Atlantas Finest Dining
Sotto Sotto & Fritti
by Michelle Thomason
I have recently been “wowed” by the side by side jointly owned Fritti and Sotto Sotto restaurants in Inman Park. I can honestly say that I have found the best two places for enjoying authentic Italian food in Atlanta. Having grown up in Europe, I have sorely missed the European style Italian restaurants of London, Paris, and Munich. But now happily I have found it.
The first time I met the Chef and owner Ricardo Ullio, I was a pregnant pastry chef at Pricci restaurant in Buckhead. Ricardo, then a cook at Pricci, used to prepare delicious steaming bowls of pasta for my lunch everyday. Needless to say, I had a nine and a half pound baby who just happens to love Italian food.
Ricardo Ullio moved to Atlanta from Milano, Italy at the young age of twelve. Even though he spent the greater portion of his life here in Atlanta, he hasn’t lost his Italian charm or creativity. He runs these two successful establishments with his American wife, Madora. Success couldn’t happen to a nicer fellow.
Fritti and Sotto Sotto are just like two perfect sides of a culinary coin. Fritti is a very casual Italian bistro housed in a former garage. It has tremendously high ceilings with an open wood burning pizza oven and a large patio. The patio is the place to be with its exposed brick walls adorned with artistic graffiti and floor to ceiling wood blinds. During the winter there are ceiling space heaters so guests can enjoy the patio all year round. Of course, pizzas are definitely the order of the day at Fritti. There are an amazing 33 pizzas to choose from. The pizzas here are individual servings and are absolute bliss. The pizza chef is Salvatore Bianco, a third generation pizziolo from Naples.
We had the classic Regina Margherita made with marinara sauce, real buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil. We also had Crudo e Rucola; a very light cheeseless pizza topped with prosciutto and bittersweet arugula. Before the pizzas, we shared The Caprese, which is a mozzarella, tomato, and basil salad with olive oil. Fantastic!
There were many different antipasti and salads to choose from. One of which was the Fritto Misto Di Mare, which is an assortment of lightly, battered, fried seafood such as shrimp, scallops, calamari, and smelt with fresh lemon. Another is the fresh organic cantaloupe with prosciutto.
Sotto Sotto, adjacent to Fritti, is a very chic and elegant Italian restaurant. The restaurant faces an open kitchen full of hustle and bustle. The tables are close together, lending to a friendly, jovial atmosphere. Even on a Monday night, the restaurant was extremely busy. Reservations would be wise.
An eclectic array of appetizers are available. We choose the Cape Sante, which consisted of seared jumbo sea scallops with warm truffle white beans and wilted arugula. Delicious! We also had the Bresaola Della Valtellina, which is air-dried beef with arugula, celery and parmigiano with lemon and olive oil. A dish I haven’t been able to find since San Lorenzos in London. Next time, I can’t wait to try the Vitello Tonnato, chilled poached veal with tuna anchovies and caper sauce. The Bufala e Peperoni with roasted red bell peppers, buffalo mozzarella, anchovies and capers sounded phenomenal as well.
For our entrees, we choose the Spaghetti del Pescatore. It was full of shrimp, scallops, muscles, clams, and squid and baby octopus in a delightful tomato broth. I absolutely loved it. We also tried the Pesce Arrosto. A whole, wood roasted Mediterranean Sea bass, called Loup de Mer, was accompanied with herbed new potatoes and garlicky sautéed spinach. The Tagliatelle ai Funghi at a neighboring table included hand made tagliatelle with porcini and other wild mushrooms. Our friendly neighbors said it was marvelous.
The dessert menu for Fritti and Sotto Sotto were the same. There was a selection of gelatis and sorbets, warm chocolate soup, and the Marscapone. We shared a Marscapone. Layers of marscapone cream and rum soaked amaretti cookies were served in a martini glass. It was divine!
There is a nice un-intimidating wine menu with a good selection of domestic and Italian wines. Our service was attentive and friendly. Overall, I can’t wait to go back again.
Fritti and Sotto Sotto are located next to each other at 309 and 313 N. Highland Avenue. Their phone numbers (respectively) are (404) 880-9559 and (404) 523-6678.
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from top:
Cape Sante; Mussels and risotto; Chef Riccardo Ullio; Chocolate soup.
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