Sorellina | Back Bay Boston, MA

TARTARE
Lightly smoked salmon, crème fraiche, crostini

BURRATA
soft curd mozzarella, blood orange marmellata, La Quercia prosciutto, grissini
this was delish

GARGANELLI
combed penne, lamb Bolognese, minted Shy Brothers’s Farm cloumage
the lamb was pretty gamey and the flavor lacked depth.

RIBEYE
whipped potatoes, verdure, truffled vin cotto

CREMA
white chocolate ginger bavarian, rhubarb prosecco compote, cinnamon toast tuile

LIMONE
Lemon curd, ricotta mousse, fresh berries

although nothing was mind blowing, food was pretty well executed. i really liked the ambience and the decor. sorellina is one of the nicest restaurants in boston. the service was very good. great for a date. i would return for the whole experience.

Sorellina
Category: Italian
1 Huntington Ave
(between Blagden St & Dartmouth St)
Boston, MA 02116
Neighborhood: Back Bay
(617) 412-4600

http://www.sorellinaboston.com/

Vinny’s Ristorante @ Somerville, MA Boston

went to vinny’s ristorante for din din a few months ago. very packed, but we didnt wait for too long for a table.

wine was decent

no fancy bread but at least its warm!

calamari salad
Calamari rings, tentacles, carrots, celery, white olive oil and lemon over
huge portion! very tasty!

lobster fra diavolo with homemade fusilli
Split lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, celery and onions in a spicy
this was awesome. huge portion again. the sauce was very tasty. had this burned/charcoal taste that i really like. i cant describe it, it’s not burned, but jus this taste. anyways, def get it with homemade pastas that they have! their non-homemade pastas didnt look as good.

i enjoyed my din din at this unpretentious small italian joint. the portions were too big so we couldnt try more dishes. i cant wait to come back and try more! very good value and food was very tasty!

Vinny’s Ristorante
Category: Italian
76 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02145
(617) 628-1921

http://www.vinnysatnight.com

Giulia @ Porter Square Cambridge, MA

giulia is one of the newly opened restaurants ive been wanting to check out. it opened in december. michael pagliarini is the chef/owner of giulia who previously served as a chef at via matta. giulia features in house made pasta dishes and a chef’s table serving tasting menus.

last night, we went to giulia for din din. giulia is pretty popular; we only got a 9pm reservation even we made a reservation 4 days in advance. service at giulia was super friendly, professional, and accommodating. our reservation was for 4 ppl initially, but my friend brought an extra friend so they had change to a bigger table. they placed us at chef’s table right away.

wine was ok.

Pappardelle With Wild Boar- black trumpet, juniper and aged parmigiano
i liked it a lot, very flavorful without being salty. pasta is al dente.

Lobster Agnolotti- umbrian truffles, chives and lobster brodetto
really delicious. well executed.

i really enjoyed my dinner at giulia. not only the food was delicious, the service was extremely pleasant. im not all about the food cuz i def cant put up with any terrible services. dining is about the overall experience, great service def is a plus and it’s what keeps ppl (me) coming back. i cant wait to be back to check out their tasting menu!

Category: Italian
1682 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02138
Neighborhood: Porter Square
(617) 441-2800

Rialto @ Harvard Square Boston, MA

went to rialto for din din. my friend was running late so i grabbed a drink at the bar.

got a glass of riesling. very average.

dirty utensils. really? my appetite was already ruined.

chilled TOMATO SOUP… roasted garlic – this was weird. more like salsa than soup. i ate it like a dipping sauce with my bread.

TEAMED MUSSELS… angel hair pasta, spicy slow roasted tomatoes, aioli
shouldve listened to anthony bourdain this time. sandy and very NOT fresh mussels. wtf really? im kinda upset at this point.
dirty utensils + not fresh food = my 2 biggest pet peeves! i dun even care if food tastes bad as long as its fresh.
it is jus NOT acceptable when the food is not fresh. way to go rialto!

CATALAN SEAFOOD STEW… shrimp, mussels, clams, lobster, Romesco, chick peas, nuts
WRONG choice again. NOT FRESH!

BBQ PORK TENDERLOIN… polenta, grapes, spinach, maple syrup
this was the only somewhat enjoyable dish of the night. pork was very tender. enjoyed the flavor as well.

CHOCOLATE CRÈME BRULEE… chocolate dipped graham cookie and marshmallow
very burned. dislike

rialto failed miserably. dirty utensils, not fresh bad tasting food, burned desserts, extremely slow service. can it be any worse? this was a terrible dinner. will NOT return ever again.

Category: Italian
1 Bennett St
Cambridge, MA 02138
Neighborhood: Harvard Square
(617) 661-5050

http://www.rialto-restaurant.com

Bistro 5 @ Boston West Medford, MA

i went to Bistro 5 a while back. casual and relaxing ambience. seating was kinda cramped. very slow service. food was somewhat disappointing.

peartini- yum.

tuna-

for entrees we had:
Barn Raised Veal Chop Milanese Pistachio-Panko Bread Crumbs, Sage-Garlic, Mashed Potatoes, Porcini Demi and Zucchini
the veal very bland, but somewhat tender.

Rabbit “Filet Mignon” Pearl Onions, Farro, VT Bacon, Robiola and Baby Kale

desserts:
Flourless Chocolate Cake- Chocolate Mousse, Candied Orange amd Caramel Ginger Ice Cream
i liked it, but it’s a lil bit too sweet.

this place gets 3/5 bunny belly.

Bistro 5
Categories: Italian, Modern European
5 Playstead Rd
West Medford, MA 02155
(781) 395-7464

http://www.bistro5.com

Pomodoro @ North End Boston, MA

went to pomodoro with my friend last night. i had high expectations of this place not only because its high ratings but also they have my fave pasta dish fra diavolo. i think this place is impossible for walk-ins. i tried couple times before but the wait was incredible long. i called in and made a reservation this time. ->(617) 367-4348

very cramped and uncomfortable seating. our table wasnt even stable.

wine list is lame. i wanted a glass of sparkling but they were out of it.

fresh olive oil and warm bread.

mussels- average.

pomodoro’s antipasto – not bad. i did like the red peppers stuffed with tuna.

i was already full by the time i had my seafood fra diavolo. the sauce was good. generous amount of seafood. BUT the pasta itself sucked! super soggy. i hate soggy pastas. big disappointment.

zuppa di pesce – seafood stew. this was good. flavor wasn’t too strong. not super heavy.

they do not have a dessert menu, but they do have complimentary tiramisu. not the best but i wont complain. nice ending to the meal.

pomodoro is the better than a lot of restaurants in the north end, but def not on top of my list. i think i would come again and try other non pasta dishes. price is reasonable, service is friendly.

this place gets 3.5/5 bunny belly

Category: Italian
319 Hanover St
(between Bennet St & Fleet St)
Boston, MA 02113
Neighborhood: North End
(617) 367-4348

Coppa @ South End Boston, MA

i was browsing online then i found out the coppa’s owner and chef is Ken Oringer, same owner and chef with one of my fave restaurants Toro. instead of spanish tapas, they serve italian tapas. that jus sounded heavenly to me. we had to immediately make a trip there to test it out.

when we got there, the wait was an hour and half. we were ready to give up, but we saw they were setting up outdoor seatings. there was no wait for outdoor seats. we immediately sat outside without waiting for an hour and half. score!!!

Pig’s Ear / Pig’s ear terrine with yuzu aioli

foie gras- this was one the specials of the night. fave dish of the night. delish

Funghi Marinati / Marinated mushrooms with Eva’s herbs $5 – this was ok, mushroom tasted like canned mushrooms.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara / House made pasta with smoked pancetta, sea urchin and farm egg – 1st time had uni in my pasta. yumm

the other special of the night, bone marrow. toro‘s version’s way better.

Pepe Bianco/ White clam pizza with bacon and baby leeks – very flavorful but overly salty

Panino di Riccio di Mare / Sea urchin and salami panino with mustard seeds – again, toro’s wayyyyyy better!!

although it was a good meal in general, toro is a lot of better than this place. coppa and toro have pretty much the same concept. i will stick with toro and i dont think i will return to coppa.

this place gets 4/5 bunny belly.

253 Shawmut Ave
(between Bradford St & Briggs Pl)
Boston, MA 02118
Neighborhood: South End
(617) 391-0902

http://www.coppaboston.com/

Taranta Cucina Meridionale @ North End Boston, MA

my friend stella took me to taranta for din din tonight in the north end. it’s like most of other restaurants in the north end: small, cozy, relaxed. the noise level is perfect; great for conversations. service is friendly and not rushed.

taranta is a peruvian/southern italian restaurant. i would highly recommend this place if you like really bold flavors and savory food. most of their dishes i found pretty salty, i still liked them because they were so flavorful.

their appetizers on the menu look amazing. so awesome that we order three of them.
started off with a bottle of sparklings.

CAUSA DE CANGREJO
Fresh Crab Meat, yelow Peruvian potatoes, avocado, botija olives and Aji Amarillo aioli
crab meat, potatoes, and avocado are three of my fave food !!! how can you go wrong this combo

GAMBERETTI AGLIOLIO CON BROCOLI RABE
Garlic and oil shrimps over a crostone and broccoli raab
i love everything thats soaked/dipped in soups. it was super salty but very savory. i enjoyed it a lot and i dipped my own bread into the soup jejejeje.

PAN ROASTED MUSSELS
Pan roasted fresh cultivated P.E.I. mussels with Sicilian Marsala and tossed with Pancetta Abruzzese and Balsamic roasted shallots
mussels were very flavorful with a hint of sweetness.

i had a hard time deciding on my entree. i saw the lady next to us ordered this dish and it looked pretty good. i couldnt find it on the menu so i asked the waiter. he told me it is custom made.

pappardelle pasta with shrimps in this awesome tomato sauce. again, awesome flavors. the pasta was al dente. just how i like it!

PAPPARDELLE CON FUNGHI PORCINI
Free form cut pappardelle pasta with wild mushrooms, porcini and white truffle oil
the mushrooms tasted fantastic, but overly salty.

none of us finished our entrees either because we were too full from the appetizers due to their generous portions or the saltiness of the food. i cant say enough how fantastic the flavors were, but i do wish they were a lil bit less salty.

we skipped desserts because the dessert menu didnt look too special and i already had my mind on the dipped strawberries from mike’s pastry.

thanks Stella for an awesome din din and a great night <3

this place gets 4/5 bunny belly

210 Hanover St
(between Cross St & Mechanic St)
Boston, MA 02113

(617) 720-0052

http://www.tarantarist.com

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Tag Archives: italian