Il Ponte: Italian Cuisine in Woburn--First Impressions

I've known Chef Beni Kurti for several years, as he's a regular customer at the wine shop where I work, and he often spoke of his desire to open his own restaurant. Last fall, his dream came true when he opened Il Ponte, an Italian restaurant at 428 Main Street in Woburn. I wasn't aware of his new restaurant until recently and I soon after dined there, enjoying an impressive dinner. I will definitely return again soon, to taste more of the menu, and it earns my hearty recommendation. 

Beni, a native of the Umbria region of Italy, has lived in the U.S. for about ten years or so and has many years of experience in the restaurant industry. His wife, Hortenca Sheshori, who is also a native of Italy, also has numerous years of restaurant experience, and she works at Il Ponte as well. Even Beni's son works there, a true family affair. 

The homey restaurant, with a casual elegance, seats about 50 people, and has a small bar with about seven seats. The restaurant was nearly full on a Sunday evening, and if you wish to dine there on Friday or Saturday nights, you should make reservations due to the restaurant's popularity. 

Each table receives a complimentary basket of fresh, warm and tasty bread and foccaia, with a small tub of olive oil and garlic cloves. What an excellent way to begin your dinner! I love warm bread, and smeared garlic and olive oil on my slice. 

They have a full bar, with a number of Signature Cocktails (most about $14), from the classic Aperol Spritz to Beni's Limoncello Martini. They also have four beers, from Moretti to Heineken. The Wine list is relatively small, with about 25 choices, mostly Italian, although with choices from France, California, and Argentina. Most choices by the glass cost $12-$14 and about 20 of the bottles range cost from $42-$99, with a few splurge choices, costing $110-$590. 

I ordered a bottle of the 2015 Carus Gaudio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, a delicious wine, nicely balanced, with flavors of cherry and red fruit, mild spices, restrained tannins, good acidity, and a backbone of minerality. A very nice choice.  

The Food Menu has plenty of options from Appetizers to Pasta, Entrees to Pizza. All of the Pasta is made in-house and the Pizza is Napoletana. You could begin with Octopus, Beef Carpaccio or Prosciutto & Burrata Umbrian Style. A few of the Pasta dishes include Spicy Rigatoni, Squid Ink Pasta with Polipo, and Gnocchi all Sorrentina. And a few of the Entrees include Honey Lavender Duck, Tonno al Pepe Verde, and Pork Tovarisch. 

We began with the Caesar Salad ($13), an ample bowl of fresh lettuce, croutons, parmesan cheese and a slightly creamy caesar dressing. A fine rendition of this classic dish.

As an Appetizer, we also ordered a pasta dish, the Tortellini alla Norcina ($28), a traditional Umbrian dish. The tortellini was stuffed with beef, covered in a creamy truffle sauce, crumbled sausage and pecorino romano. Another ample dish, the tortellini was delicious, the pasta cooked just right, with a rich and tasty cream sauce, with the pungent aroma of truffle, and plenty of nicely seasoned sausage. The pasta was well covered by the sauce but didn't swim in a pool of it. I definitely want to try more of their pasta dishes. 

For an Entree, I ordered the Veal alla Petroniana ($42), which consists of eight ounces of Bologna style veal, truffle pan fried, and topped with prosciutto and Parmigiano. It's accompanied by some arugula and a slice of lemon. The veal was very tender and flavorful, with a crispy coating, plenty of prosciutto (adding some saltiness) and melted cheese, and a mild truffle flavor. An excellent choice and highly recommended.

Finally, we ordered the Quatro Formagi Pizza ($21), a white pizza with mozzarella, parmigiana, gorgonzola, and pecorino, all drizzled with truffle honey. The crust was perfect, light, airy and crisp, with some slight charring. The cheese blend was delicious, with only a light application of truffle honey, so that it wasn't overly sweet, but rather nicely balanced between salt and sweet. I'd definitely return here even just for pizza. 

Service was excellent, and we had a delicious and pleasing dining experience. Chef Kurti has created a fine Italian restaurant and I hope to return again soon. If you're seeking a new restaurant to explore, then you definitely should check out Il Ponte.