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| - Bugigattolo (Boo-gee-GAH-toh-low) means "hole in the wall" in Italian, an apt name for their small, cozy space. They don't have a dinner menu, opting instead for a $45 chef's table, although they have a small menu available for lunch. There's a lovely patio in the back with lights strung up and jazz playing that distracts from the graffitied brick walls of their neighbours.
The meal started with a Caprese salad, featuring cherry tomatoes and a delicious burrata. Other courses included a small prosciutto pizza and ricotta on toasts. There was also a pizza fritta, which was a deep fried ball of dough sliced open and stuffed with cured meat and spicy pickled peppers. The main course was a choice of either penne alla norma (eggplant) or puttanesca. Curiously, the chef's table ended with the pasta and didn't include dessert.
The staff here are friendly and approachable, and the chef often came out to chat with diners and ask about the food. Overall, I appreciated the respect given to the ingredients, allowing them to stand on their own without being laden with unnecessary seasonings. However, I could not help to feel a bit dissatisfied upon leaving. The quantity of food wasn't small, but it certainly was not substantial. While none of the dishes were poor, the meal as a whole was unremarkable. I had high hopes for Bugigattolo, with its charming space, charming staff, and charmingly difficult to pronounce/spell name, but the food fell short of expectations.
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