We didn’t want to get our kitchen dirty again after having just cleaned it, so we decided to go out. I suggested Bonaroti – an Italian restaurant in Vienna that I had heard good things about. It is located in a strip center and the decor (over the top old world luxury) reminded us of Cafe Renaissance* – which we hated – so we were a little worried. But luckily our fears were unfounded, Bonaroti is quite good.
With the table bread, they serve olive oil and balsamic vinegar, olive tapenade, and sun dried tomatoes. Jasper ordered Prosecco to start and they brought out a tiny bottle that was very good. We also ordered a very nice Chianti Classico. For our first courses, we had beef carpaccio, caprese salad, and risotto with scallops. The carpaccio was lovely – fresh and very thin, with only lemon juice, olive oil, and shaved Parmesan. The caprese came with Mozzarella di Buffalo that was soft and creamy and wonderful; large, ripe slices of tomato; and huge fresh leaves of basil drizzled with balsamic and olive oil. The risotto was the perfect texture and the scallops were nicely cooked. The sauce was savory and not too fishy (unlike Assagi Osteria). For our entrees we both ordered pasta. I had the spaghetti “Chris Cooley” (local football player), which is served with a bolognese sauce, truffle oil, fluffy meatballs, and a little dollop of mascarpone cheese. It was tasty and satisfying, but I must say that I was jealous of Jasper’s capellini carbonara – angel hair pasta in a rich cream sauce with Parmesan, bacon, onion, and egg yolk. It was decadently delicious. I also had a side of creamed spinach in a Parmesan bechamel sauce – very creamy and comforting. Neither of us were able to finish our pastas because the portions were so large (comforting since each was $20+). We decided to try dessert anyway. I had a cream puff cake that was pretty much like a cream puff in cake format, and a wonderful moscato. Jasper had a chocolate mousse cake and a tawny port. Just when we were ready to be rolled home, the waiter came back with complimentary sambucca and biscotti.
While Bonaroti is too expensive to be a weeknight haunt, it would be lovely for a date night or a big lunch.
http://www.bonarotirestaurant.com
*I never got a chance to write about Cafe Renaissance, but it was awful. The server was pushy, the food was so-so, and the wine made us instantly sick (and sick the whole next day) after one glass.