THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Trattoria Neapolis Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Trattoria Neapolis Restaurant Review:

An ambitious concept, Neapolis occupies a dramatic space, with a long white marble bar, matching wood-trimmed tables and wrought-iron railing along the mezzanine level, where classic Italian movies add visual interest. The centerpiece of chef Bryant Wigger’s open kitchen is a 7,000-pound, custom-made pizza oven imported from Naples. The pizzas, particularly the one with wild mushrooms, mascarpone and guanciale, are very good. Among antipasti, wood-grilled baby octopus arrives with Cerignola olives on a crispy potato pancake with sweet tomato-infused oil, while veal-and-pork meatballs are a standout. Another starter is a play on caprese salad, in which tomato slices are paired with a clever fig-balsamic sorbetto and an unfortunately (at least on a recent evening) rubbery warm mozzarella. Gnocchi are feather light, but overwhelmed by smoked pork shoulder, and rigatoni Bolognese is prepared with beef short rib, and spiked with pancetta. Our favorite main dish is a mushroom-crusted pork chop, prepared sous-vide, resulting in tender pink meat, sliced thin. For desserts, there is a light, unconventional tiramisu that layers mascarpone with peaches, and moist flourless chocolate cake with peanut butter gelato. The Cal-Italian wine list offers many interesting bottles, and a beer sommelier has assembled an engaging list of craft beers.