Soffrito Creative Italian
29 Wharf Street
Portland
Phone: 253-8001
Hello again food lovers of the USM community! I hope your summers were filled with lobster roll binges and beer guzzling debauchery. I hope you all really showed the sun who’s boss. And although I am sad to see beach weather migrate for yet another Maine winter, I’m glad to be back for my inaugural review of the fall semester. Let me tell you, I’ve been broke. Despite this lack of cash, I managed to put together eleven smackaroos last Wednesday and find my way to Soffrito. It’s this little Italian bistro on Wharf Street that looked tasty. Mmmmm… spaghetti. Awwwghallla.
Upon arrival I considered sitting outside at one of their tables facing Wharf Street, but then I remembered that Wharf Street smells like puke, so I went inside instead. It was a nice open floor plan. If you’re feeling a need for the intimacy of a smaller and more secluded dining room they offer that downstairs too.
Holy Connolly, Tony! This place, it was a’ red! It looked like they spilled their marinara sauce all over the walls, but in a good way. There were nifty little plant potters that they turned upside down and used as lamps. They were hung throughout the dining room amidst the other classic italian decorations; olive oil tins and garlic ropes anyone?
And allow me to let you in on a little something else… at one in the afternoon during the middle of the week I was one of only three tables in the dining room. It was deader than a doornail. I suppose that could be good or bad, depending, but it meant that I got seated right away.
All of their pasta is imported from Italy, but you would never know it based on the lunch prices. They range from $4.95 for your basic burger or never ending house salad to $16.95 for the veal marsala. Their mini frocaccia pizzas range from $6 to $8 and are pretty popular. Dinner is… (yikes!) $13.95-19.95 for an entr?e. I’m not saying that this is really overpriced or ridiculous by any means, but damn, I’m an undergraduate.
Getting back to the food, I stuck with the house specialty, hand pounded veal. And I placed my order with haste to get that poor, tasty little cow slapped on some bread with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese. (I know I’m going straight to Hell.) Were I a rich man, I would have had some sort of wine to go with lunch; their list has something for every palate.
Alas, my food arrived sans booze. This sad occasion was worsened when the food also arrived sans silverware. This little blooper was quickly fixed with a smile, though. And even I am willing to overlook something so minor. But a small part of me was still a bit resentful. If she had equipped me with a fork in the first place; the croutons on my side salad might not have been soggy with house vinaigrette. Aww… I love croutons. Even more unfortunate was the accompaniament of an overly warm bed of lettuce. Call me a stickler for freshness, but doesn’t cold salad taste more fresh and crisp?
So, I proceeded to tackle the sandwich that stood before me, hoping it would perform to its once caged potential. I took an enormous bite to quell the rumble down below and started the molars in motion, only to find that my cutlet was overcooked! Yes, folks, the purpose had been defeated. Tell me, what is the point of eating meat as tender as veal if it is toughened by overcooking? This was a devastating blow to my psyche and I almost broke out into a fit of tears and hysterics. Why me? Why me!?
However, the sauce had such body it nearly redeemed the sandwich. It was extremely thick with a nice garlic presence that was not overpowering, but blended nicely with the other Italian spices. It was nothing short of perfect.
My server was quite cordial and throughout the meal made sure that my Soffrito experience was everything it was supposed to be. Not to mention that my water glass never achieved empty status. That was a big plus in my book.
So I was left in an interesting position at the end of my meal. The veal though flavorful, just didn’t melt in my mouth the way I had hoped, and the dressing was better than the salad. The atmosphere was nice and the service helpful and friendly, but I didn’t get wowed.
Soffrito owners Todd Proctor and Cary Cox just reached their one year anniversary and have some nice press to show for it. The Portland Press Herald gave them four stars and the Casco Bay Weekly gave them five “Best Of”s. But in this man’s eyes it is not acceptable to overcook food when there were only three tables in the restaurant with people at them. I do feel, however, that for eight dollars, the meal wasn’t bad. And I have a hunch that at night when a head Chef is on the line with a more experienced crew, this sort of incident might be avoided. Even though they faltered, I might give them another shot down the line based on the potential I see in the things they did right.
For exceptional service, Soffrito gets a 9. The d?cor was standard for a nicer Italian restaurant; a 6. And the food wasn’t mind-blowing, but it matched the price on the bill; a 7. The composite score for Soffrito is a 7.
Joe Reynolds can be contacted at [email protected]