Boston South Boston Sportello

Sportello

Written by lulu September 17, 2009 Favorites

6.2

0.0 (0)

Restaurant Listing

Cuisine	Italian
348 Congress Street Boston, MA 02210-1236 (617) 737-1234 www.sportelloboston.com
Eating	No Bar
Drinking	Wine & Beer
Hours	Open Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm
Television	No

A modern interpretation of the classic diner, Sportello (italian for counter service) offers a menu of chef Barbara Lynch’s trattoria-inspired Italian dishes for lunch and dinner. Sportello’s casual, lively, italian spirit is captured in the sleek, minimalist design, in the cuisine — fresh pastas, creamy polenta, and simple soups — and in the supremely approachable, artisanal wine list created by wine director Cat Silirie.

Editor reviews

Overall rating:		6.8
Food:		8.0
Bartender/Staff:		6.0
Attitude:		6.0
Scene:		6.0
Get Lucky Factor:		5.0

Reviewed by lulu
September 17, 2009

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Last updated: September 17, 2009

Reviews

Food	Sportello means counter in Italian and the menu here features trattoria-inspired Italian dishes. The food is casual, but elegant and everything is fresh, simple and tasty. They have a pasta maker so all of their pastas are homemade and the bakery is filled with yummy breads and pastries. I went for dinner and tried the artichoke with breadcrumbs. It was not bad, but lacked flavor. The papardelle bolognese was very satisfying and I am extremely picky when it comes to bolognese, because I order it everywhere! I just love homemade pasta and the bolognese sauce was perfect with the fried basil. I also tried the roasted chicken and swordfish. Both were good - simple and subtle in flavor. Sportello has an electric induction stove top, which cooks "magnetically" as I was told and supposedly heats faster, more even and doesn't burn the food. After what felt like a healthy dinner, I debated ordering dessert but as I skimmed the menu, I could hear the bread pudding calling my name. It was delicious...with house-made jam and honey caramel and I ate every last bit. I'd even go so far as to say it was the best part of the meal.
Bartender/Staff	There isn't a real bar, since the entire place is counter seating. Also, they only serve wine and beer...The waitress always seems to have a bit of attitude. After talking to her a bit, she seemed to warm up, but still...not the grand welcome we're used to having at our favorite restaurant bars.
Attitude	Like I said...no real bar and everyone's at the counter where you can see all the other people in the restaurant eat across from you. But they're open late and the general attitude is very laid back which is nice.
Scene	South Boston...not much of a scene other than the after work, Convention Hall crowd. Again, might I mention that there's no bar, but Sportello is upstairs of "Drink," where the young and pretty hang out to sip on overly priced cocktails. Sportello does serve a great brunch and it seems to be a fairly trendy place with that euro-diner feel that hipsters would love. Only problem is, despite it's casual feel...the dishes are on the pricey side.
Get Lucky Factor	Eh, not good. Go downstairs to Drink and find yourself a good-looking guy or gal. Chances are, they'll be smashed off those delicious cocktails...