Sorriso (Cleveland Park, 12/17/2008) - A Fantastic Restaurant has a Mediocre Night

It seems to all too fitting on a personal level that my first real post have as its subject the first restaurant in the District at which I was honestly able to call myself a regular. If I remember correctly, Sorriso opened somewhere around December, 2003. The day they opened their doors for business, I wandered in to soak up the glow emanating from the wood-fired oven and was immediately a devotee. I want this blog to be about present-day experiences, not a dumping ground for my memories of meals past. But I would be remiss if I did not mention that Sorriso has played host to countless perfect evenings with friends and family over the last five years. For a casual, intimate meal of delicious food prepared without pretense, there is just no competition in the area.

Though we had a wonderful time, last night proved a mediocre night at Sorriso. J and I were there to meet up with my old friend, Tony, and his wife, Jeannette (kitchenette-jeannette.blogspot.com). As happens more often than not, the first person we encountered upon entering was owner/chef, Pietro. Along with his wife, son and various other members of his extended family, Pietro is always there – interacting with the guests, drinking (a lot of) wine and occasionally stepping behind the grill. We have developed a nice rapport over the years, and there have been many nights when he has dropped off a bottle of grappa or lemicello for the table.

But this night was a little bit more low key. We were shown to a table downstairs and, after some initial catching up, focused our attention on the menu. Tony ordered a bottle of the Ajello Nero d’ Avola, which I thought to be a perfect weekday wine. Shunning my usual favorites, I took Tony’s recommendation and ordered the Tagliatelle con Ragu di Cinghiale – wild boar ragu with pasta. At his insistence, I substituted the homemade pappardelle for the tagliatelle, and it was the right move. I’ve had better sauces than the one they served me last night. While I like the idea of eating wild boar, it has never really impressed me flavor-wise. In this case, the meat was minced so fine that the ragu itself felt a little mealy in my mouth, and the flavor was completely dominated by the tomatoes. The pasta, on the other hand, was perfect. Wide, winding layers of pappardelle cooked exactly al dente. They take their pastas very seriously at Sorriso, and it shows. It does not act simply as a medium for the sauce but is full of rich, earthy flavor in and of itself.

J opted for the pasta e fagioli (pasta and white bean soup) and the caprese salad. The soup was deliciously warm and cozy on this most chilly of evenings, but, other than that, I found it fairly forgettable. The star of her meal was decidedly the caprese. Every Italian restaurant has a tomato and mozzarella salad, but few do it as well as Pietro. It is, in the purest sense of the phrase, a “complete” dish. His mozzarella is so creamy one could eat it with a spoon. His tomatoes are crisp and tangy, even this late in the year. He uses bright green olive oil that provides a surprising amount of zest to the dish. And he adds walnuts, kalamata olives and a basil chiffonade which give the crunch, the acid and the freshness necessary to tie the entire plate together. It was beautifully yet simply presented. And I was jealous.

Overall, however, it wasn’t the most amazing of my Sorriso experiences. If this had been my first time going, I don’t know if I would go back. But I’ve sampled almost everything on the menu, and I know that it’s something special. Between the caprese, the crepe lasagna, the osso bucco and, when they have them, the scallops with risotto, Sorriso remains my favorite restaurant in DC.