Johanna B.
Yelp
I really wanted to like Sociale. Truly. After all, it seemed to be the IT place throughout the summer with an ambience (indoor and outdoor) that couldn't be beat. My overall rating includes some of the positives I outline in my review but in summary, it was not the experience I was hoping to have.
On a somewhat mild evening and with an outdoor table available, we got the opportunity to try Sociale.
The owner, who was from Bologna and pleasant, showed us to our table; I was excited to experience everything Sociale had to offer.
Service, wine and dessert merits a 5, but everything else was a letdown.
For starters, we shared the Spanish Octopus. For $18, it was one long strip of octopus with pureed cannellini beans and vinegar. Although the flavors were robust and good, the octopus was overcooked. In fact, I couldn't even cut it with the knife.
For main, we both decided to go with the Farfalle di Mare.
This dish was comprised of butterfly shaped pasta, shrimp, mussels, calamari, clams, red mullet roe, breadcrumb. When it arrived, I was searching for the seafood but only found a few pieces that was cut in pieces appropriate for a child of about 5 years old.
There was no sauce and the pasta was rather dry.
Overall, I felt disappointed that these dishes were not the typical Italian dishes I grew up with and am accustomed to.
We ended the meal with a delicious chocolate cake topped with a dollop of ice cream. This was pretty good.
In summary, the service, wine and dessert were winners while the main dishes left a lot to be desired.
My background is Italian and I come from a family of really good cooks (including professionally speaking) which is why I'm picky when dining at Italian restaurants.
Based on my experience at Sociale, I would probably return for brunch but not dinner.