Dinner at Sorellina

OK, so this post will show how much of a back log I have been working through - there are worse things for a blogger, I guess!  This post is actually about my trip to Sorellina during Restaurant Week - yes I know Restaurant Week was in August, but these pictures got a bit lost on my camera.  I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Restaurant Week.  Some places seem to be just "over it" and it comes across in the service and the food, so I am skeptical when making reservations during this time.  But it always seems like such a good deal that I have to try at least one place.  This time around our plan was to make a reservation at one of the higher-end places on our ever expanding restaurant list, which brought us to Sorellina.

Nick and I were a bit early for our reservation and while waiting for our table and Nick's sister, A, we grabbed a seat and a drink at the bar.  Seeing Prosecco by the glass on menu (Fantinel Prosecco Extra Brut, Friuli, Italy NV) I decided to indulge.  When our table was ready we walked over and looked over the menu.

Prosecco

Love the plates!

A ordered a drink that had rave reviews online: the White Pearl, which had pineapple juice, Malibu rum and ginger beer.  This drink did not disappoint and A loved every sip.

White Pearl

After we received our drinks, our server brought over some yummy thick crusty bread that had a soft center to enjoy.

Bread and Butter

When I started to fully take in the menu I was surprised at how inventive and delicious everything sounded, which is evident by our ordering of almost everything!  To begin, A got the chilled melon, Maine crab, avocado, and basil alio.  This really was an interesting flavor combination and the different textures were so surprising together.

Zuppa

I ordered the veal and prosciutto meatballs with soft white polenta and marsala.  I cannot begin to tell you how amazing this appetizer was.  The meatballs were so flavorful and juicy and mixed into the polenta, enriching the flavor.  I wish this dish never ended. 

Polpette

Nick decided to go with the tomato dish, which (if you couldn't figure) had the season's best tomatoes, whipped ricotta, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.  While this was not my dish (due to the tomatoes) Nick really enjoyed it.

Tomatoes

A ordered the pan roasted swordfish, romesco vegetables and toasted almonds.  The swordfish was flavorful and perfectly cooked.

Swordfish

For some reason I decided to have a meat filled night because for my main dish I ordered the grilled sirloin, roasted new potatoes, oyster mushrooms, all served with a bone marrow butter.  The steak was cooked a perfect medium rare, however it was a bit too charred for my liking on the outside.  But the cut of meat was not lacking in any way and the marrow butter just added loads of flavor to each bite.

Sirloin

Nick had the pan roasted Vermont quail with a wild mushroom panzanella, and arugula.  Once again, the flavors of this dish were spot-on and the accompaniments really just helped accent the flavors of the quail.  The mushroom panzanella is something I definitely want to experiment with at home.

Quail

A had also read that the hand cut truffle fries with parmigiana were another must try on the menu so we ordered one for the table to share.  These were super flavorful and cooked really well - that nice deep golden brown that just makes each fry that much more delicious.

French Fries

For dessert, we just went ahead and ordered all three.  The first was a dark chocolate fudge cake, vanilla gelato, and spiced raspberry sciroppo.

Cioccolato

The second was a white chocolate bread pudding, plum compote and vanilla creme.

Prugna

And the third was poached peaches with a vanilla and ginger mascarpone crema.

Pesca

In keeping with the rest of the meal all of the desserts were perfectly cooked and super tasty.  I seriously would order each one again, however, being the chocolate girl that I am - the fudge cake was my favorite.

Overall, Sorellina was fantastic!  Their restaurant week menu really allowed us to get a better feeling for their food.  I definitely plan on heading back and tasting more food off of their regular menu.  Given the flavor combinations and bites they put together for Restaurant Week, I can only imagine how good the real menu is.  Sorellina helped restore a little faith in Restaurant Week again.