piattini wine cafe, boston.

Piattini Wine Cafe

226 Newbury St.

Boston, MA 02116

Everyone knows that the best way to unwind from a long day is a glass of wine. Tucked away in the beauty of Newbury Street is Piattini Wine Cafe. Here, you can experiment with matching your beloved wines with different piattinis - Italian style 'tapas' or small dishes.

You can never go wrong with proscuitto and mozzarella and this appetizer did not disappoint. The salty meat wrapped around fresh mozzarella balanced each other out, as did the sweetness of the pesto.

Proscuitto e Mozzarella:
Proscuitto, fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, pesto

Arancini are fried balls of rice that come in different variations. Piattini's take was simple. The rice balls were stuffed with mozzarella cheese and went well with their marinara sauce. I would recommend arancinis to any risotto lovers and those who like to dabble in rice dishes. I personally am not a big fan of risottos, but I love arancini because they are the perfect portion of rice.

Arancini:
Risotto stuffed with mozzarella

After my dinner at Piattini, I discovered a newfound love: butternut squash!
The butternut squash and spinach were the stars of our scallop dish - a mixture of salty and sugary sweet. Although the scallops were seared perfectly, so soft and tender, they were a little underwhelming in flavor when eaten alone. The butternut squash made a comeback in the butternut squash ravioli and this dish really blew me away. Here I was smack in the middle of summer, and it literally tasted like autumn in my mouth. I never thought I could have brown sugar in a savory dish and be excited about it.

Scallop:
Pan seared scallops, sautéed spinach, butternut squash

Ravioli di Zuzza Gialla:
Butternut squash ravioli, apple cider, brown sugar, sage

If you didn't know that I am obsessed with eggplant, we may need to spend more time together. Piattini's eggplant dish is now my #2 favorite eggplant dish, right behind Beijing's Chicken & Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce - and that says a lot. If you like creamy, you like cheesy, and you like eggplant, this eggplant piattini was made for you. Pair it with the a glass of Viognier and your taste buds will thank you forever.

Melanzane Affumicate:
Layered eggplant, smoked mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, truffle cream sauce

I have a confession to make. Growing up, I thought tiramisu was a Japanese dessert... hehe. In my defense, the name sounds Japanese and most asian cakes are made with a cream not icing! With Piattini's Tiramisu... the ladyfingers are so perfectly soaked in espresso that you could not deny the Italian. yum. yum. and yum.

Tiramisu

Traditionally when people think of Italian food, they think of large portions and lots of carbs. However, the next time you're craving a glass of wine or Italian food in Boston, try Piattini Wine Cafe for a totally new Italian dining experience.

On Piattini's menu, they have little numbers next to the dishes that correspond to one red & one white wine. They also provide little cards that describe the name, region, and flavor profile of the wine you've selected. "Wine Cafe" indeed.

I'm an original red lover who has converted to whites. Do you prefer reds or whites? :)

love, MH<3

P.S. like Piattini on Facebook for more updates and events.

RSVP for their 3-Course Family-Style Wine Dinner coming up on Aug 19th. At only $35 a person, you'll get more bang for your buck than traditional restaurant week deals! It will be a great opportunity to try out Piattini's dishes and wines with Francesco Caleraro leading the wine conversation.