Nostrano
( 1 Vote )
I was very excited to try out Nostrano. I love fresh food and am surprised how few restaurants cook with local food especially when we have one of the best farmers markets in the country. I made a reservation the same day which I don't recommend but luckily got an open spot earlier in the night.
I arrived 10 minutes late because I drove right past the place the first time and figured I must have had the wrong side of the capital. The signage is horrible, it blends in with the building and points towards the capital which is probably not a likely direction to be coming from. The hostess informed us that there is another reservation for that table later as to speed us up and turn over the table quicker, this is something I've never heard at a restaurant before but I'm not really a lounger so it didn't bother me. The interior was spot on with a upscale, urban, nature vibe that I think they were trying to go for.
I ordered a radish salad and sea scallops for an appetizer. I also got capital brewery's seasonal beer which went well with them. They were both delicious, although at $11 for the salad and $16 for the scallops I felt I was paying more for the location than the quantity of food. The service was excellent, our waiter made sure the table was always clean which is more common of an upscale restaurant.
For dinner I ordered the spicy chicken polpette at $20. I was really excited because I thought I saw one come out from the kitchen and I was also starving, the appetizers split between two people didn't take the edge off my hunger. Unfortunately I was really sad when the meal came and I found out I need a few lessons in Italian. Some how I basically had ordered pasta with chicken meatballs. I really dislike meatballs of any kind, it's one of the few things I just will never eat. So unfortunately I had to grin and bare it with the meal I just ordered. It was ok, but my critique isn't fair because I disliked it before I tasted it. I certainly couldn't ever justify $20 for it though. The other meal was braised pancetta for $22. It was good but again a little pricey, I enjoyed trying it but wouldn't crave to eat it again.
It's a hard review because I love the idea of the restaurant, but I just don't feel like it was worth the money or had any dishes that were really calling out to me. With 2 appetizers and 2 dinners for 2 dinners, we both left hungry and wanting dessert. The total bill came in at $90, for that we couldn't justify coming back. There wasn't one thing that really made me say WOW.
Nostrano
111 S Hamilton
608-395-3295
www.nastronomadison.com
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