THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Piattini Wine Cafe

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Piattini Wine Cafe Restaurant Review:

Like its petite Newbury Street sibling, the larger, sleeker Columbus Avenue branch of Piattini aims to strike the balance between fad and tradition, with modestly successful results. It emphasizes tapas-style small plates of otherwise relatively simple, appealing Italian fare: composed salads, stuffed vegetables, several varieties of ravioli. Though the kitchen is pro-pungency---partial to smoked cheeses, pestos and strong cream sauces---it's anti-novelty, so the flavors are bold without being bewildering. We especially like the napoleon of eggplant, mozzarella and sun-dried tomato with truffle cream. Other dishes suffer from overpowering sweetness, however---both the Marsala-sauced veal ravioli and the butternut ravioli come to mind. Meanwhile, Piattini's user-friendly wine program further encourages the mixing and matching of small plates and glasses (or even flights). That said, square-meal types are hardly at a loss: numerous salads and pastas come in larger sizes as well, and there are even a few straightforward entrées.