A Bocca Lupo Birthday Fete!

Just returned from an early birthday evening at Bocca Lupo, and it was remarkable.  The restaurant is located on Edgewood in the artsy, eclectic Inman Park area of Atlanta. It's a small neighborhood restaurant feel inside that seats 40 (although there is very cool outside seating that looks fun), but the atmosphere is warm albeit very loud once prime time hits.

753 Edgewood Avenue, NE

Atlanta, GA  30307

404/577-2332

Photo Credit: Zagats

Chef Bruce Logue is from Atlanta but attended culinary school in Vermont and worked in Boston before being a sous chef under Mario Batali at Babbo. After a stint in California he studied in Italy before returning home to open La Pietra Cucina. Bocca Lupo is all about the exquisite pastas. And after a recent trip to Italy ourselves, my family commented on the fact that it felt we were transported back there - if only for one night....

My family (of 4 adults) arrived a little earlier than expected but were still given a table.  Unfortunately my husband and I faced a wall, so we missed the ambiance of the place totally, but the atmosphere overall is comfy and casual and well... feels like Italy.

We met our waiter, Kyle, immediately and went to work figuring out what drinks to order.

My husband's and my view for the evening - our "kids" and the taupe wall:

Breadsticks are waiting for you at the table when you arrive.

Here's a shot of the small but vibrant bar and of us taking our menu studying very seriously:

My husband went with their version of a Moscow Mule.  I loved it, but he thought it was too heavy handed with the lime, so I happily traded.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

The rest of the group went with The Siren:  Barolo Chinato (a vermouth) Tito's Vodka, Lemon, Grapefruit Bitters, Fevertree Ginger Ale.  It was smooth and delicious and not too sweet.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Next up we went with a few appetizers.  I had read about a couple that I HAD to sample.  First up was the Prosciutto on flatbread:  Iowa prosciutto, piadina, my ricotta, pineapple mostarda.  This dish was so good - although I'm the only one that liked the pineapple mostarda, as it was sweet.  But I like the combination of the salty thinly sliced warmed prosciutto with the creamy ricotta and sweet pineapple preserves.  It's a dish I'll be thinking about for a while...

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

We also went with the octopus appetizer and were glad we did.  The combination of flavors it TO DIE FOR - Octopus & mortadella spiedino, shell beans, bacon, marsala.  And with our group of 4, both of these appetizers were easy to share - just enough to whet your appetite for the main event without weighing you down.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

It took some doing, but we finally narrowed down our entree selections.  I went with the 20 yolk tagliatelle dish:  20 yolk tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, Tuscan kale Kimchi & butter.  The pasta was perfectly crafted, and the dish was less rich than I expected - which is a good thing.  I also didn't expect a kick - it was definitely the spiciest of the meals we sampled, but that spice cut any richness of the butter and pasta.  There was nothing left on the plate in the end.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

My husband chose the classic pasta with bolognese: Wide pappardelle, bolognese gravy, American parm.  I almost went for this myself, and I probably would order it for me next time I'm at Bocca Lupo.  The bolognese is spot on and that pappardelle! Wow!  Loved every bite.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

My daughter chose the Handmade garganelli, chicken & veal ragu, field peas, summer squash dish.  I'm not sure I've ever had the garganelli pasta, but it was expertly prepared.  The dish had a rich texture, and the chicken and veal ragu was out of this world.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

My son went with the black spaghetti dish: Black spaghetti, hot calabrese sausage, red shrimp, scallions.  This dish is wonderful - again, a great combination of flavors, but the star of the show to me is the pasta.  Each bite is buttery goodness.  Our waiter had warned our son of the spiciness of the dish, but I never tasted anything spicy - the sausage was the heat here, and I suppose I never had one of those.  But this dish was very very good.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Since it was a birthday celebration we relented to getting dessert (even though we were pretty stuffed).  Their cappuccino was amazing:

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

And they brought me a little surprise - a candle atop a molten chocolate concoction that tasted like salted caramel candy.  DELISH!

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

And because it took a while to prepare the chocolate dish, they brought us out a pre-dessert treat - a pumpkin gelato with a cinnamon cookie and a fabulous chocolate cookie with a creamy chocolate center. Ridiculously good.

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

Happy early Birthday to me!

Photo Credit: Cate Bogue

It was a wonderful evening of celebration, and I hope to be back soon. The atmosphere was warm and fun; the service was spot on (thank you Kyle), but the star of the show was THE FOOD. Totally felt transported to Italy, and being there sparked many culinary memories and discussions of favorite haunts we enjoyed while in Rome and Florence.