Bottega Louie

Bottega Louie Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: Bottega Louie is a cavernous Italian restaurant/gourmet market located downtown, and its good value and versatility contribute to a unique dining concept. The design --- some Rococo accents infused into the historic Beaux Arts Brockman Building --- features a sea of tables amid high ceilings and marble surfaces. It’s a very noisy, bustling environment.

Food & Drinks: The menu for sit-down service features generous salads, thin-crusted pizzas, house-made pastas, and main courses like grilled branzino, hanger steak in black truffle sauce, or sautéed chicken with artichoke hearts, capers and garlic. A wide array of small plates is offered as well, mostly presenting quality ingredients with little unnecessary embellishment: roasted beets with goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes with burrata, or crab beignets. The California/Italian wine list proposes about 20 wines by the glass or half-glass. For dessert, options include peanut butter terrine with chocolate sauce, tiramisu and chocolate soufflés. Bottega Louie is a popular spot for breakfast before heading into the office, whether for a café au lait and croissant, or eggs Benedict. Weekend brunches offer a wide selection of treats, from lobster hash to lemon-ricotta pancakes. On the way out, stop at the pâtisserie for some éclairs, beignets or Parisian-style macarons to go, or grab some cheeses and specialty ingredients from the market.