilled Octopus with local heirloom cherry tomato, ‘Nduja oil, tomato caponata, pickled Fresno chili. The octopus was tender and the tomatoes added some acid.
For my main course, I ate the 'Faller’ Wheat Squid Ink Chitarra studded with cockles, Maryland crab, shrimp, and sea urchin butter in a Sungold tomato sauce topped with pangrattato. This dish was so lovely and decadent! I loved the uni butter and the sungold tomatoes were sweet, which balanced with all the seafood.
Keith ordered the Charcoal Grilled Tuscan Style Veal Chop. It was served with charred rapini and marsala jus. Also, on the side was a little bowl of cannellini bean ragu with veal sausage. While the meat was cooked to the perfect temperature, it was brined and costed in seasoning that was extra salty. He really liked the humble bean ragu.
Overall, we had a nice meal out to close out 2022. We were too stuffed for dessert, but eyed a few stunners on the menu. We would return again for another upscale Italian meal.
Total Rating: 4.05
Food: 4, Price: 4, Service: 4, Ambience: 4, Accessibility: 5
