RECAP: Sopranos Italian Kitchen Opening Party

Last night we had the considerable pleasure of attending the opening party for Sopranos Italian Kitchen.  We had already been there earlier in the week for their mock opening, but this was an all-out extravaganza to show off their great food and swanky atmosphere.  We got to try a bunch of new dishes and appetizers, as well as desserts that will be featured in the restaurant’s upscale Italian bistro menu.

The first thing we tried was a veal chop with a dollop of yukon gold mashed potatoes.  The veal was a tad dry, but one thing is evident: this restaurant has perfected their mashed potatoes recipe.  They are INCREDIBLE.  We positioned ourselves near the kitchen, between the lemonade cooler and the open flame chicken and duck rotisserie, so as to have ready access to the delicious morsels that were available.  Skewers of succulently grilled ribeye and veal, as well as the rotisserie chicken, came with more mashed potatoes and I would have licked the plates if we weren’t in such fancy company.  Also making the rounds was homemade mac and cheese with shaved truffle, mussel and marinara shots, beef cheek ravioli and lobster gnocchi.  I could go on and on about each one of these, but just try them for yourself, you won’t regret it.  If you got hungry in between those samples, a buffet table lined with antipasti.  My husband wowed the waiter in charge of the table by being able to guess all of the cheeses on the cheese board (parmigiano reggiano, pecorino romano, fontina, and gorgonzola) with pepperoncinis, olives, grapes, salami, mortadella, prosciutto and capicola with crusty olive focaccia.

We washed all that down with the free-flowing beer and wines that they have on tap.  You read that right; the huge barrels of wine along the wall aren’t just for show, they actually have their house red and white wines from Coppola Winery on tap!  At around 8:00, the kitchen started sending out some of their signature desserts.  We snagged plates of tiramisu, lavender panna cotta, and limoncello mini cakes.  The limoncello cakes are awesome.  Not too sweet or tart and came with a delightful custard that is sure to please any lemon dessert lover.

After we had our fill of food and drink, it was time to retire to the event room, which can be closed off with enormous black velvet curtains, and watch people dance while we lounged at a table near the warm gas fireplace that lined the far wall.  As the clock ticked past midnight, we started preparing ourselves to leave.  It was certainly a fantastic evening.

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