A Tavola: Compelling Italian Cuisine in Winchester

As I've mentioned multiple times before, the Italian cuisine of Chef Joe Carli of A Tavola in Winchester is as good as anything you'll find in Boston's North End. It also made my list of 2022: My Favorite Restaurants. And if you live in the suburbs north of Boston, it's far easier to reach A Tavola than battle the traffic and parking issues of the North End. 

Last Friday night, I dined once again at A Tavola, sitting at the Chef's Counter, which looks directly into their small kitchen. It's a small and intimate restaurant, with a patio so you can dine outside if you so desire. Their menu often highlights local and seasonal ingredients, and a blackboard in the restaurant mentions those local producers. Their wine list concentrates on Italian wines, and there are many very good choices. They also have a full liquor license so you can opt for a variety of cocktails too. 

I opted for a bottle of wine to accompany our dinner, and I selected the 2016 Marco Bonfante Albarone. The winery was founded in 2000, but the family has been involved in wine production in Piedmont for eight generations. This wine is made from 100% Albarossa, a cross between Chatus and Barbera, and this grape became part of the Piemonte DOC Albarossa in 2009. About 70% of the grapes in this wine are first dried, similar in some respects to Amarone (hence the name "Albarone."). The wine then ages for about 24 months in French and then for another 12 months in the bottle.

With an alluring aroma of black fruit and spice, the palate presented elegance and restrained power, with a complex and delicious melange of blueberry, plum, black berry, spices and a touch of balsamic. The tannins were restrained, and it had a smooth and rich mouthfeel. The finish was long and pleasing, the acidity was excellent, and overall, it was an exceptional wine. 

For a first course, we began with two dishes, including this Burrata, with thyme roasted peaches, hot honey and EVOO. What a fine combination of flavors and textures, with the creamy burrata, the firm and sweet peaches, and the sweet, spicy honey. A taste of summer! 

Chef Carli is a wizard with home-made pasta, and you'll never go wrong with any of his pasta dishes, which are available as either half or full orders. I like getting a half-order of a pasta dish as a first course/appetizer. The Ravioli were parmesan filled, with a corn brodo, charred corn, sun-dried tomato and oregano. Another amazing pasta dish! Well balanced, full of flavor, and also with a summery taste. The ravioli were delicious, enhanced by the rich corn and tomato, and I even sopped up the last bits of it with my bread. I think the corn brodo, charred corn and sun-dried tomato would also be great atop scallops. 

For my entree, I chose the Crispy Pork Milanese, topped by a mizuna salad, lemon, and shaved parmesan. That was a huge piece of pork! The Pork Milanese was exceptional, incredibly tender with a delicious, and almost buttery, crunchy coating. Each bite was a pure delight and I made sure to finish it off, not wanting even a single bite to go to waste. One of the best Milanese dishes I've enjoyed in quite some time. Highly recommended. 

A Special for the evening was Blue Fin Tuna, seared rare, served atop basically a Greek salad. The Blue Fin consisted of two large and thick pieces of tender, rich and flavorful tuna. The knife sliced so easily through the tuna. The salad ingredients were fresh and tasty, and this dish also was a summery delight. 

For dessert, I decided on the S'mores, made with chocolate custard, graham cracker, and topped with toasted fluff.  A satisfying ending to dinner, with smooth, rich chocolate custard, crunchy grahams, and the sweet, thick and toasty fluff. 

I definitely need to dine here more often, and highly recommend it to all of my readers. It's a restaurant well worthy of your support, and it provides excellent Italian cuisine in a small, intimate setting. I've been a fan of this restaurant since soon after its opening, and its quality hasn't diminished in the least. If anything, it's only gotten better. 

A Tavola also has a couple wine dinners coming in the next few months. I've been to prior wine dinners and they were also impressive events, with lots of tasty food and wine. First, on September 27, there will be a wine dinner with Fantasy Fine Wines, and then on November 8, there will be a wine dinner with Vietti & M.S. Walker. You can get more information on their Calendar page.

So go and make a reservation for A Tavola!