Blackburn + Sweetzer Has Moved

Clockwise from top left: the beef carpaccio (which I’d already dug into); the fusillini with lamb ragu; the desserts; the husband’s lasagna; click to expand

Friday night, the husband and I hit Minestraio, the new incarnation in the former La Terza space at the Orlando Hotel.

The chefs are the same (chef Gino Angelini and co-chef-owner Gianluca Sarti), as is the decor, as is the toasted buttery bread brought to the table. What’s different is the abundance of handcrafted pastas ($8-$16) and trattoria-style main dishes ($14-$19.50) such as rotisserie chicken and French fries and grilled sausage with roasted potatoes.

Minestraio’s first official night was bustling; I’ve been to La Terza a number of times, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it so busy with the first and second floor nearly completely filled, as well as the bar area.

We started with the beef carpaccio, arugula and parmigiano ($8.50)—razor-thin slices of beef pulled apart with ease, given edge with the bite of arugula and tang of dressing. I had the fusilli with lamb ragu and mint ($12.50); the husband had the lasagna with beef ragu and bechamel ($12). Mine was very satisfying with bits of tender lamb, hits of mint, and enough to take home for another meal; the lasagna was mild and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The wine list offered a handful of $21 bottles and $6 glasses.

For dessert, it was grandmother’s pine nut tart with vanilla bean gelato for me and chocolate cake with apricot marmalade for the husband. Mwah and mwah. I have to say, I’m pretty ecstatic about this development and couldn’t be hapier to add this to our restaurant rotation.

» Eats—La Terza Morphs Into More Affordable Minestraio