Sotto Sopra

Written by Leann Pettit

Sotto Sopra, in downtown Baltimore, had a menu we couldn’t resist, and then couldn’t make a decision on. We made reservations for dinner on a weekend night, and the restaurant was only taking reservations on that Saturday night. They also offer special opera nights throughout the year, which has a special menu.

We ordered the pork osso buco and the Sacchetti di Zucca con Salsiccia, a pumpkin filled pasta. The pasta was plate licking good - sweet and savory with the pumpkin filled pasta and a cream sauce with crumbled sausage. The sauce was so good that I used some of the focaccia bread to soak up the sauce after finishing the dish. The osso buco, made from pork instead of veal, was fall of the bone tender, and, while served with a knife, we never needed it. It had that deep, meaty, savory flavor that a dish like this can only get from long, slow cooking periods. It was a huge portion, perfect for sharing, or for a very hungry diner. The osso buco is served with mushroom risotto, however, we asked for a different risotto and the kitchen made a parmesan and vegetable risotto for us. The new risotto was the perfect compliment to the pork to cut some of that rich pork with a lighter dish that was creamy and buttery. We also ordered the tiramisu for dessert. The slice of cake was absolutely heavenly, creamy and fluffy and the lady fingers were soaked to the point they just melted in your mouth. The perfect end to a delicious meal.