My second visit in a month. First was solo and one of the most soul-satisfying dinners I’ve had in a while. This second time I hosted a table through Nommery (see Medium post #1), and had the pleasure to eat with folks I’ve dined with numerous times, as well as two newbies.
Once again, Sociale did not disappoint. I called ahead to request a seat on their patio under the heat lamps. We were given a lovely table for six surrounded by trees strung with tiny bee-lights. So romantic. The heat lamps were close enough to the table I started to feel like we’re about to dine in a sauna, but our servers were happy to scoot them back.
Ok, this is the secret I don’t want to get out, because the place might get overrun, but this might be the only restaurant in town that does not play music. It’s quiet. It’s actually quiet. You can talk to each other without yelling. Finally, someone is paying attention. Pushes this little neighborhood gem to the top of my list of favorites. Lovely setting, quiet atmosphere, attentive and friendly services, AND the food is outstanding. Ticks ALL of the boxes.
I ordered the same wine I had the first time because it was so good (I ended up buying four bottles over the next couple of weeks); their 2013 Barberra d’Alba from Renzo Seghesio. This time three of us split a bottle. ’Twas yummy as before.
I had read about one of their more outstanding starters: pork belly with harissa, crispy chick peas, horseradish aioli and cilantro. Two of us ordered it. Tender braised pork belly, a nice bite from the harissa and the horseradish, and a welcome crunch of crispy chickpeas. A delectable start to a warm, personable, fun evening. The pork was from their weekly in-house processing of a whole pig by the chef. So good.
My main was Cianghale Ragu with cavelo nero, pecorino and onion over a unique cut of house-made pasta called maltagliati (malta-liatay). The term maltagliati translates to “poorly cut” referring to oddly shaped scraps from the pasta making process. Better pasta shops in Italy sell maltagliati as a by-product and the incongruous shapes are perfect for picking up sauce, like my savory wild boar.
As I said, in this little jewel of a place, the food is outstanding. The service is excellent. Friendly, attentive and unafraid to tell a bit of story along the way. The company, though, was particularly good this evening. We had lively but warm conversations with folks who knew how to listen well.
The wine was flowing nicely and we laughed — a lot — at some wild personal stories, and some under-the-breath comments that were made around the table about the romantic couple sharing an intimate dinner across the patio from us. He had arrived late and brought her a long-stemmed rose. They sat on the same side of the table. There was much canoodling going on (younger readers will have to look that word up). At one point later in our dinner I started improvising a bit of a racy voiceover, describing the affectionate advances of the gentleman, the lady and then the waiter. Got the table giggling. It was so much fun.
Wonderful meal (thank you, Sociale), wonderful company (thank you, Nommery). What more can you ask.
