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Teatro Review

Last Friday night, finally approaching recovery from being sick, my appetite came back with a vengeance. So it was good timing that Maeve, Sky, and I had made plans to go out to dinner. After what seemed like 400 emails of back and forth, trying to figure out where to go, we finally settled on Teatro. Somehow I always forget about this place, even thought it’s by the Mistral group, i.e. from the same amazing people who brought me food-heaven i.e. Sorellina.

We got a reservation quite easily for a Friday night, but when we walked in it was definitely crowded. The scene was perfect for a girls’ night out: the space chic, the atmosphere buzzy. Loud conversations bounced off the vaulted ceiling. It seemed like everyone was out celebrating something or other. Maybe just the end of a long and brutal week.We decided to take advantage of their extensive small plates selection, and just split a lot of dishes. We started with eggplant caponata with parmesan toasts ($4). While this was probably the least exciting sounding dish, I think in retrospect it was my favorite. Tart, complex, yet refreshing, it lit up my taste buds without being heavy or overwhelming. The parmesan toasts were crunchy and the perfect complement to the soft, chewy eggplant.

We also ordered the lemon parmesan arancini ($6) – four perfectly-cooked rice balls with a highly-satisfying crunch upon biting into them. Definitely heavy on the lemon flavor, but I love anything citrus-y, so I enjoyed them.Next up we went for the lamb “osso bucco” with polenta and a red wine reduction (around $9 I think...). This was savory and very comforting. It was like a mini-entrĂ©e, and I can’t really imagine ordering this as an appetizer before a substantial meal. But on its own, it was Top Chef-style—one or two bites of strong, intense flavors.We also went for the arugula salad with lemon, olive oil, and parmesan ($14). What a great palate cleanser for all these different tastes we were having, or a perfect beginning to a large meal. The bitter greens were peppery and light, scented in a lovely lemon flavor.
Finally, our waitress recommended the meatballs in marsala and sage ($7.50). While the meatballs themselves weren’t my all-time favorite, I loved the sauce they came in! I couldn’t help but sop it up with the delicious, salted pieces of bread they brought over. It’s the Italian in me.Overrall, I LOVED my experience at Teatro. Great environment, super-central location, delicious food, and the best part? For a glass of wine and all this food, PLUS tip, I ended up paying around $26. What a bargain!

While I now lovingly call Teatro “Sorellina Light”, this restaurant definitely stands on its own.

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2 comments:

julia said...

I went here a few weeks ago! Such a good deal- they have half plates here too which is awesome if you want to save some $$. 2 cocktails and a half portion of pasta- $28.

Anonymous said...

Went here last night with three others. Had reservations and was 15 mins. late (got lost) but was sat immediately. Half portions were the best! They were not small as we were expecting, but filling without being stuffed.The food was delicious. The waitstaff was friendly, informative and very curteous. Only problem we had was one of our party was handicapped and was unable to use the restrooms which were downstairs. But I would recommend Teatro's to all.