We had a great experience at our second visit to Chinato. Once again we visited without Jonathan, even though he probably would have enjoyed the food.
We were seated promptly after mentioning our reservation at a two-seater near the front window. We were struck by the similarity in design to Parallax; Zack Bruell establishments seem to have a definite “look.”
We started with the antipasto plate ($10), which was very generously portioned and included chopped caperberries, pickled radiccio, olives, roasted red pepper salad, grilled (?) eggplant salad, and white bean salad. Sarah’s favorite was the pepper salad (which included capers), and I especially liked the eggplant and bean salads. We both loved the capberberries, which are milder than capers but somehow more complex in flavor.
Sarah ordered hot tea to drink and I had a Great Lakes Doppelrock ($6), on the recommendation of our waitress. Her description of it as a lighter Christmas Ale was quite apt.
For entrees we split the Fuisilli with tongue and oxtail ragout ($12) and the scallops with pepperoncini and roasted potatoes ($20). Neither of us had ever tried tongue before, but we both really enjoyed the flavorful meat and mildly sweet but pungent red wine sauce. The scallops were perfectly seared and very tasty with a mild acidity. Perhaps most impressive were the potatoes, the gold flesh tasting almost buttery with a perfectly salted, slightly crisp skin. The greens were very good as well with a lemon-vinegar flavor and light on the oil. (Note: the plate pictured above is a half-portion)
The service during our visit was outstanding. Our waitress was very friendly and personable but very knowledgeable as well and clearly enthusiastic about the food. Everything arrived in good time, including drinks.
We somehow managed to save room for dessert and ordered the chocolate hazelnut mousse cake. Inside the mousse was a crunchy, airy cookie (the “cake”), and the whole thing was surrounded by a fragrant hazelnut syrup and topped with raspberries. Despite being quite full, I managed to eat about 3/4 of this–it was excellent.
We very much enjoyed our dinner and finished off the evening with a stroll to the House of Blues to see Iron and Wine.
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