Have any other FTCers been to Da Barbara?
Mrs. Sk8uno and I went recently and concluded it is an excellent little date night spot! It’s a small, intimate space that feels like it’s a live-work loft converted into a restaurant. There are only a handful of tables, and all are placed within eyeshot of the small, open kitchen where you can watch Chef Pollastrini at work.
Of note for some here, the restaurant is BYO wine, with no corkage.
As to the food, there were some hits and some misses for us. We were big fans of the seasonal tomato salad, mortadella tortelli, sauteed mushrooms, filet mignon roll, and all desserts. I liked the meatballs, but my wife was less enthusiastic about them. The veloute was much thicker than we are used to, almost as thick as mashed potatoes; the flavor was good, but there was a disconnect between what we thought we were getting and what we got. Not the restaurant’s fault, just flagging in case anyone else goes in expecting more of a soup. We foolishly didn’t get the tagliolini al pomodoro, but will correct that error next time.
Chef Pollastrini, who is from Rome, is doing a Roman night this Thursday (Aug. 20), and we decided to head back in for that one-night menu.
To sum it up:
- Environment makes it outstanding as a spot for date night;
- Food ranging from solid to excellent;
- BYO wine, no corkage