Bar Stuzzichini was surprisingly good. I read about its opening a long time ago and had wanted to try it. That was until I walked by and decided it looked like a dressed up pizza shop. But on a blisteringly cold and windy day, I found myself across the street and hungry. And so I took a seat at the back bar.
It was an excellent happenstance. The wine list is great – with wines from multiple regions in Italy and many choices by the glass. The waiter knew a great deal about the wines and was specific about flavors. Best, your glass comes with a small carafe of extra wine on the side.
The food was truly delicious. We ordered the crostini tasting plate to start and got to watch as the “chef” behind the bar cut a baguette, then grilled it and finally topped each warm slice with chickpea puree, eggplant, anchovies and ricotta drizzled with honey. I loved the chickpea and the eggplant ones, but my friend was a fan of the ricotta. So, definitely try them all.
Next we shared the chicory salad with anchovy dressing. It was really bitter, but in a really good way (even my friend – a he – was into it), and nicely/lightly dressed. Perfectly simple but still oh so good.
Finally, we shared the veal meatball entree (every once in a while, even I get a hankering for some meat). They were amazing. Three juicy, light-colored meatballs in a bath of white wine and onions. Meatballs and red wine: what a way to warm up from the outside cold. The food overall was far better than I had anticipated. So good I can’t wait to go back. In retrospect, even the décor is growing on me.
- The Grazer
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