sotto sopra

wonderful. went for restaurant week, yum. first course was soup de jour which was cucumber gazpacho which was wonderful. the cucumber was light, refreshingly accented by the cilantro. first course also included polenta fritta bergamot (fried polenta / truffle sea salt / paprika aioli), the polenta was so light with goat cheese, nice compliment was the truffle flavor with the creamy aioli. delicious!.
second course: salmone alla lavanda e miele (grilled salmon / lavender honey / broccoli / mashed potatoes) and panino con pollo e asparagi (grilled chicken panino / asparagus / tomato / provolone cheese). the salmon was more done than i would like (i prefer mine just barely done), the skin on the salmon was so crispy with a mouth feel which melts in your mouth, with a touch of lavender honey--very tasty. chicken panini very good with fries which seasoned just right, i would have liked a truffle ketchup to accompany them, but overall they were tasty.

wonderful food and singing. we have enjoyed sotto sopra's cuisine several times at their monthly opera night. it is always a prix fixe menu, but they are able to accommodate my (really annoying) gluten- and dairy-free needs, which is not something i can say about all italian restaurants. on our last visit we had risotto with lamb, very very good. many of the patrons for opera night are "past middle age," but at the table next to us two 20-somethings seemed enchanted by their first experience with opera - the evening was a birthday present. and i cannot think of a better way to experience opera for the first time, as well as a few broadway hits and some old favorites as well. the tenor has a fantastic voice, as well as providing a relaxed and often humorous explanation before each number. the soprano is equally fine, and their accompanist seemed right at home, though this was the first time he had worked with them. they move around the restaurant as the sing, and being within feet of these powerful singers is something you will not soon forget - you are literally surrounded by the sound. sotto sopra is always enjoyable, but opera night is something really special.

there were a group of eight of us and we all enjoyed our apps, meal and dessert. i had the ink pasta with crab and mushrooms. it. was. to. die. for!!

caters to an older crowd. we visited sotto sopra for their opera night, held once a month. we had reservations, as recommended on the website. we were roughly 20 years younger then the next youngest person in the room besides the waitstaff. we were seated in the room that didn't have the opera singers in it, the furthest table away, even though when we arrived there were still tables in the main room. the waitstaff clearly ignored us in favor of the older crowd. at one point they lifted a spoon from my fiance's place to take it to an older table.

the food was good and the opera was fun, something different to do. but i wouldn't recommend it if you are under 60, unless you bring someone older with you to get service to your table.

excellent restaurant. great food and at reasonable prices. definitely worth it go to instead of all the popular inner harbor restaurants.

best calamari fritti i've had in a long time. highly recommend the semolina cake for dessert, especially if you love marzipan. very attentive wait staff and generous portions on our leek and seafood risotto and the agnolotti di vitello. pricy, sure; but absolutely worth it.

unforgettable. while, i visited sotto sopra in 2011, i must say it was a visit that i will remember for the rest of my life. i was visiting baltimore for only a day and staying at the hostel down the street. i walked to the restaurant but it was raining and i only had rather shabby clothes.

i was expecting a cold shoulder after reading reviews online about the quality of the restaurant, but the wait staff was courteous, attentive and warmly polite. i have found this is quite rare for the more up scale restaurants and i feel it reflected the quality of the wait staff.

i ordered the lamb meatballs as an appetizer and i was floored. i haven't tasted meatballs that were that flavorful since i was a child.

for dinner, i had a dish with duck and truffle ravioli. it is not on their menu online currently. but, it was divine. to this day, i dream of that ravioli.

for dessert, i had a scotch and creme brulee. again, superb.

it is rare to experience a meal that combines substance, style and divine taste. sotto sopra gave me that experience.

and, while i may have only been there once, i urge you to try it.

our second pasta is sacchetti di zucca con salsiccia. translated: pumpkin pasta with amaretto cookies, broken sausage, and cream. the combination may seem unlikely, but somehow it works. wonderfully! this gets passed around the table and the feeling is unanimous. the dish may not look so beautiful, but trust me, it has a great personality. this is one of those dishes that i would go out of my way for- or at least all the way to baltimore.

okay, but.... while visiting baltimore, we decided to try sotto sopra based on both the urbanspoon reviews and a site that listed the restaurant as gluten-free-friendly. with regards to the latter, our waitress seemed to be totally in the dark. after being asked about the gluten-free options, she delivered 2 of 3 appetizers that contained wheat flour. she got frazzled and even borderline hostile when we complained, so we ended up keeping all appetizers. and when it came to the main course for the gf diner, the chef proved to be overprotective, preparing not just a gf dish, but a bland one, missing the risotto requested in place of pasta. the appetizers and main courses were good, but a far cry from great and some of the gushing reviews found here. all four diners were ultimately disappointed. sotto sopra is just a notch or two below what it should be. i suggest little italy may be a much better bet.

two words. top notch!! however, i have only been here (repeatedly) on opera night. doesn't matter. if you don't eat here before you die, you're a moron!

worst, worst, worst. unfortunately, we had the worst experience at sotto sopra. the service was terrible. our waitress was too busy with other tables. we were constantly waiting for drinks or refills, considered going to the bar to get them on our own. the food was overpriced and overrated. when we complained about our service, the manager blew us off and the chef/owner refused to speak with us. the worst customer service ever. save your money and go somewhere else.

great food. much better italian cuisine than little italy. cozy (romantic) atmosphere, attentive service, albeit a bit pricey ... one of the "need to check out" restaurants in baltimore.

1st time to baltimore. used urbanspoon. excellent chef/owner handsome and friendly. he made suggestions for my son and i. excellent try the polenta appetizer. wanted to lick the plate!

sotto sopra serves rustic italian food lovingly and passionately labored over by executive chef and owner riccardo bosio (pictured with mccn's associate editor monica johnson and marketing consultant simone baptiste).the restaurant is a sentimental tribut

vday deliciousness. my bf and i went here for valentines day and to our delight they are continuing restaurant week through february! i started out with the polenta with mushrooms, goat cheese, and spinach. it was amazing! and it was a very large portion. next i chose the risotto of the day which included parmesan and braised pork shoulder. mmm...the risotto was so creamy and the pork shoulder exremely tender. my bf got the grilled rockfish which was cooked to perfection. for desert i chose the chocolate tort which was super rich but unfortunately i was so stuffed from the risotto that i couldnt finish it. my bf got the sorbet of the day: lemon. yum! overall it was a great valentines date!