"1"^^ . "Basis for my starred ratings (which skews heavily to the food or drink):\n1 star: Never again.\n2 stars: Poor food, poor experience, extraordinary measures in order for me to come back.\n3 stars: Average, nothing really special, nothing particularly bad.\n4 stars: Very good, would definitely return.\n5 stars: A favorite, one of the best.\n\nLet me start with this - this place is not perfect. It is not other-worldly Italian food. But as a general disciple of the Chef Bianco school of thought, I get what he's trying to accomplish and he does a pretty good job accomplishing it.\n\nCame here with my wife and family the Friday after opening Wednesday. We love the interior. Chef was going for a trattoria vibe, and he pulled it off with personal and country accents. Chef Bianco was there himself that week and we were warmly greeted by him and his staff. He came to check on us again near the end of our meal and ushered us out as we left. One of the classiest chefs I've had the pleasure of meeting.\n\nWe ordered a couple cocktails: the Fort Cobb and the VDK. (All ingredients can be seen on on the menu I posted in the photos.) The Fort Cobb was very citrusy, a great summer drink. It was tasty, though I may not order it again. Too citrusy? A little too sweet? Still trying to pin ti down. The VDK is excellent. Well balanced, light, also perfect for summer. The herbs were noticeable and a necessary counterbalance to the other ingredients.\n\nWe ordered almost everything on the menu. The farinata, made from ground beans, was crispy around the edges and very tasty. Subtle, it was good opener. We also loved the complimentary antipasti that came out before the meal: olives, cherry tomatoes, marinated squash, and salumi (a house cured sausage.) All good, a nice opener. There are also two types of bread in the bread service, the same Italian loaf he serves at his pizzerias, and what appears to be a whole wheat grain loaf. Stick with the Italian loaf to have with the olive oil.\n\nTonnarelli alla Gricia and strozzapretti with a fava bean and cherry tomato ragu. These were our pastas. Let me just say this. Chef Bianco has a set of balls on him. He's serves a very firm al dente pasta. Like, Mario Batali al dente. Al dente to the point where the center of the pasta is just barely cooked. This is a delicious al dente, but not an al dente for everyone. What you will get is an amazing chew on your pasta. It's that chew that adds the textural difference to the dish since the rest is basically just sauce and cheese. One might complain about the pasta, particularly the alla Gricia, being over-seasoned. That, too, is a matter open to debate and taste. We've been to Rome and the alla Gricia, in all its guanciale and slices of cheesy goodness, compared well to some of the salty goodness of the cacio e pepe we had there. The Tonnarelli all Gricia was a fine pasta dish, the strozzapretti with ragu - this dish was a revelation. This is the dish with the chew - that aggressive al dente. The ragu - phenomenal. This was the single best dish of the night.\n\nMany braised pork shanks before, first one served alla Milanese for me. The meat was fall-off-the-bone tender, with the Milanese crust adding some necessary texture. Only small complaint, could have used a little more liquid in the dish.\n\nContorni was wood roasted eggplant. Second-favorite dish of the night. Perfectly cooked, very-well balanced. Almost meaty-like, with a good dose of cheese and acidity to even it out.\n\nDessert was a simple chocolate gelato. It is made in-house. Its consistency is NOT that of the best gelato I've ever had. Its flavor IS one of the best I've ever had, and I don't like chocolate. Pretend you froze some dark chocolate fudge, emphasis on dark. Now spoon into it. That's what it was like. Dark, deep, and delicious. \n\nThe one major misstep of the night. We didn't finish the pork and asked for it to-go. They never brought it back to us. (Partially our fault too, for not remembering to ask for it before we left.)\n\nI say it again, this is not a perfect Italian restaurant. There are far superior Michelin-starred and non-Michelin starred joints out there. I may not enjoy the next new dish I have there, though I hope to. You may not enjoy the level of seasoning or their version of al dente. But this restaurant has a vision, and it has executed that vision, and on this trip - it was executed very well."^^ . . "2016-05-10T00:00:00"^^ . . "0"^^ . "5"^^ . "5"^^ . .