DISHING
Here’s where to warm up the Italian way
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
As the weather cools, I get a hankering for the kind of food that fills and fulfills — dishes of pasta and cheesy sauce take the chill out of the air and my dwindling pocketbook. If you’re looking for some comfortable Italian, these spots offer plates of pure gratification. My only regret is that pajamas and woolly footies are not part of their dress codes.
Becky Stein/AJC secial
The Italian cheese Burrata is just one of the treats on the menu at Valenza, which specializes in the cuisine of northern Italy. You can fill up with plenty of nurturing pasta, too.
1441 Dresden Drive, Suite 100, Atlanta. 404-969-3233, www.valenzarestaurant.com.
Molto bene: This restaurant, once the clubby M!x, offers a bit of the northern regions of Italy, particularly Piemonte in the northwest, where white truffles and risotto reign. Plus, there are many nurturing pastas on the menu — with the homey, precisely seasoned goodness of cheese-and-sauce dishes that string from fork to mouth. Agnolotti, risotto, fish and game dishes make for a filling evening in a comforting atmosphere of wood and candlelight.
560 Dutch Valley Road N.E. (inside Belvedere condominium complex), Atlanta. 404-888-1890, www.allegroatlanta.com
Arlecchino is the comic harlequin of the commedia dell’arte who, while lustful and funny, was always hungry. A tiled version of this Italian prankster graces the dining room wall of Allegro and seems to be whispering a colorful, diamond-checked benediction. Almost anything this kitchen braises or procures from the sea is sinfully enjoyable — gamberoni (jumbo shrimp) served with tomatoes and herbs with hints of olive oil; tiny pillows of raviolini filled with a super succulent braised beef rife with wine and a trace of truffle oil, then shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano.
NINO’S CUCINA ITALIANA (not rated)
1931 Cheshire Bridge Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-874-6505, www.ninosatlanta.com.
Owner Antonio Noviello is from the Amalfi Coast, but the menu at Nino’s is more “Sopranos” than Sicilia. It’s the kind of Italian Americans used to identify with most: a little clams oreganato, a little vitello parmigiana, a little fried mozzarella. If Tony has a cousin in town, she might make an apple-and-custard tart for dessert. Serving since 1968, the itty-bitty makeshift bar is one of the best spots in town to have a girl-to-girl chat because no one will bother you. The dining room walls are adorned with schmaltzy art prints of the Mona Lisa and maps of Italy while lined with red vinyl booths. What’s not to like?
992 Virginia Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-873-5430, www.fifthgroup.com.
An evening at La Tavola Trattoria is the perfect combination of all that’s good about Italian cooking, American-style. The deep wine list will have you sipping Sartori Amarone Valpolicella; the candid cooking denotes the kind of culinary honesty for which Italy is most known — but you’ll just feel the comfort of the rumbling voice of Nat King Cole and the satisfaction of an evening of romance, reminiscing or a sentimentally sexy combination of the two.
313 N. Highland Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-523-6678. www.sottosottorestaurant.com.
No Italian roundup in this city could be complete without a mention of Sotto Sotto. Argue if you will about all the others, but this bambino is a gem. Owner Riccardo Ullio opened this flavor haven in 1999, and it was an almost instant success. Atlanta had never really tasted Italian like this: simple, deconstructed presentation and an absolute adherence to fresh, well-sourced ingredients. This is the kind of Italian food found in Italy, and though there’s no one region represented on the precise menu, the sense here is that Ullio, who is from Milan, did his homework. While the restaurant’s reputation immediately created a see-and-be-seen attitude in the dining room, it’s the kitchen’s magical way with risotto — whether with musky mushrooms and shards of parmigiana or the signature mantecato with its elixir-like syrup of aged balsamic vinegar and sweet, rustic caramelized onions — that has made this place a destination.
