Tonight I met up with one of my favorite dining companions to check out Sportello in the up and coming Fort Point Channel neighborhood. Sportello is tucked away inside a converted office building on Congress Street, just beyond the Boston Children's Museum. The building (348 Congress Street) houses Sportello upstairs and a bar called Drink downstairs.
When I first walked into the brick building I wasn't quite sure where the restaurant actually was. I walked up a short flight of stairs and into the dining room, but there was no hostess stand, so I wasn't sure if I had walked in through the wrong door. We were eventually greeted and lead to two seats right next to the open kitchen.
Sportello's seating is a bit cafeteria style. In fact, according to the website, Sportello is Italian for "counter service." Three separate white counters are lined with chocolate colored stools. From all three counters you have a great view of the open kitchen, which is a fun touch.
Our waitress greeted us and described the incredible specials for the evening as well as answered our litany of questions about the menu. My dinner date started with a glass of signature Sportello red wine, which is branded and bottled just for this restaurant! The wine was served in a stemless glass, which I love. Ultra chic.
We nibbled on warm bread served with cheese, jam and oil, which tasted like my favorite childhood snack: rice cakes with cream cheese and jelly.
We ordered an appetizer to split, the burrata with crostini and pickled vegetables. The burrata was garnished with honey and the crostini were served straight from the oven. It was a perfect starter and came in a beautiful presentation.
For dinner I ordered the potato gnocchi with mushroom ragu, peas and cream. It was so decadent I wanted to literally lick the plate.
My dinner date ordered the agnolotti which were stuffed with mortadella, romanesco and pepperocini. The pasta was incredibly fresh and bursting with Italian, meaty deliciousness!
When our waitress returned to clear our plates and ask if we had saved room for dessert, we loudly proclaimed "oh yes!" We had both checked out the menu during the work day and noticed one particular item we had to have. Before we placed our order, our waitress encouraged us to visit their pastry case and see if we'd like anything from there.
We decided on the must-have item, the ice cream sandwich, and two items from the pastry case - the toasted marshmallow cupcake and the peanutbutter crispy bar. Knowing we planned to share, our waitress returned with a single plate housing each of the three desserts already cut in half. Genius!
The ice cream sandwich may be the best dessert I've ever had in my life. It is comprised of two, chewy, chocolate and nut cookies that sandwich a generous scoop of chocolate gelato. The sandwich is garnished with sea salt which gives an extra dash of flavor that pushes it over the edge into sheer bliss.
The toasted marshmallow cupcake was a bit dry, but I forgot all about that when I bit into the peanutbutter crispy bar. I am not normally a peanutbutter fan, but this tasted like a richer, more dense peanutbutter cup, harmoniously planted a top the classic Rice Krispy treat; a sublime, winning combination.
After we inhaled our treats, our waitress delivered the check with a Sportello postcard. You know what, this is precisely the type of meal I would write home about!
Sportello is one of the best dining experiences I have had in Boston. Exceptional service, a beautiful space, fantastic, fresh food and most importantly, heavenly desserts. This comes as no surprise since Sportello is part of the Barbara Lynch restaurant empire which includes No. 9 Park, B & G Oysters and The Butcher Shop.
Sportello is what dining out should be. What are you waiting for? Andiamo!
