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Restaurant porn: Sotto Sopra
Aug. 4th, 2004 07:52 amMost of Baltimore's Italian restaurants are homey, traditional, and clustered together in Little Italy. Our neighborhood has a much more chic and trendy Italian place, Sotto Sopra, which we had never tried before last night. But our gym had a stack of discount cards for the month of August: 30% off your entire check, if you came on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday night. We were sold.
The restaurant is gorgeous: high ceilings, enormous gilt-framed mirrors, bright murals, theatrical draperies. Last night, it was also empty. At 7:30, we were one of four occupied tables. I think they do a lot of pre- and post-arts events, given that they're only a few blocks from the Peabody Conservatory, the Lyric Opera, the Symphony, and Center Stage theater, so weeknights in August really must be slow enough to justify a 30% discount. Needless to say, the service was quick and attentive.
We decided to share an appetizer, but then our waitress announced the specials and I was lost. Cream of asparagus soup is one of my favorites, and their version didn't disappoint: delicately flavorful, with a light touch on the cream so that the velvety texture and slight bitterness of the asparagus shone through.
Michael went ahead with the appetizer we'd originally planned to order: prosciutto and cheese. A thin "basket" made entirely out of parmesan cheese was generously draped with paper-thin slices of prosciutto and then filled with arugula. Around the edge of the plate were Roma tomato slices topped with olive oil, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese. I was disappointed by the mild flavor of the parmesan, but every other element on the plate was fabulous.
My entree was a broiled filet of sea bass, accompanied by mussels, tiny octopus, tomatoes, and green and kalamata olives, all in a thin tasty seafood-tomato broth. The seafood was spectacular - the sea bass melted in my mouth - but the broth was just a touch salty. (Probably the fault of the olives.) I was in a salty mood, so it didn't bother me, but objectively I think it probably detracted from the dish.
Michael had tuna crusted with poppy and sesame seeds, barely seared around the edges and sliced into rich, deep-red medallions. On the side was a nice little architectural tower: a bottom round of sauteed mushrooms and spinach, topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes, topped with some wasabi and pickled ginger. I don't eat tuna, but I gazed at it longingly. Michael said it was excellent. I did eat his spinach, which was a nice simple end to an elaborate meal.
The only thing that marred the evening was the bar, which was about fifteen feet away from us and was obviously a gathering spot for regulars. They were really loud and boisterous, which detracted from the intimate-romantic evening we were trying to have. On the other hand, one of them was an opera singer who briefly broke out in song, which was nice. Sotto Sopra has monthly opera dinners, with a six-course prix-fixe menu and live performances by opera singers for $55. We'll have to try that sometime.
Alt.polycon 12 attendees will want to know that Sotto Sopra is about 3 blocks from the con hotel. Pastas are $16-20, entrees $18-25.
The restaurant is gorgeous: high ceilings, enormous gilt-framed mirrors, bright murals, theatrical draperies. Last night, it was also empty. At 7:30, we were one of four occupied tables. I think they do a lot of pre- and post-arts events, given that they're only a few blocks from the Peabody Conservatory, the Lyric Opera, the Symphony, and Center Stage theater, so weeknights in August really must be slow enough to justify a 30% discount. Needless to say, the service was quick and attentive.
We decided to share an appetizer, but then our waitress announced the specials and I was lost. Cream of asparagus soup is one of my favorites, and their version didn't disappoint: delicately flavorful, with a light touch on the cream so that the velvety texture and slight bitterness of the asparagus shone through.
Michael went ahead with the appetizer we'd originally planned to order: prosciutto and cheese. A thin "basket" made entirely out of parmesan cheese was generously draped with paper-thin slices of prosciutto and then filled with arugula. Around the edge of the plate were Roma tomato slices topped with olive oil, fresh basil, and fresh mozzarella cheese. I was disappointed by the mild flavor of the parmesan, but every other element on the plate was fabulous.
My entree was a broiled filet of sea bass, accompanied by mussels, tiny octopus, tomatoes, and green and kalamata olives, all in a thin tasty seafood-tomato broth. The seafood was spectacular - the sea bass melted in my mouth - but the broth was just a touch salty. (Probably the fault of the olives.) I was in a salty mood, so it didn't bother me, but objectively I think it probably detracted from the dish.
Michael had tuna crusted with poppy and sesame seeds, barely seared around the edges and sliced into rich, deep-red medallions. On the side was a nice little architectural tower: a bottom round of sauteed mushrooms and spinach, topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes, topped with some wasabi and pickled ginger. I don't eat tuna, but I gazed at it longingly. Michael said it was excellent. I did eat his spinach, which was a nice simple end to an elaborate meal.
The only thing that marred the evening was the bar, which was about fifteen feet away from us and was obviously a gathering spot for regulars. They were really loud and boisterous, which detracted from the intimate-romantic evening we were trying to have. On the other hand, one of them was an opera singer who briefly broke out in song, which was nice. Sotto Sopra has monthly opera dinners, with a six-course prix-fixe menu and live performances by opera singers for $55. We'll have to try that sometime.
Alt.polycon 12 attendees will want to know that Sotto Sopra is about 3 blocks from the con hotel. Pastas are $16-20, entrees $18-25.
