Bar Stuzzichini

Our team went to Bar Stuzzichini for holiday drinks and dinner last night. I’ve been here exactly a year ago for holiday dinner with SATC ladies and I remember not being too fond of this place?  Upon random meanderings around the area, not to mention our lack of options considering we were trying to reserve tables for party of 9 at 7:30pm, this is where we ended up eating.

We first ordered few appetizers including mozzarella, stuffed eggplants, pecorino cheese plate, arugula salad for the table – we requested it to be a serving of 2-3 people since we were waiting for the rest of the party to arrive. Little did we know that the serving that was supposed to be for 2-3 people could’ve been consumed by me alone in 2-3 bites. We doubled the order immediately and also ordered few pasta dishes. Gnocchi was absolutely delectable – I’m not a huge fan of gnocchi for the most part because it’s one of those dishes that are amazing for the first couple of bites and afterwards you can’t eat anymore because it’s too heavy (i.e. fettuccini alfredo). Gnocchi at Bar Stuzzichini is served in tomato sauce with a tint of chili spice, which finishes off each taste with an added spice, my favorite. Taglioni was also good except for the interesting (not exactly in a positive way) pistachio after taste with each bite. If you like pistachio, however, this may be a good choice for you. I ordered the linguine alle vongole which was a standard pasta dish with New Zealand clams in white wine and garlic sauce. I wished it was more flavorful because it seemed to be missing both the heartiness of pasta as well as the warm, garlic-filled taste of the sauce. The linguini was also a bit undercooked which added unto the unheartiness of the dish.

I still don’t get the hype of this place. It’s always rated highly with such great reviews but I still don’t see it.

I could’ve sat there and ate plates and plates of the pecorino cheese plate (it was AMAZING. TRULY AMAZING) but I mean, you can always buy a block from Whole Foods and create a plate at home. Not to mention their ridiculously tiny portions … sigh. See, the only excuse for a restaurant to have tiny portions is if a) the décor is phenomenal; b) service is beyond excellent; c) a restaurant with a celebrity chef but even so, their portions are quite generous; d) it’s an extreme trendy and celeb-filled restaurant. This place was unfortunately none of the above. Disheartening, I know.