Determined not to order pizza on this visit, even though it looked terrific coming out of the wood-burning oven directly across from our table, we tried some of everything else.
Our starter was an unusual smoked black cod bread salad. The delicately smoked fish mingling with chunks of bread was suffused with a light lemon dressing and just a modicum of very finely minced red onion, cucumber and parsley. The effect was very pleasant with a subtle smoky undertone.
From the salads, we chose the roasted vegetables with burrata cheese (which is made from mozzarella scraps and cream, dipped in hot whey or brine to develop its unique flavor and then kneaded for texture).
The luxurious creamy cheese was a perfect pairing with the vegetables. Sweet red and yellow bells, and cippollini onions contrasted with the slightly spicy, slightly bitter shishito peppers while zucchini ribbons rounded out the dish.
Tortelli is round, rather than square, ravioli. This house-made pasta is filled with a pear and pecorino cheese mixture. The filling is almost a purée and has a lovely hint of natural fruity sweetness.
The pasta was soft with al dente edges, and as you bit into it the creamy filling oozed into your mouth. Adding another dimension of flavor was the brown butter sauce with a soupçon of sage.
We loved the fact that the pasta was served with little bowls of grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper, so you could finish the dish to your taste.
Nothing is more classically Italian than grilled chicken under a brick.
Flattening the chicken helps it to cook evenly, and in this case, both breast and thigh were perfectly done, moist and juicy with very crispy skin.
