Christina M.
Yelp
Corso is a cute gem in Shirlington that was good, but not amazing. We came to Corso for weekend brunch, which is $29 for all you can eat small plates. You can have up to two plates per person on the table at a time, and there's a good mix of classic brunch dishes (like berries, pancakes, and eggs benedict), Italian mains (a few different pastas and meatballs), and side dishes (olives with cheese, carrots with ricotta).
I think it's helpful to be aware that most of the plates are absolutely tiny here. We honestly laughed when we got the pastas, because they were literally on plates the size of teacup saucers- there were not more than two or three mouthfuls on most of the dishes. The same was true with the berry bowl, it was literally two strawberries and four blueberries. It's strange because some of the dishes are a little more full-sized, like the little gem salad, but most of the portions are extremely small. It's nice because you get to try a lot of different things, and I understand that for an AYCE option it typically is not full-sized portions, but it also seems a little silly for something like pasta (pesto spaghetti is not a costly item) to give such a teeny portion. You definitely cannot share most of the plates.
Overall, the food was good but not outstanding. There were a few things we really enjoyed. The Corso honey toast was our favorite- it was focaccia topped with ricotta, honey, and pistachios, super delicious and really unique. We also really enjoyed the pesto spaghetti dish. They also had one of the best espresso martinis I've had- it was a little less traditional because it had Kahlua and Bailey's as well, but it almost tasted like a milkshake, it was so delicious! Some of the other dishes fell flat- the eggs Benedict was just okay, and the meatballs really needed salt. I was a little surprised that with the brunch deal, there was not also an accompanying beverage deal- you had to order each drink separately and they weren't specially priced. I believe mimosas and Bellinis were $9 and the espresso martini was $14.
Our server was excellent and very attentive, but the team was a little all over the place- some of our plates got lost in the mix and had to be re-ordered, and we saw a few of our specific orders get brought to multiple other tables (not ours) and then back to the kitchen. There was one specific runner who seemed really out of it, so I don't know if this was a more universal problem or just an issue with that person.
I think the advantage with a place like Corso is there is something for everyone, and I would absolutely come back for HH or to try one of their other meals- brunch just was not a wow for us. But I'd come back for the espresso martini any day!