The glut of Italian restaurants in town just means that we have high expectations whenever we eat at one—you know … starched linen tablecloths and the traditional home‑style cuisine. Along comes Sapore Italiano and throws all that out the door with its larger‑than‑life brand of Italianissimo (think lots of Ferrari red with images of Italian femmes on the walls). Sapore Italiano really has put its hat in the ring, offering delicious Italian fare from different regions in a sleek and very sexy space, serving authentically prepared food with reworked touches and a hint of glamour. In the style of a true Italian caffe‑bar, smokers armed with wine glasses mingled at the entrance of this cozy restaurant while the bar itself was ripe with the heady buzz of Italian chatter and freshly poured Pinot Grigio. We kicked off our alfresco dinner with the polipo ala ligure, a salad which perfectly mixed up fresh leaves, tomatoes and tender pieces of octopus. What was noticeably missing from this dish were the potatoes as stated in the menu but that was all forgotten when the creamy and delish vellutata al funghi (wild mushroom soup) arrived. Pastas here are simply amazing, with the highlight being the perfectly cooked tagliatelle SI, comprising veal, cream sauce, mushrooms and a parmesan cheese wafer. But what made this trip worth it were the desserts. Flipping through the desserts menu was an event itself. It was pure gastro‑porn—mouthwatering and huge images of gelatos and sundaes all airbrushed resulting in a tantalizing CEM (come eat me) look. We settled for the spaghetti—extruded vanilla ice‑cream noodles topped with white chocolate and all the yummy trimming as well as the rum‑infused Baba. Portions are decent and prices rather high, but it’s definitely worth it since Sapore Italiano has proven itself to be the place to experience a little of Italy in the city.
