Potenza, Italian from the Owners of Zola at 15th and H Streets Downtown - Closed

[thatguy2009]

Where can we find THE BEST thin-crust pizza (with beer or wine available) in DC?

Potenza Italian Restaurant and Bakery

Corner of 15th and H Streets, NW a - they have a full menu, full bar, and Neapolitan Style pizza

They just opened Monday- you could try this new place and let us know!

[FunnyJohn]

Not clear from their website whether they do lunch. Anyone know?

[monavano]

Not clear from their website whether they do lunch. Anyone know?

From Capital Spice:

"Within the next three weeks or so, Potenza will expand to offer lunch service as well, a smart move considering the neighborhood’s heavy concentration of businesses and government offices, all of whom should be eagerly awaiting this new dining option.

Full post here:

http://capitalspice.wordpress.com/2009/03/...pening-tonight/

[foodandreason]

The most exciting thing about Potenza, and something I hadn't heard yet, was this, from the same Capital Spice post: "The bakery is being overseen by Mark Furstenberg, the creator of Breadline and one of Washington’s most celebrated traditional bakers. Furstenberg’s breads will be available for retail sale in a space reminiscent of a little Italian cafe. Also for sale in this space will be Italian-style gelato, coffee and espresso." The bakery is supposed to open March 30.

[B.A.R.]

This is great news!

[synaesthesia]

I went with a friend last night. There's certainly something to say about it being the first week. The service seemed fine, but the food was a bit of a mixed bag. We had the fried risotto balls with wild boar sausage. They were crisp, creamy and delicious.

The other dish we ordered was the oriecchiette with spicy fennel sausage, and broccoli rabe. The oriecchette was a strange mix of al dente and a sort of fuzziness on the outside as if it had been cooked too long. The spicy fennel sausage was ridiculously spicy with no indication as such. I don't know if this was some sort of The Who situation with blowing up the drum set, but this was well above three chili peppers on a Chinese food menu. The sauce I found too thin to be a logical fit with the shape of the pasta. It was also slightly disappointing that we didn't get any bread with our order in the bar, as I'm sure that it's probably fantastic bread.

The cocktails could also use a little help. An orviette with strawberries, balsamic syrup, vodka and basil sounds good on paper, but this wasn't very well implemented - not much balsamic and not shaken sufficiently. The top tasted mostly like strawberries, but drinking from the bottom was a blast of booze. Another cocktail with a name I couldn't remember was overly sweet to the point I almost wondered if there was artificial sweetener.

It is the first week, and they have some things that need to be sorted out on the menu. I will say the pizzas looked pretty yummy from what I could tell.

[Sableberg]

Potenza Italian Restaurant and Bakery

Corner of 15th and H Streets, NW a - they have a full menu, full bar, and Neapolitan Style pizza

They just opened Monday- you could try this new place and let us know!

A friend and I checked out Potenza last night and had a great experience. We showed up at around 8:45 and both the bar and dining room were more than half full, which I thought was impressive considering its in a neighborhood that gets pretty dead once the happy hour crowd goes home. We each started with glass of a "Super Tuscan" sangiovese-merlot blend and split the Insalate Rucola e Portobello (arugula and portobello salad) and the Pizza del Giorno, which was prosciutto di parma and asparagus last night. The salad was simple but flavorful with a few generous shavings of cheese and the pizza was an oblong shape definitely enough for two people. The crust was very light and thin with a good char and the toppings were excellent, though a little sparse for my taste. We split the cannoli dessert, which was two medium-sized cannolis with cinnamon-flavored shells and ricotta-lemon (i think) and chocolate chip filling. I think the cannoli cream was a little lighter than what you'll get at someplace like Vaccaro's or a real NY Italian bakery... but it was goood. My friend is an Italian coffee snob so we both got decaf with dessert to try it out and were very happy. The best part is that all of that together -- two glasses of wine, salad, pizza, dessert, two coffees -- was under $50! Although the prices were fairly reasonable, the service, decor, and general vibe was on par with what you'd expect at a pricier place. Oh and the bread was fantastic... but that's no surprise.

We sat at a table up against the glass partition between the dining room and the bakery/takeout and I spent a good chunk of my meal ogling the leg of prosciutto and wheels of cheese stacked up outside the kitchen.

I feel like its a pretty big gamble to open a place like that in a neighborhood that is largely empty on nights and weekends, but Old Ebbitt certainly does fine for itself...

Anyway, I urge anyone who lives or works downtown to check out Potenza. I'm excited to go back!

[FunnyJohn]

I am informed that they will start serving lunch next week, but call first to make sure.

[Escoffier]

and here I thought this thread was about Bridgestone tires...(I think Potenza is a trademark of Bridgestone. YMMV)

[FunnyJohn]

and here I thought this thread was about Bridgestone tires...(I think Potenza is a trademark of Bridgestone. YMMV)

By God I think those are what I have on my ride -- I'll have to check

[DonRocks]

and here I thought this thread was about Bridgestone tires...(I think Potenza is a trademark of Bridgestone. YMMV)

By God I think those are what I have on my ride -- I'll have to check

Before this gets carried too far, Potenza is a city in Italy; more importantly, it's the surname of Dan Mesches' grandmother, Columbina Potenza.

[Bob Wells]

Before this gets carried too far, Potenza is a city in Italy; more importantly, it's the surname of Dan Mesches' grandmother, Columbina Potenza.

Interestingly, it's also the surname of one of the most prominent chefs in Rhode Island, Walter Potenza. Check out his Passover menu!

http://www.chefwalter.com/WP-restaurant.htm

[FunnyJohn]

Was in the neighborhood for some biz a little while ago and the Restaurant was NOT open for lunch. Maybe later this week.

[FunnyJohn]

Pleased to report that Potenza is indeed now open for lunch. Stopped in yesterday and had my big meal for the day: started with insalata tricolore which was okay although it looked like the greens had been hanging out too long unrefrigerated in the kitchen - best part were the little fontina croutons, which I almost ignored, but then picked up with my fingers just before the plate was taken away. For my main I had the veal scallopine which consisted of three very generous scallops topped with fresh sage leaves and served on a bed of polenta. Under the scallops was some nicely sauteed spinach which lent a nice bite to the polenta, and a rich sauce. The veal was a little gummy on one side but still very good. Highly recommended: the house made limoncello -- it's like liquid lemon drops and very refreshing as a palate cleanser.

[lekkerwijn]

Potenza is officially my new lunch-go-to place

Today was a roasted vegetable omelet panini. An egg omelet filled with roasted veg (including red pepper and asparagus) and cheese between super thin crispy bread.

ONLY $4!

Haven't tried the pastries or the gelato yet. Breakfast for lunch today, dessert for lunch tomorrow??

Only question: Why the premade sandwiches in the fridge case? Everything else is so good. Those, not so much.

[The Doctor]

Potenza is officially my new lunch-go-to place

Today was a roasted vegetable omelet panini. An egg omelet filled with roasted veg (including red pepper and asparagus) and cheese between super thin crispy bread.

ONLY $4!

Haven't tried the pastries or the gelato yet. Breakfast for lunch today, dessert for lunch tomorrow??

Only question: Why the premade sandwiches in the fridge case? Everything else is so good. Those, not so much.

So they offer sandwiches to go in the bakery section? (I mean, ones made to order as opposed to the aforementioned fridge case items?)

[lekkerwijn]

So they offer sandwiches to go in the bakery section? (I mean, ones made to order as opposed to the aforementioned fridge case items?)

As I sit at my desk eating one of the pre-made sandwiches I am thinking that the hot sandwiches made to order from the bakery are much better. (yes, they are available to-go as well)

LOVE their goodies in the bakery case and they have fresh, hot cinnamon rolls every morning.

[The Doctor]

I have to report one of the worst first impressions for a restaurant I've ever experienced.

This refers to the bakery section, not the wait-staffed section.

My friend and I got there around 1:30, a time when most of the lunch rush has usually passed. The bakery's menu had a small list of sandwiches. I got the muffaletta ($8) and the friend ordered the pancetta and egg panini ($4). We were in a hurry, but they said it would be 5-10 minutes, so we ordered it to eat there.

After 15 minutes, the table next to us got their food, and we were told ours was coming right up.

After another 15 minutes, we couldn't wait any longer (even for take out), so we asked for our money back. Then the cashier tells us, "Oh, that's coming out right now," and she rushed to pull one of the sandwiches off the grill. They offered a free dessert, but we had to leave immediately to get back to work.

The take-out containers did not contain the green salads that we saw the dine-in customers get with their items. My muffaletta filling was good, but the bread was a little too crunchy from sitting on the grill too long. And my friend's panini had no traces of pancetta.

It is totally ridiculous for an item — especially a simple sandwich — ordered at a counter to take 30 minutes to come out.

[ghbostick]

Would like to know more about Potenza as it matures.

[brettashley01]

Stopped by Potenza for drinks with a date a couple weeks ago. Can't recall the name of the drink I had, but it was some sort of strawberry/balsamic/basil concoction that was very strong, not too sweet, just not what I expected (Orvieto perhaps?) We also ordered the bruschetta with gorgonzola, which we thought would be toast topped with cheese. Instead we were subjected to bread absolutely soaked with a cheese sauce. It was... gross. I can't describe it any other way. I like gorgonzola, but this was like someone decided to make a Velveeta version of it. We actually laughed about the dish.

On the other hand, the bar service was very friendly and helpful.

[TSchaad]

Took the wife to Potenza on Monday night for an early dinner to try it out. We arrived earlier than our 6:15 pm reservation time and were seated in the main dining room immediately. I have to give the owners credit - the space in the dining area is comfortable and looks great.

When our waiter arrived, I ordered one of the specialty drinks listed on the menu, and my wife told him she just wanted a glass of water. The waiter immediately went into a detailed description of the three dollar specially flitered still and sparkling waters she could have, giving us the impression that if she wanted anything to drink with our meal (wine, water or cocktail) we would have to pay for it. She declined, and after taking our order, the waiter left without another word. Eventually were served two glasses of (tap?)water just before our entrees arrived.

The food was adequate (she had the manicotti, I had the tortellini), but not quite what I would have expected after reading the extensive descriptions (Braised beef and pine nuts!/Rabbit and truffle stuffed pasta!) on the menu.

What really irked me about our dinner was that I noticed bread baskets on the tables of other diners in our area and we had none. I would have asked the waiter about it, but he was elsewhere and the next person who came close to the table was the man who brought us our entrees. We were more than halfway thru our dinner when, with a flourish, a bread basket was placed on our table, and the olive oil/balsamic vinegar/garlic dipping sauce was presented to us.

I know many will consider these comments to be minor carping, but when a restuarant promises certian kind of dining experience, it is those small things that can make the difference in whether you successfully deliver that experience to your customers. Potenza has a great location and a beautiful space. It just needs more work on the details.

TSchaad

[monavano]

Took the wife to Potenza on Monday night for an early dinner to try it out. We arrived earlier than our 6:15 pm reservation time and were seated in the main dining room immediately. I have to give the owners credit - the space in the dining area is comfortable and looks great.

When our waiter arrived, I ordered one of the specialty drinks listed on the menu, and my wife told him she just wanted a glass of water. The waiter immediately went into a detailed description of the three dollar specially flitered still and sparkling waters she could have, giving us the impression that if she wanted anything to drink with our meal (wine, water or cocktail) we would have to pay for it. She declined, and after taking our order, the waiter left without another word. Eventually were served two glasses of (tap?)water just before our entrees arrived.

The food was adequate (she had the manicotti, I had the tortellini), but not quite what I would have expected after reading the extensive descriptions (Braised beef and pine nuts!/Rabbit and truffle stuffed pasta!) on the menu.

What really irked me about our dinner was that I noticed bread baskets on the tables of other diners in our area and we had none. I would have asked the waiter about it, but he was elsewhere and the next person who came close to the table was the man who brought us our entrees. We were more than halfway thru our dinner when, with a flourish, a bread basket was placed on our table, and the olive oil/balsamic vinegar/garlic dipping sauce was presented to us.

I know many will consider these comments to be minor carping, but when a restuarant promises certian kind of dining experience, it is those small things that can make the difference in whether you successfully deliver that experience to your customers. Potenza has a great location and a beautiful space. It just needs more work on the details.

TSchaad

Thanks for the report. I believe that I have read about the "not tap water-water options" before, and it left me with the impression that they do not serve tap water. Interesting. So, if you hold out until after the hard-sell, and ask for tap, they let you have it. To me, that's getting started off on the wrong foot- I would feel as though I was being cheap if I wanted tap. And believe me, I'd order it anyway.

If you do pay $3, do you get free refills, or is the water $3 a glass?

[asdca]

I've been to Potenza three times. Each time our group has requested tap water with no problems and no attempt to upsell us.

I've been pleased with the food, although the service has been uneven. The last two times I was there, children were part of the group and to their credit, the waitstaff was great with the kids.

The last two times we've also had to ask for bread.

[wolverine]

If you do pay $3, do you get free refills, or is the water $3 a glass?

It's $3 for the table (not per person or glass) with free refills. Choice of filtered still or sparkling. If you want both, it's $6.

[monavano]

I've been to Potenza three times. Each time our group has requested tap water with no problems and no attempt to upsell us.

I've been pleased with the food, although the service has been uneven. The last two times I was there, children were part of the group and to their credit, the waitstaff was great with the kids.

The last two times we've also had to ask for bread.

It's $3 for the table (not per person or glass) with free refills. Choice of filtered still or sparkling. If you want both, it's $6.

Thank you for the information-very helpful.

[jrichstar]

I was fascinated by the nearly concurrent reviews on Potenza---Sietsma in the Post Magazine today and Kliman in this month's Washingtonian. Since the new Washingtonian just came out, it's not available on line yet.

Bottom line: Sietsma gave it a sub-average 1.5 star review; Kliman an above average 2.5 star review.

I respect the critiques of both these guys so it seems pretty unusual that they saw the place so differently.

Sietsma did like the pizza and a few dishes but pretty much panned the place, comparing it to the Olive Garden at one point. Kliman liked many different dishes including the rigatoni, gnocchi, veal scallopini as well as the pizza and desserts.

There was not a lot of overlap in the reviews in regards to dishes. On the gnocchi, Sietsma said that it "grew tiresome a few bites in" and that the Gorgonzola sauce was "restrained." Kliman called the gnocchi "terrific." On the desserts, Sietsma praised them but with just a few afterthought words. Kliman devoted two pictures in the review, calling the panna cotta "marvelous" and the cannoli as "among the best reasons to visit."

Kliman noted that Potenza was an important addition to the traditional Italian scene in DC, given there is not much good in that segment currently.

In reading the reviews, I found Kliman's to be much more engaging. Of course, he had many more words to work with, which may be part of the difference here. In Sietsma's review, I detected a whiff of elitism, especially with that Olive Garden comment.

It may be the length of the reviews or maybe that they just ate different items but I just found the differences to be interesting. Others?

Sietsma's review: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/23/AR2009062302342.html

[DPop]

Another shout out is deserved for the absolutely delicious Fried Risotto Balls, stuffed with generous chunks of wild boar porkiness and sitting on a mild garlic paste. This is the perfect app to share, as they are heavy and rich and will fill you up if you eat too many of them.

The Rigatoni and Sunday Gravy was a different story, unfortunately. The portion is enormous, filling the whole 13" oval plate, with the rigatoni separated from the copious portion of various meats, including a huge meatball, spicy fennel sausage, spare rib, and brasciole. Sounds great, right? The sauce was a rather weak version of a traditional red sauce, too chunky and sweet to be taken seriously (and fairly reminiscent of something you would get in a bottle at Giant). The pasta itself was fine, but shockingly the delicious sounding meat selection was disappointing. The meatball was good, but the fennel sausage had way too much fennel in it and dominated any bite taken that included a piece. The spare rib was totally out of place, a stringy piece of beef that should be taken off this plate. The brasciole was fine but nothing to write home about. Overall, this is an expensive, clunky plate of pasta that was definitely better than something you would get at Olive Garden, but not worth ordering if you come here.

Based on the small slice of Funghi pizza I tried, though, their pizza is worth ordering. The crust was near perfection for me, perfectly thin and crispy with no soggy portions to be found on the big oval offering. I didn't try any but the Pizza ai Frutti di Mare got raves from the people that ordered it at the table.

While I agree in principle with everything Tom said in his review based on my visit, this place deserves more than 1.5 stars, as the pizza and risotto balls are evidence of skill in the kitchen. Hopefully some of that bleeds over into whoever is overseeing the pasta, as this place is in a great location and could be an extermely popular lunch place.

[cutegirlseat2]

Love the food here, that Funghi Pizza mentioned earlier is quite good and those risotto balls...mmm. It is also my new favorite lunch spot.

The set up and flow of the place is kind of strange though. Grateful that the hostess could seat us with no reservation on a busy night, it was at the pizza bar, and your back is to the entire restaurant. The servers seem to kind of forget about you there and it feels funny with your back to everyone else.

[DonRocks]

I have to report one of the worst first impressions for a restaurant I've ever experienced.

This refers to the bakery section, not the wait-staffed section.

My friend and I got there around 1:30, a time when most of the lunch rush has usually passed. The bakery's menu had a small list of sandwiches. I got the muffaletta ($8) and the friend ordered the pancetta and egg panini ($4). We were in a hurry, but they said it would be 5-10 minutes, so we ordered it to eat there.

After 15 minutes, the table next to us got their food, and we were told ours was coming right up.

After another 15 minutes, we couldn't wait any longer (even for take out), so we asked for our money back. Then the cashier tells us, "Oh, that's coming out right now," and she rushed to pull one of the sandwiches off the grill. They offered a free dessert, but we had to leave immediately to get back to work.

The take-out containers did not contain the green salads that we saw the dine-in customers get with their items. My muffaletta filling was good, but the bread was a little too crunchy from sitting on the grill too long. And my friend's panini had no traces of pancetta.

It is totally ridiculous for an item — especially a simple sandwich — ordered at a counter to take 30 minutes to come out.

The Potenza Bakery probably merits its own thread.

I also got the Muffalatta (they spell it with three "a"s), and waited about 10-15 (not 30) minutes for it to be grilled and packaged to go. I thought it was quite good, with boatloads of olive paste coating both sides of the excellent bread which, while grilled, wasn't over-grilled at all. A very good sandwich, packed with Italian meats, not served with a salad, but rather with pre-prepped onion straws, the whole plate being both very salty and somewhat greasy (there's no way a carryout version of these items won't be). It was good, and I liked it, although in full disclosure, I only had a nibble, and (Scrooge that I am) served it to my young dining companion for his dinner this evening rather than springing for a dine-in restaurant meal after our battle on the tennis court. I like the looks of this bakery (not physically, but what they're producing there), and I'd happily return to try another sandwich.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[ghostrider]

Four of us dined at Potenza earlier this week. We were staying out at National Harbor & didn't expect to get into DC for dinner at all, but a friend of ours picked Potenza out of guidebook & said "Let's go!" (Got to love the $30 taxi ride each way but that's a separate issue. )

Overall, food was good & certainly reasonably priced for the quality. The bottomless $3 carafe of sparkling water for the table seemed a bargain.

A bread basket & a plate of oil with garlic & hot peppers came out promptly. Very good.

Our friend was eager to try the cheeses & house-made salumi, so that was our shared starter. Unfortunately they were out of the Salami Finocchiona, so we got only their hot sopressata, which certainly held its own next to the prosciutto di Parma & speck. Accompanied by more of Potenza's excellent breads, this was a treat, though it also showed our table to be so small that the earlier bread & oil had to be removed.

Two of us had spinach pappardelle with veal ragu, a special that night. The house-made pasta was superb, the ragu was peppery & quite good. It was too heavy for me after the cheese & salumi, though; I found myself wishing I'd ordered something lighter. So it goes. Our friend's wife had the pork Milanese, which she loved; my wife had the manicotti, which she also raved about.

I had the chocolate hazelnut gelato while our friends had coffee. I thought it was a complete misfire, full of powdery chocolate which overwhelmed the texture. It had no discernible hazelnut flavor, let alone any hazelnuts.

Here's an oddity: we were so engrossed in the conversation & the food we got, it wasn't until we were back at our hotel that I realized that the Insalate Rucola e Portobello we'd ordered never showed up. We didn't see our friends again for the rest of our stay so I never got to ask them if it appeared on the bill.

I'd return if I were craving this sort of food in DC. I'd also keep a closer eye on things.

[jiveturk21]

It has been over a month since three of us ventured there on a Thursday night, so my recollection will not be perfect. I remember liking the restaurant a lot, I liked the vibe, even though it can get a bit loud, and thought that our server was one of the best that we had in quite a while, very cheerful. We ordered from all over the menu, the pizza and appetizers were standouts, the Sunday Gravy dish a bit of a disappointment. I also remember saying, "That is a great dessert.", but I have no clue what it was. Most importantly, however, I remember walking away from there happy, which is what a restaurant is supposed to do.

[DonRocks]

Zagat Buzz has a good little blurb about this place ... have been eyeing the progress with every dog-walk down 8th Street and it's looking pretty good. Breakfast all day floats my boat, anyway; we'll see how the rest goes.

On a somewhat unrelated note, the Potenza ad on Zagat just makes me want to die.

Rustic. This place is about as rustic as the Burj Khalifa.

This, coming from someone who went into both Potenza's bakery this afternoon (Large Coffee), and also the wine shop (2008 Mazzolino Bonarda). As I got change from my three one-dollar bills, I asked the bakery cashier, "where's your tip jar?"

"It's right here in my hand," she said, offering an open palm.

Fifty cents later, I was out the door, smiling.

[New Foodie]

I work about a block from Potenza, so lots of people from my office go there for lunches. Today was my first time there (for a going away lunch since tomorrow is my last day at this office). While I would say it was a mixed bag, I think I'd still go back at some point to try out more of the menu.

For lunch they have a pretty good deal with a choice between a salad and soup (today was mixed greens with balsamic or chilled tomato) then choice of sandwich (today eggplant and pepper or salmon). Both come with a small bag of cookies that you can eat in or take back with you. All of this is $15. Some other sandwiches and salads are offered as daily specials along with their normal pasta, pizza, meat options, etc.

I will say that the bread basket is quite good with some pieces of soft focaccia and really tasty breadsticks. The dipping oil has some great spices in it as well. For my first course I swapped the tomato soup for Ribollita, and while it wasn't nearly as good as what I got in Florence, it was a tasty bowl of greens, beans and vegetables with a crouton on top (I prefer more bread in my ribollita). My second course was the eggplant and roasted red pepper sandwich with an artichoke spread on parmesan bread. The sandwich was pretty blah tasting and definitely could've used more seasoning. I couldn't really taste the artichoke spread and it was all overwhelmed by the pepper. The homemade chips served with it though were quite delicious.

The pizzas and pastas coming out to other tables looked much better than my sandwich, and I'd look forward to giving those a shot next time.

[cjsadler]

For lunch they have a pretty good deal with a choice between a salad and soup (today was mixed greens with balsamic or chilled tomato) then choice of sandwich (today eggplant and pepper or salmon). Both come with a small bag of cookies that you can eat in or take back with you. All of this is $15. Some other sandwiches and salads are offered as daily specials along with their normal pasta, pizza, meat options, etc.

Had the other lunch special they offer, the $26 'lunch for two', the other week. It includes a salad and a pasta, both family size. The salad size was fine, but the family that the pasta portion was intended for must have been a family of two orphaned four year olds. Pretty lame deal.

[lindzjax]

Dreadful. Lovely evening, lovely patio. Nice server. Terrible food. Terrible. Bland and flavorless. Not worth the money in the least.

[Tujague]

I was there this past Wednesday night for the first time and had the Gnocchi all' Aglio Arrostito (gnocchi, fava beans, cippollini onions, parmesan broth); it was tasty, though not the tenderest gnocchi I've ever had. Several of my table mates had pizzas; I took home the leftovers and wasn't very impressed. They had extremely thin bottom crusts with an almost equally thin covering of sauce and cheese. The house negroni was very odd, made with Italian orange brandy. With its sugared rim, it had a vaguely chocolate flavor and a jarring sweetness that covered almost all the campari--certainly none of the subtle bitterness you get with a traditional negroni. What's the point? But the service was friendly, and it wound up being a decent choice for a last-minute gathering for six people.

[ktmoomau]

Had dinner here last night with some friends. I think it is fine, but not really anything special. And totally not worth falling off the gluten wagon for, but I did, oh well. The bread basket was very good, and I really like their dipping sauce. The risotto balls were very good, although the sauce was perhaps unnecessary, but was good. The calamari were fine, nothing special, but a good snack, I didn't really care for the dipping sauce at all for those.

I had the spinach paparadelle with veal bolognese. The paparadelle was all stuck together, which of course made it very starchy. The sauce was good, but a bit odd, the vegetables were rather chunky, which I actually like, but there was both what seemed to be ground veal, and then shredded meat that did not really seem like veal to me, but perhaps it was from shank or cheek or something, it was a good sauce, just the texture seemed off a bit, especially with the varying meat textures. Not the most finessed plates, and very large portions. The sound of gnocchi seemed tempting, but I knew they couldn't pull off pillowy gnocchi.

Wine list is all Italian which would be fine, except the wait staff has very little real wine knowledge, and no one in our party really is very well versed in Italian wines, we are more of a French and New World crowd. I had a glass of wine at the bar, it wasn't great, but that's life.

So much food we passed on dessert. Again it was fine, food was good, just not Dino or other place good. I can see the appeal if you are closeby or want a big portion of decent food. But it isn't a travel to type of place.

[DonRocks]

Potenza is closing on August 18th, to be taken over by Jeff Buben (and its sibling restaurant Zola is closing on June 30th, to be taken over by Think Food Group).