I decided to skip the dinner crowds and try lunch at 'Ino. A wise move - we didn't wait for a minute. The menu reads very grazer-esque: with sixteen different bruschetta options, a few salads and a long list of tramezzini and panini. Unfortunately, it's also a bit arcane; my friend, for whom English is a second language, needed me to "translate" the menu.
We both chose the special salad: arugula, shaved jerusalem artichoke, pine nuts and parmesan vinaigrette and we ordered a plate of four bruschetta to share (butternut squash and walnuts, spaghetti squash and pine nuts, asparagus and parmesan, and white bean).
I liked the salad a lot. Light, fresh, and very green. The dressing was really tasty and obviously homemade. But I was disappointed in the bruschetta - for which I thought 'Ino was known. All four of them were too dry; just a splash of olive oil would have done the trick.
The waitress recommended the spaghetti squash and it was my least favorite because it had the least flavor.
I didn't like the white bean bruschetta either because it had lots of hard-boiled egg! The menu didn't say anything about egg and it made for a bizarre flavor combination. The butternut squash was probably the best because it was complemented with a sharp asiago cheese. The asparagus was also okay, a very rustic flavor but definitely too dry. The fact that 'Ino is one of the original rustic Italian small plates cafes earns it points. The space is very pretty and the long wine list seems good. I'd say stop in for a glass of wine but don't expect too much from the kitchen. And don't ask the waiters for an opinion.
- The Grazer
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