Monday evening. Atlantic station. I’m meeting my friend Cheryl for 50% off Mondays at Dolce Enoteca e Ristorante. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this outing since last week when a co-worker hipped me to the Monday-night deal the restaurant offers. What better excuse to go and indulge in some fine feasting on the day everybody loves to hate? I step into the place and instantly… I am 10 degrees sexier than I was outside.

Hey, it’s not like I had anything to do with it. The interior of dolce is so subtly swanky-sophisticated, it has more than enough to share with each patron that enters. Caramel-tinted sheers descend from the dramatically high ceilings, providing an intimate backdrop for the ivory banquettes curved around leather, croc-textured dining tables. Each table is lit by a smoky, blown-glass pendant lamp that looks like an inverted calla lily. A faux-fire flickers at the far side of the room and the cool-downtempo sounds of Blue Six waft from overhead. I mentally kick myself for not having put on my lip gloss…ah well, no matter. The hostess interrupts my personal boom-chicka-wow-wow moment to ask me if I’d like a table. I tell her I’m meeting a friend and saunter over to the bar where I see Cheryl’s waiting. A nice piece of eye candy for all types of sweet tooths attends to us for a little while before the hostess comes over and whisks us away to the dining room.

Moments later we’re seated at our table and our server, Brian greets us. He takes a minute to inform us that Dolce’s sister restaurant Geisha House is just across the street, and what (I presume) is the ‘rowdy’ little brother, Ten Pin Alley – a combination martini lounge and bowling alley – is just upstairs.
Before we order, Cheryl asks him to recommend his favorites. Brian impresses us with his knowledge of the menu –regaling us for almost 5 minutes with his personal faves from each of the menu’s sections: starters, pasta, gnocchi, risotti, the salmon of the day…. By the time he’s done they’re damned near my favorites too and I haven’t even tasted them!

After a few indecisive moments, Cheryl and I settle on drinks and starters.Our selections arrive swiftly. The aptly named Fresh and Crispy – a trio of fried calamari, shrimp, and zucchini comes served alongside a yin-yang display of two sauces: tomato basil and roasted yellow pepper fennel. Though I’m a bit dismayed that the entire dish has been drizzled with some kind of mayo (which I hate), the dish is a success. the seafood is perfectly cooked – not the rubbery stuff you find some places – and enveloped in a crispy, super-light tempura style batter. Each of the accompanying sauces enhances the dish without overpowering the delicate flavors of the seafood. Our second starter is the roasted portabella mushroom with grilled endive, sunchokes and warm pancetta dressing. Pure heaven this one. Each element is presented separately on the plate, allowing you to appreciate the varying tastes and textures on their own or together. The veggies have a nice char to them but are still crisp-tender, and the light drizzle of pancetta dressing is an equal blend of tangy, salty-smoky, and sweet. It definitely holds its own. In between bites and praises of the appetizers we enjoy our drinks – Cheryl settled on a Chardonnay, while I went for the Dolce Pera – a blend of Grey goose la Poire, pear nectar, and triple sec. I expected a more pronounced pear taste, and I wasn’t impressed with the $12 price tag, but as martinis go it wasn’t bad.

For the main course, we decided to sample two items from opposite sides of the spectrum, a seafood and a meat dish. For the meat, we selected Lambs in a Blanket – a cut of lamb wrapped in puff pastry with pesto sauce and a fig reduction. Honestly, I’m not a big fan of lamb – tastes kind a like sweaty armpits to me, but i guess the culinary-apropos word for it is gamey. I’ve had it once before and loved it, which prompts me to try it again every once in a while, but I’ve never been able to duplicate the experience. Tonight was no different. We ordered the lamb med-well, but I’d suggest no more than medium – the meat teetered on the edge of dryness. The marriage of puff pastry, heavy-tasting lamb and woodsy pesto was a noble idea, but came off less than elegant. Not to mention that the fig reduction was all but lost on my palate. The Lobster Pappardelle was another story altogether, and kicked the sexy quotient back up a notch. The pasta was perfectly al dente – its texture an excellent complement to the decadent saffron champagne cream sauce and the mouth-watering sweetness of the lobster meat. And might I add, there was no skimping on the lobster. The large chunks included whole portions of claw that became even tastier when I reminded myself that I was only paying a pittance for the dish. Sweet.

We finish our meals and Brian leaves us with the check, but not before saying with an impishly knowing look, “See you next week”. Damned straight you will. And next time, I’ll be wearing my lip gloss. cheers!

k

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On a second Monday-evening visit to Dolce, I experienced: a much larger crowd (the cat’s outta the bag) and a server who seemed too cute to really be bothered with (gasp!) waiting on people. The food was solid, but a bit less than remarkable. I guess what they say is true: It’s never as good as the first time. But for the Monday-night value, I’d definitely recommend.