Scopa

Healdsburg, CA

I've been looking forward to dining at this popular restaurant for a while. Yelper reviews and my local friends really enjoy the home style Italian cooking in this tiny restaurant featured in Healdsburg's square. Its actually so tiny that you can walk right by, which we did a couple of times. It has become so popular that locals can't even enjoy walking in because its too crowded with wine country tourists. We were the tourists for this weekend and met up with Midas and Goldie for a Saturday night dinner. Since many of our friends have already dined here, they passed on a handful of recommendations, which we ordered all of.

House-made Ciabatta Bread with Dry Creek Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

It seems silly, but yes you have to order bread and oil, usually a standard freebie, but here is costs six bucks.

Fried Arancini - breaded risotto balls

The arancini was piping hot and fresh with a nice crunchy bite accompanied with marinara sauce, but I liked the ones at Dopo in Oakland better.

Burrata Cheese (mozzarella paradise), arugula, grilled bread

The burrarta was excellent; cool, fresh, and flavorful. Most fresh burrata offerings are bland and taste like nothing, but this one lived up to the recommendation. 

Polpette Calabrese - spicy meatballs with smoked mozzarella in tomato sauce

The meatballs had a nice spicy kick and were blistering hot, presented in a cast iron skillet. Wasn't as good as Tony's Napoletana in the city, but a solid offering.

House made Ravioli with ricotta cheese in a tomato basil sauce topped with parmigiana

It was nice to receive a ravioli dish that had more than five pieces in it. A simple preparation of ricotta cheese filling and tomato basil sauce topped with grated parmigiana.

Tagliatelle boar bolognese

My favorite dish of the night. Delicate fresh tagliatelle generously covered in a bolognese bursting with rich, hearty boar flavor.

Grilled Rib-Eye Steak with rosemary roasted  potatoes and arugula-parmigiano insalatina

Beautifully presented on a wooden carving board, the crusty rib eye was pre-sliced with a mountain of roasted potatoes and a pile of arugula. The steak was cooked medium, a little overcooked by my standards, but carried a nice rosemary flavor.

Pizza Del Giorno - Speck and Arugula

The pizza, which some have said it was best they've ever had, was a disappointment. It felt a little undercooked, and at this point int time was a bit tired of having arugula on almost every dish. 

With all this food and a bottle of Prosecco, the total was less than $50 bucks a person, very reasonably priced. If I were a local, I would probably really like this place. It's simple, friendly, makes unpretentious food with a neighborhood feel. But it's not a memorable, destination, Italian restaurant like Oenotri or Mozza, but overall a nice local joint where you can have a great time with good company.

Rating 6.5/10
February 19, 2011