Sofia Wine Bar

When I first received an invitation to dine at Sofia Wine Bar, I was a bit skeptical.  After all, it's not often that you go to a wine bar for dinner.  But Sofia Wine Bar is upping its food game so those that come to drink will stay to eat.  Sofia opened in February 2009 and currently has 80-100 wines available by the glass and 70 by the bottle.  The selection comes from different countries and regions within those countries.  The cuisine is not typical bar food, instead it is Home style Italian.  The French windows in the front dining and bar area create an inviting space that got pretty crowded after a little while.  We sat in the back, a cavernous area that seats about 12.  The space is beautifully decorated but the exposed brick created a lot of extra noise because the voices bounced off the wall.  They typically have a pasta special on Sundays but since we were there on a Monday they decided to hook us up.  We were presented with a marvelous vegetarian lasagna.

The ricotta and tomato sauce were rich and fresh. The pasta was light and melted in my mouth. It was truly spectacular and made me wonder why they don't serve pasta all the time.  Thankfully I was told that they will soon start serving pasta every day!  If it's anything like this lasagna, I'm sure they will gain lots of repeat customers.   Pretty soon after, the Stuffed Mushrooms and Artichoke arrived.

They are mixed with prosciutto and pecorino so I didn't dig in but the other diners definitely enjoyed it.  I was wrapped up in the Mozzarella. 

The mozzarella is made fresh in house.  The thick slices were creamy and flavorful and the tomato was juicy.  I also really enjoyed the toast!  It was crunch but soft. Unbelievable!  I ate way too much bread!  The Eggplant Caponata was my least favorite.

There was nothing exciting about it. The eggplant was slightly overcooked which was disappointing but at least there was some bread there!  The beef eaters devoured the Meatballs.

They were huge and served with rich tomato sauce.  I was much happier when the Margherita Pizza arrived.

The sauce was a little tangy and tasted great with the crust. I loved the mozzarella and the fresh pieces of basil made it taste even better.  Just as I was reaching capacity, it was time for dessert! 

Holy Cannoli!!  Somehow I realized this must have been my first cannoli. This was truly a special moment.  I loved the creamy sweetness. It was perfect! Not toothache sweet just rich and filling. The cream is apparently from Italy.  I also loved the crunchy shell.  It was phenomenal!

I had a great time at Sofia.  The extensive wine list may be the reason you go, but the variety of delicious items on the menu is the reason you stay!  As the owner, Tommaso said, "Eat while you can enjoy it!"  I recommend heading over to Sofia and start enjoying it!

Hungry yet?