A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

Blog and Tweet Boston organized a #SundaySupper at Fiorella’s in Newton. Other bloggers in attendance were: Gourmet Pigs, Kerrie Urban, Dave and Emily Dudek, Janelle Suckley, Kristin Amico, Lei Ann and Erica Thomas to name a few. The Italian restaurant was opened by Remon Karian over a decade ago when he was just 23 years old! (Remon was the former co-owner of The Breakfast Club in Allston.) The space has been newly renovated with a great addition in the front room.

We were greeted at the door with a Blueberry Smash (Blueberry simple syrup mixed with bourbon, over ice and garnished with mint). General Manager John Gallagher has been working on ways to introduce bourbon to the menu in an accessible way.

The breadsticks here are amazing, and paper thin…so you can have double right? They are served with Fiorella’s signature marinara dipping sauce. (Watch out Olive Garden 😉 )

Our server brought out apps for the table to share. Antipasto Board Salami, pepperoni, parmacotto~ham, imported prosciutto, provolone cheese, marinated long stem artichoke hearts & mixed kalamata olives ($13). The parmacotto ham is a hybrid word…let me just tell you that it was like butter melting in your mouth.

Arancini A large crisp risotto ball stuffed with mozzarella cheese & served with their signature marinara sauce ($7). Ok, large is the understatement of the year – enormous is more like it – it was the largest arancini I’ve ever seen.

Misto A sampling of three appetizers ~ Toasted Ravioli, Stuffed Peppers Parmigiana & Calamari Fritti, served with a side of their signature marinara sauce ($13). While this was a plate of salty goodness (who can turn anything fried down?), I preferred the other appetizers.

I could probably have stopped there, but then the server brought out pizza and flatbreads to share. Arugula Pizza Delicious pizza crust with garlic & olive~oil, caramelized onions & mozzarella cheese, topped with fresh arugula & diced tomatoes tossed in a lemon vinaigrette dressing, sprinkled with pecorino romano cheese. How fresh does this pizza look? If you don’t dine in, you can get one to go!

Fiorella  Imported prosciutto & fresh mushrooms over our pizza sauce & mozzarella cheese ($8). Probably my favorite pizza of the bunch – prosciutto and mushrooms are such a great flavor combination.

Fiorella’s Neopolitan style pizza is cooked in a 700˚F wood burning brick pizza oven. The dough can make or break a pizza (all pizzas are not created equal) and this is delicious – thin and light but still chewy.

Bolognese Braised ground beef, veal & pork simmered with diced carrots, onions & crushed tomatoes in a red wine tomato sauce, tossed with fresh fusilli pasta ($11). Really quite good, I loved the fresh pasta. I was so full at this point that I took the majority of the dish home – and let me tell you, just like meatballs, it was even better on day 2!

Short Rib Milanese Boneless short ribs braised slowly to perfection with pearl onions, carrots & celery, served with mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables ($23). I had just a bite of this and it was delicious. The meat was tender and flavorful – definitely going to get this next time!

Meatball Calzone Homemade meatballs, mozzarella cheese & our pizza sauce ($11). This was delicious, the meatballs were really flavorful, maybe they will tell me their secret? Or I can just head over to one of their express locations (Belmont, Brighton or Cambridge) and pick up some and pass them off as home made 😉

Tiramisu Soft sponge cake soaked with vanilla & espresso coffee, layered with sweet mascarpone & dusted with cocoa powder ($7). At this point I was so stuffed I could barely get up from my chair!

Cannoli

Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to Fiorella’s Sunday Supper. My meal was complimentary. All opinions are my own.

Fiorella’s

187 North Main Street, Newtonville, MA

http://www.fiorellasnewton.com

Tags: bolognese, casual dining, italian, newton, restaurant