Ristorante Damiano (Boston)

I'm a sucker for Italian, so I was excited when my father suggested we try an authentic North End Boston Italian restaurant before the Celtics game.

Ristorante Damiano serves up small plates in a tiny intimate space. Readers, if you go with your parents, make sure they understand the small plate concept. My father could not get over the small portions!

As it was Restaurant Week, we were each able to order an appetizer and two small courses for the low price of $33. I ordered the baby eggplant, the pumpkin ravioli, and the mushroom risotto. My father chose the fried calamari, aglio olio, and the seabass. I absolutely loved, loved, loved the baby eggplant-- ovals of lightly-fried Japanese eggplant, fresh tomato sauce, Parmigiano cheese, and basil. Light and slightly crunchy and so, so flavorful. Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. Small plate alert! Only 2 pumpkin ravioli but it was definitely enough, because they were worse than unmemorable. The menu boasted flavors of sage, brown butter, and mascarpone cheese. But instead they tasted like they came out of the freezer. And like rubber. My kid sister could do better in a microwave. The risotto did not fare much better. Risotto should be creamy and should spread. Instead the rice was hard and sat in a stiff mound. But I'll give credit to the mushrooms: they were earthy and meaty. My father enjoyed his meal quite a bit more. The calamari was nothing special but the aglio olio and the seabass packed the flavor. I love garlic, and this pasta could leave you with bad breath for weeks. With a slight hint of tomato and olive oil, it was unbeatable. Perfectly flaky, the seabass oozed lemon. The taste of the fish reminded me on the wine tasting concept of connectedness-- which describes the bond between the wine and its land of origin. You could just tell the fish came from Boston.

We split a bottle of MacRostie Pinot Noir (from the Carneros Region of California). On the menu, the vintage was described as 2006. We received a 2007 vintage with no explanation. But the markup was not unreasonable ($35 for a $20 bottle). I thought it was an excellent wine (easily a 90 point +). Dark ruby red, tasted like cranberries and cherries. Very balanced.

Ultimately, I thought Damiano's barely missed the mark...much like the Celtics against the Bobcats. Somewhat expensive ($$$). 3.5 of 5 spoons!