Bites at Bottega Fiorentina – Brookline

Good things come in small packages, and for once I’m not saying this to comfort my vertically-challenged (but horizontally-gifted…at least that’s what I keep telling them…) male friends or to defend my inability to see during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Bottega Fiorentina may look like the Italian version of a bodega, the inside invokes a sweet simplicity that only Europe has truly mastered. Paris Creperie and Zaftigs are bound to catch your eye first, but if I’ve learned anything about this particular street in Brookline, it’s that the places that make you keep walking that turn out to the most remarkable.

Speaking of remarkable, I’ve had few sauces more remarkable than the fedora. This smattering of precious pink is as delicious as that jaunty accessory-that-matches-with-everything-hat is fashionable. The fedora adds a subtle hint of attitude to the crisp pinstriped vest and leaves a lasting impression. The cream in Penne Fedora adds a subtle richness to the crisp tomato and garlic and leaves a lingering impression on your tongue. Major points earned for that impossibly perfect mastery of cream – equally, if not more important than the mastery of the subtleties of menswear.

I’ve never had non-textured Manicotti before, but the al dente was irreproachable. The basil brought out the sweetness of the ricotta, but this dish unfortunately lost a star thanks to the nondescript meat sauce, which was obviously ladled over the manicotti as an afterthought, leaving the manicotti swimming in a plate of water than threatened to ruin any winter coat with a slight tilt of the plate. But the manicotti was soooo good…

I uncovered a sushi sanctuary one weekend and unearthed an Italian gem the next. And all on the same street. Between Mr. Sushi and Bottega Fiorentina, Harvard Street already boasts the close-enough-to-best of two distinct cuisines. So forget the mamma-mia! prices of North End and never mind the bad meat sauce at Bottega. I’ll be back here before you can say penne.