Bar Umbriago

Italian tapas?  How good was that going to be, I wondered as my expectation of Italian food is big heaping plates that live on as leftovers for a week!

But Italian tapas turned out to be a great thing!  Perfectly sized portions that are shareable and the atmosphere here is conducive to sipping some great wine, enjoying a few bites and catching up be it for a date or a night with the girls.

I met a friend here on a weeknight. His pick, which surprised me, but then he always seems to know what I will like.  As I entered the space, I was impressed with how different and cozy it was from the last place that had inhabited this space.  The hostess directed me to our table and soon I was immersed in the menu and in catching up with my friend.

The menu changes often so don't get too attached to what I am going to list here as it may not be there on the day you visit.  We started with some chacuterie and some grilled octopus.  Delicious!  

My friend is a gnocchi nut (and I just don't care for it) so he had that has his second course while I nibbled on some cheese.

For our entree we split the pork chop which was a good choice as both of us were full at this point.  

Our server was attentive without ever being invasive and our wine glasses were always full.  This was a nice night out without being expensive.

If you drive- there is valet available out front on Hubbard for about $12 or you can park in the garage just up on State but it will cost you more.

All in all a nice, casual place to grab a glass of wine and to catch up with friends.

Came here on a weeknight and it was quite empty and I was surprised. They have a great wine list and I had the cheese platter, which came with a few delicious varieties of cheese, spiced nuts, and fruit preserves. Later in the evening a guy came and played the guitar, and made the atmosphere really nice. I'd recommend for a great after work drink place or somewhere to take a date in a romantic atmosphere. I didn't try any of the food, but I'm hoping to go back soon.

Great drinks breadsticks and butternut squash ravioli :)