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No Comments | Posted on February 14, 2012 | Categories: Dating and Romance, Editor's Pick, Entertainment, From the Blog
Courtesy of Sofia's of Little Italy
My boyfriend and I decided we wanted to go somewhere “nice” for our six-month anniversary. “Nice” is a dangerous word; it can mean a lot of things. It’s better than the grime of your local fast food joint, but it’s not the sort of place that’s going to drain your wallet, either. “Nice” falls somewhere between “diner comfort” and “napkin-on-your-lap sophistication.” “Nice” implies a niche. It implies charm and decadence. It implies character.
After perusing the Internet for some ideas, we came across Sofia’s of Little Italy, located at 143 Mulberry St. The pricing is slightly more than what I would usually pay for a meal (e.g., ten bucks at McDonalds) but not totally out of my college-student-cry-poverty range. Reservations weren’t necessary, but we made one anyway. In retrospect, I’m glad we did: the restaurant was nearly empty when we arrived there around nine, but as the evening wore on, it filled up rather fast. The ambiance, therefore, can go from romantic and intimate to raucous and loud pretty quickly. Nonetheless, Sofia’s maintained its cool, mature feel despite the swelling crowd of diners. Sofia’s is definitely more of an evening place. I looked around and noticed that there were no families present; it’s a restaurant for grown-ups, all of whom were smartly dressed in business-casual attire.
Service was excellent. Every once in a while, the manager of the restaurant sauntered by to check on his guests, greeting them warmly and making sure their experience was comfortable and cozy. After sampling some chardonnay off of Sofia’s extensive wine list, we ordered an appetizer for two: Mozzarella en Carozza. In essence, we chowed down on some fancy mozzarella sticks. For dinner I had Chicken Francese – the wine sauce was disappointingly subtle, and the chicken somewhat dry. However, my boyfriend tried the Chicken Carbonara, which was delicious and dressed in a light and balmy cream. Given that the Francese didn’t live up to my palate’s standards, I cannot help but wonder how many other “easy” and traditional dishes will fall short at Sofia’s. Nonetheless, I ate my entire dish and was satisfied enough to order a cappuccino and some dessert. We shared tiramisu, which was fabulous, chocolaty and rich. Sofia’s is the sort of place where one should take advantage of delicious, home-cooked Italian delicacies without counting calories.
All in all, my summation is this: Sofia’s isn’t exactly a hidden gem, but it’s absolutely a suitable go-to place if you’re looking for a conventional New York dining experience in the heart of Little Italy.
From the West Side, take a Brooklyn-bound B or D, which stops at Lafayette. Sofia’s is about three blocks north of the train, situated among a row of Italian eateries on Mulberry St. You can also take any east-side trains to Canal Street.
-Brianna Clark
No Comments | Posted on December 27, 2011 | Categories: Dining, From the Blog, Little Italy
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