When it comes to finding excellent Italian food in Boston, many are understandably
daunted. Trekking to the North End, paying $20 to park your car in a thimble, and another $100 for a meal in a restaurant as roomy as the inside of a dishwasher, you leave feeling slightly taken advantage of. Sorriso is the answer to your prayers.
Tucked away behind South Station on South Street, the restaurant is owner Ian Just's second culinary venture. His first, Les Zygomates, sits next door, doing for French cuisine what Sorriso does for Italian. Both have a lengthy, renowned wine list (Les Zygomates won the 2003 Boston Magazine award for "Best Wine List"), and are known for providing excellent meals at more reasonable prices. At Sorriso, however, Just has made the cheap(ish) Italian meal an art form.
Like its sister restaurant, Sorriso is meticulously designed; providing the illusion that you're dining in a trattoria in Naples. A sizeable brick oven is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the high-ceilinged dining room, colored various shades of brown. Murals depicting typically Italian scenes cover the walls and exposed wooden beams add to the rustic feel of the restaurant.
The more inspired design touches include wrapping an exposed air vent with shelves and turning it into a wine cabinet, or separating the private dining room with a large curtain. Overall, the area feels cozy and spacious without looking like the Olive Garden.
For drinks, a 2003 Santi Pinot Grigio ($7) served me well. Although far from being a wine aficionado, I could appreciate the smoothness of this wine, and the seven dollar price tag seemed appropriate.
Most inspired of all, however, is the food. My partner and I started with gnocchi with braised oxtail ragu ($9) and the portabella carpaccio with caramelized onions, shaved grana, arugula, and truffle oil ($7). The gnocchi was sublime; just soft enough without being Jell-o. The oxtail ragu was a perfect meat sauce accompaniment, adding meatiness and texture to the pasta. The portabella carpaccio was likewise delicious. The truffle oil added an extra zing to already succulent mushrooms.
Next were the main courses. Despite being impressed by the visible brick oven and having heard through the grape vine that the pizzas here, while a little pricey ($15), are excellent, I decided that other items on the menu were simply too tempting to pass up. My partner got a seared salmon fillet with pancetta ($17). While a tad undercooked, the exterior of the salmon, usually left fairly bare, was coated with tasty spices and browned to perfection. My pan-seared tuna steak with olives, Sardinian couscous and tomato stew ($20) was perhaps the highlight of the meal.
Tuna is a gentle creature; much like venison, you have to attack it gently or watch helplessly as its taste disappears. This one was soft as butter and only slightly warm on the inside, retaining all of its original taste. The olives added a surprisingly enjoyable tang to the seared exterior. In addition, the couscous was a perfect side dish: light without being airy. Also fantastic-looking was the rib eye steak with truffled Brussels sprouts and patate fritte.
Stuffed from the meal, we decided to share a dessert, which unfortunately did not quite live up to the culinary heights of its predecessors. The apple tart with vanilla ice cream ($7) looked and tasted like apple pie that had fallen apart. Although decent, it was definitely a let down.
The bill, fortunately, was not a disaster - coming down to $66. For two people who both had an appetizer and a main course, that's about as good as you get, considering the quality of food in question.
Overall, chef John Paine and owner Ian Just have hit another home run with Sorriso.
Located at 107 South St., Boston, MA. Take the Red Line to South Station. Valet and street parking are available.
