Sac Foodies

Buona – whati?

October 13, 2008

I’d like to think I can speak English fluently and Germish (my affectionate nickname for the German/English hybrid we sometimes speak at home) quite well. But when it comes to Italian, I’m hopeless. So when a friend invited me to attend the grand opening of Buonarroti the other night, I knew the first task at hand would be learning how to pronounce the restaurant’s name and finding out what it means.

Partially due to my lack of Italian language expertise, and partially as a reflection of the delicious food we devoured, I would have assumed that Buonarroti meant something along the lines of “decadent” or maybe “sophisticated.” For all I knew, it could have meant “rich in flavor” too. Any of these words or phrases could easily have been used to describe our dining experience. When it came time to order, we were still playing a guessing game.

Luckily, everyone in the group that I was with paid close attention in kindergarten so we were all fans of the “taste and share” method. I ordered the Buonarroti Salad and was pleasantly surprised – it was hearty enough to feel like dinner but light enough to appease my salad craving.

Among the other favorites at our table were Caprese Salad, Gnocchi, and the Butternut Squash Ravioli Special.

In addition to the food being excellent, head chef and owner Daniel Alcantaro could not have been more of a crowd pleaser. Alcantaro and his wife seamlessly floated from table to table, entertaining guests and providing background on each dish.

So what does “Buonarroti” mean? Well, it’s Michaelangelo’s last name, of course!

By Brittany Mohr 

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