Aldo's Restaurant
In the Little Italy neighborhood just east of the Inner Harbor, chef Aldo Vitale converted two abandoned rowhouses on High Street to create an atmosphere straight out of Tuscany, with soft hues of ivory and rose decorating the rooms. At Aldo's, which opened in 1997, you'll find tournedos Rossini, a filet mignon treatment with foie gras and black truffle sauce, or more mainstream entrees including zuppa fagiole (bean soup), pappardelle in Bolognese sauce and osso buco. Aldo's makes its long pastas in-house. Check the menu for Aldo's "Degustazione of Pasta"
for two, including small tasting portions of pastas and risotto. Aldo's garners top rankings from Zagat as the highest-scoring Italian restaurant in Maryland and Baltimore Magazine's (B-Mag's) highly regarded restaurant rankings, taking seventh place in the 2009 "best restaurants" list. B-Mag also named the belowground private Tuscan wine cellar, with its barrel-vaulted ceiling and chestnut dining table, as "Baltimore's Best Private Dining Room."
Aldo's Restaurant
306 S. High St.
Baltimore, MD 21202-4333
(410) 727-0700
aldositaly.com
Sotto Sopra
The elegant Mount Vernon neighborhood north of the Inner Harbor situates Sotta Sopra, with its nut-brown awning presaging the bright murals and floor-length drapes of the interior. The restaurant's name means "upside down" literally, and also refers to owner Riccardo Bossio's hometown of Bergamo, with an uptown and downtown called "sotto" and "sopra." If you want la cucina autentica in a Northern regional tradition, come here for pappardelle with smoked mozzarella, vitello tonnato (veal in tuna sauce) and homemade sorbet for dessert. The restaurant's cleverly designed menu resembles an Italian newspaper, with headlines, photos and text. Well-placed for post-concert groups coming from the nearby Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Sotto Sopra also appeals to homesick Italians from Bergamo and the north who want the real thing. The restaurant sets up special Sardinian traditional dinners, theater specials, live opera with gourmet dinners, Italian happy hours and cooking classes. Sotto Sopra boasts awards for best homemade pasta, best late-night noshing and Baltimore's best Italian restaurant from Zagat, the City Paper and B-Mag.
Sotto Sopra
405 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21201-4414
(410) 625-0534
sottosoprainc.com
Della Notte Ristorante
If you want a little night music with your minestrone, Della Notte ("of the night") schedules live piano vocalists seven nights a week. Its chefs present both innovative and traditional fare from a freestanding, block-long building, with faux stone walls, that anchors the southeast corner of Little Italy near Harbor East. Allow time to go through the 1,400 selections on the wine list. The giant dining room features a tree pieced together from several real oaks, marble columns and Roman emperor busts right out of "I Claudius." You can order artichokes, ravioli, pasta with seafood, lamb, chicken Marsala, oriecchiette and varied desserts including tiramisu. Out-of-towners may especially enjoy the playfulness of the Italian fantasyland décor. Della Notte's awards include making B-Mag's list of top Baltimore restaurants in 2009, at No. 27.
Della Notte Ristorante
801 Eastern Ave.
Baltimore, MD
(410) 837-5500
dellanotte.com
