went to sugo on friday night and at 6 pm, we were by far the earliest patrons to dine. however, it does ensure attentive service and lack of delay in receiving our food. we did the "whole meal deal" starting with antipasti, followed by pasta, the entree and dessert. the antipasti were delicious; we enjoyed crostini with roasted red peppers and bleu cheese. the amount of cheese was perfect; just enough to counter the sweetness of the peppers but not to overwhelm their delicate flavor. the tenderloin was served atop a grilled salad which was dressed with balsamic vinegar and a touch more olive oil than i would have preferred. the weakest appetizer turned out to be the caprese salad mainly because the tomatoes were pretty tasteless and the the water buffalo mozzarella less flavorful than was expected (it was my first time trying "real" mozzarella). for pasta, we enjoyed the gnocchi with traditional tomato sauce and spaghetti with seafood in a white wine sauce. my parents shared the spaghetti and the chef graciously plated generous individual portions for each of them. my favorite were the gnocchi which were pillowy and satiny. the tart tomato sauce made with sundried tomatoes and artichokes coated each gnocchi and made each mouthful flavorful. entrees included cod with a butternut squash sauce for me, pheasant with a meat ragu for my mother and lamb tenderloin for my father. my fish was pretty standard; nothing amazing to report. the pheasant was presented with the leg atop the ragu which was made from the meat of the bird. the leg was too well cooked and tended to be tough but the ragu was toothsome and tasty. the lamb tenderloin suffered the same fate as the pheasant leg and was only saved from being leathery due to the cut. we finished with an amazing, smooth, and luscious chocolate truffle torte and a rather boring rustic fig tart that reminded of me commercial jam and fig newtons. unfortunately, none of us are very good wine appreciators so we didn't order any bottles. however, i did have a very nice glass of velentino 2001 (i think that's how you spell it) as an aperitif and it went very well with the appetizers (nice long finish). prices were high end as was the service and the food. the portions were very generous and we would probably have been better off ordering just antipasti, and either the pasta or entree and a dessert. however, i didn't become a member of this foodie club due to my small appetite! it was either a toss up between il sogno or sugo and i had read reviews saying il sogno was prone to inconsistency. however, it sounds like you had a very good experience there; i will make it my next destination.
