Uva for Brunch

Various friends kept telling us great things about Uva, so finally one spring Sunday we went to see what all the hype was about.

Uva is known as a wine-bar restaurant, so perhaps choosing to go for brunch wasn't going to give us a most representative sample of the menu.  But folks had told us that the brunch fare was better than dinner, so we took their advice.  The setting is quaint; very old-world decor with a covered garden seating area in the back.  All the staff we encountered were quite friendly and prompt, and the place had attracted a good crowd for a Sunday afternoon (we had reservations).  

We started off with a bruschette of sundried tomato puree, pine nuts and pesto.  Mel couldn't get enough of it because she loves pine nuts.  DJ enjoyed it as well, but he also enjoyed the fresh bread that came with the polpettine di vitello (veal meatballs)!  The meatballs were so tender and juicy, and their sauce nearly had us licking the pan.  Either way we sliced it, we were pleased with our appetizers.

For the main course, Mel was in the mood for a typical brunch so she got the Ortolana frittate.  The vegetable combination was great, and the frittate itself was nice and fluffy.  But the portion is pretty hefty, so if you've just filled up on appetizers you might wind up only eating a fraction of it (as Mel did).  Nothing particularly unique about it, but then again it's very hard to come up with anything new in the realm of eggs.  Great dish if you're in the mood for it.

DJ tried the gnocchi di ricotta to get a taste of Uva's more savory fare.  Also a great dish, though nothing in particular to write home about.

We enjoyed Uva's overall vibe, and the food was tasty.  But we weren't quite sure why so many friends had gone out of their way to recommend it.  We will definitely have to go back to sample the dinner menu at some point to see what might have made it stand out to others.