SOTTO SOTTO

If you have lived in Atlanta for any length of time and you are a fan of Italian restaurants, no doubt you've heard of Sotto Sotto, and its tradition for excellence.

A cursory glance over at their website and you will find the following distinctions: "Best Italian Restaurant - Creative Loafing, 1999 through 2004;" Best of Citysearch Italian Editorial Winner 2000, 2002, 2003;" Citysearch National Winner Best Italian 2003;") and John Kessler's (of the Atlanta Journal/Constitution) choice for Best Italian in 2003.

With a plethora of accolades, I cannot believe that I've managed to live in this city for ten years and not dine at this celebrated restaurant.

I decided to change that recently, with high hopes of a truly superior dining experience.

When I made my reservation on line, I noted that I did not want a table in the center of the restaurant, nor did I desire one of those tables that are so close to each other that you can smell a stranger's "Right Guard" that they applied eight hours ago. To me, you're not really dining if you have to filter the conversation so that your neighbors will not be offended, irritated, or downright mortified.

The hostess showed my two dining companions and yours truly to our table. While it was not in the center of the restaurant as I had requested, it was situated along "Table Row" as I will henceforth designate the aforementioned "scrunched tables." When I brought this to our hostess' attention, she offered to sit us in the front of the restaurant - along another line of "Table Row." Huh? She apparently did not understand what I was saying or chose to ignore it. At this point I decided to let it go. After all, there was no use getting all worked up over the table location, considering it was a small price to pay if the food were as elite as I was led to believe.

My two friends, not known for their girth, skipped appetizers altogether and ordered their entrees. I , not wanting to feel like a fat cow, acquiesced and ordered my entree as well.

I chose the Spaghetti del Pescatore, while my dining companions, John and Tre, ordered Tortelli di Michelangelo and the Lasagnette alle Bolognese, respectively. As they arrived at the table I was eager to sample mine, but John noted that my neophyte blogging duties required that I nibble on everyone's first.

I first sampled the Tortelli di Michelangelo - an interesting blend of chicken, veal and pork in ravioli in a butter/sage sauce. The description of "sauce" was a misnomer, as there was only a scintilla of it, making it rather dry to the taste. So dry, in fact, that John inquired with the waiter if he could bring some additional sauce. The meshing of the three types of meat in the ravioli, as tasty as it sounded to me, resulted in surprisingly insipid results, perhaps encumbered by the dryness issue.

I then moved on to Tre's. Much to my chagrin, I too, found his selection seemingly nuked, stunningly similar to John's. Taste wise, it wasn't bursting with flavor either, possessing a banality that was quite unexpected in light of how luscious the description on the menu appeared to be. I was now 0 for 2.

Normally, I am the one who predominantly orders the wrong menu item, but tonight the restaurant gods were on my side. My Spaghetti del Pescatore, described as "spaghetti mixed with seafood and spicy tomato broth" hit the spot, though "spicy" was a slight overstatement. It had merely a slight kick but was definitely a palatable selection. It reminded me why I came to this restaurant in the first place. And my entree, portion-wise, was quite satisfying, whereas the other two I partook of had only meager quantities which would not have filled me at all had I ordered those selections.

The dessert options did not inspire us at all, and we asked for our check. It was at that point that John astutely pointed out that the waiter had not told us his name all night. I started thinking about his service, and it did possess an aloof quality. He was not rude by any means, but friendliness certainly did not emanate at all. Our drinks were completely empty on several occasions, which should not happen at a restaurant of this ilk.

Since this is my first column, I should expound on the final criteria for my reviews, which will differentiate them from other critics. Portions play a factor, as does the "comfort-level" of the restaurant, which is grouped in the ambience category. Being crammed tightly into a space or learning that the gentleman next to you had a prostate exam that day would tend to lower this score. Lastly, the diversity of the dining patrons will be evaluated. In fairness, restaurants cannot control completely the diverse nature of its clientele. However, let's face it, we are often more likely to dine at a place in an environment befitting our cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Thus, these criteria will be evaluated as well.

Additionally, I will note if there are vegetarian options and also whether choices are available for the lactose intolerant.

After completing my overall dining experience, my scores looked like this:

FOOD: B+

SERVICE: C+

PORTIONS: B-

AMBIENCE/COMFORT: C+

DIVERSITY OF DINING PATRONS: Very Little

VEGETARIAN OPTIONS: Yes

OPTIONS OF LACTOSE INTOLERANT: Yes

OVERALL GRADE: B-

FINAL COMMENT: Judging from the wait time as I left the restaurant, my opinions of Sotto Sotto are likely in the minority. But, hey, it's my blog with different evaluative criteria. See you at the next restaurant.