Geoff R.
Yelp
Our first visit was last night and the food was very good, the service was excellent, the decor was nice - but we won't be going back. Wait, what? Four stars, everything nice, and not going back? Allow me to explain:
This is a very good restaurant and we would be happy to eat here every week, except for three big things. First, it's loud. Like, deafening on a Friday night. We had to shout to hear each other from 18 inches away, and as the evening progressed it just got louder. Second, it's crowded. Table to our left: 24 inches away. Chair behind me? 12". I leaned back and almost put my head into the young lady's face. A feeling of claustrophobia prevailed over the entire evening. Lastly, Avanti is just a few miles away. While Sorriso is very good except for noise and space, Avanti is just about perfect in every way. Better food, better service, better decor, less noise and more space. For a $200 night of special Italian food, Avanti wins in every category.
Now. Having said all that, we really enjoyed the food. The seafood on my Black Spaghetti was perfectly cooked, and my wife loved her truffled Angliotti. The charcuterie platter was nicely curated and beautifully presented, the best dish of the night. The "profiteroles" we ordered for desert are not profiteroles, they're cream puffs, but still delicious.
On the liquid side, the two mixed drinks we had were both made perfectly, and their wine list recently won a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence for the third straight year. We were very happy to see both Cakebread and Rombauer chardonnay available by the glass.
One odd thing: they offer some of their better wines by the glass, under a separate category called "Coravin 5-oz. Pour". So, the Coravin is a cool device for pouring one glass at a time without having to remove the cork. We use one at home all the time. If you order one of these wines here they come out with a serving table and make a presentation of it, like tableside guacamole, bananas foster, or greek salad (see photo). WAY overdone for a $20 glass of chardonnay.
So...yeah. Very good restaurant. I'd go back and order the very same drinks and dishes, and be very happy - if we went on a Tuesday when it's probably less crowded and more quiet. And if Avanti wasn't just a few miles away.