Impromptu date night always reminds me how thankful I am for services like Open Table because, let's face it, sometimes I don't want to call and ask for reservations. "How about that new place, Sardinia?" The Husband asked. I'd heard good things about it from friends who used to live in Miami, so I looked it up, thought the menu looked good and booked our table for two.
The restaurant is in the same building as KOBE off West End/Elliston and they offer complimentary valet service. The first thing I noticed as we arrived was its huge patio. It was even bigger inside but they did a good job of using the space so it didn't feel empty. Food bloggers will love the huge windows for natural light, and for those seeking a more intimate experience, there are plenty of cozier tables. I also noticed that it's great for groups and I think it's going to be a popular spot when Vandy's back in session and it's football and basketball season.
According to their website, they really into wine but as you might know, I don't drink alcohol so I'd love to know what any wine aficionados think if you've been to the restaurant. If you haven't been but are planning to, bear in mind that just for June and July, they have a Wine & Dine special where you get 30% off select bottles of wine every Tuesday evening.
Here's their online menu but bear in mind that the actual menu has a ton more from which to choose. They have a meat and cheese section that features a pretty extensive list of cured meats that I know some of my friends would enjoy. Another special they're running for June and July is their prix fixe menu: three courses for $39/person for dinner Sunday through Thursday and just $23 for lunch everyday. Not too shabby.
We started with the 3-meat option ($18) and ordered what we knew we'd like: prosciutto (aged 24 months), black
pepper salame (so good) and chorizo which was
The Husband's favorite of the three.
Meat on meat on meat.
Must try: the butter that came with the bread basket. First of
all, it's not actually butter, it's olive oil with percorino that they
blended and chilled into butter form. Holy crap, I wanted to eat that
with a spoon! And check out that bread!
For our main dishes, The Husband ordered the Rigatoni and I got the Spaghetti alle Vongole which is my all-time favorite pasta dish for its simplicity and flavor. Sardinia uses a white wine sauce with theirs and they also cooked the noodles perfectly al dente so the dish met all my personal, Italian food needs. The clams were also super fresh and this was probably the best meal I've eaten since coming back from Singapore. The Husband's rigatoni was also delicious with its fresh peas and some tasty homemade sweet and spicy sausage. I might have to order that next time we go.
It was a toss-up between ordering pasta and their scallop entree, but hey, I wanted to save room for dessert and I knew spaghetti alle vongole would be light. Good thing I did that I did that because dessert kind of kicked our butts. In a good way, of course but let's just say the Millefoglie is a dessert best shared by three or four. It was a tower of lovely flaky pastry layered with cream, with a Nutella sauce drizzled over it. We also got the panna cotta which was a nice balance but both were too much for the two of us and we had to admit defeat about 2/3 of the way through.
We really really enjoyed our meal (totally broke our diets with it but TOTALLY worth it) and we're already looking forward to going back. The service was solid, our waiter was very informative and made great recommendations without being pushy. If the weather permits and I don't break into a sweat five minutes into being outside, I'd probably ask for a table outside next time.
Check them out on their website, or better yet, just go for a meal soon and let me know what you think!