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Panza, North End, Boston Revisited Dinner

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Graduation season was in full swing and as a result every restaurant in the North End had exponential waiting time, with or without with reservations. Even Mike’s Pastry had a line out the door and down the corner. The longest line we have seen.

Our love of Panza’s appetizers is not a hidden love and was a great primer to Panza’s entrees and the full dinner experience.  The last solid Italian dinner was at Erbaluce in the Theater District and we were really looking forward to another one. The evening of our visit we had an additional half hour wait with our reservation, but was happy to wait at Volle Nolle for wine and an appetizer across the street.

Panza’s cozy atmosphere had a fast pacer, louder buzz and harried nature. The hostess was noticeably busy and the restaurant had a completely different vibrancy than our previous dining experiences. Panza was fully packed.

The specials featured that evening included a homemade sangria, burrata and beef ravioli. Three of the four items, we had to try. The only dish we will have to come back for was the saffron fettuchini with lobster meat, baby spinach and grape tomatoes in a fresh herb, garlic white wine sauce for $23.

As we decided what we were going to eat, we enjoyed Panza’s complimentary crusty bread. Our friend who is an Italy expert mentioned the olive oil quality we were served was just okay. I would not have known the wiser and like a novice, sprinkled my bread with parmesean cheese.

The homemade red sangria special ($9) was lovely. The spice flavor and citrus notes were layered and reminded me of autumn.

We enjoyed a bottle of Tuscan chianti from Rocca delle Macie, which had a dark berry flavor, including a nice combination of cherries and plum.

We enjoyed the burrata special. The cream filled fresh mozzarella ball over sliced tomato with slivers of basil and extra virgin olive oil was rich and fresh ($10). Absolutely lovely. We are huge fans of Fiore Di Nonno burrata for at home buratta consumption.

We split our favorite, the grilled Italian Greens ($7). The escarole, radicchio, baby arugula, crispy polenta, gorgonzola sauce, balsamic drizzle flavors were perfect per usual. However, the polenta came out was piping hot as if it wasn’t rested to proper serving temperature and burned the roof of our mouths. Unfortunately, this small detail did impact the remainder of our ability to properly taste the meal.

The Butternut Squash tortelloni ($15) with roasted squash, brown butter sage sauce reminded me of fall. The squash sweetness was really highlighted with the butter sage sauce and the pasta was al dente.

We really enjoyed sampling the Linguine and Littleneck clams with white sauce for $15. It had a fragrant wine sauce, the clams and pasta were perfectly cooked and the robust flavor combinations made us want more. We would order this again.

The braised beef ravioli special with broccoli rabe in a plum tomato smoked mozzarella sauce was not one of our favorites ($16). Although we enjoyed the sweetness and smokiness of the red sauce, the beef ravioli was lacking seasoning and flavor.

We will have to return to Panza on a slower evening to try dinner again. Our meal had some highlights, but due to the overwhelming nature of the weekend, the restaurant was not its more relaxed, yet focused as we were accustomed to.

Panza Ristorante, North End, Boston Revisited Again

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Third time is a charm right? Every visit to Panza has been absolutely charming. The open ambiance, rustic decor, fantastic tunes make us feel at home. There is a certain relaxed wave of comfort and inspiration you get in the right ambiance or listening to the right song (like the gorgeous Esperanza Spalding’s rendition of Tell Him). Panza has this characteristic. I thank my friend every time for introducing me to this little North End haven.

The consistently delivered appetizers keeps us coming back. Granted, we have yet to try the main entrees, but we just can not move forward from the appetizers because they are so delicious. Hopefully, next time.

The restaurant was not quite busy after work hours, however business popped around 7:30pm. The restaurant does take reservations and a few larger tables were empty for other parties. The seating is tight and my dining companion was bumped twice by the next table. To exit our meal, we had to interrupt the  table next to us to stand up from their meal, to enable us to skirt through to the door.

Our server was taking orders from the entire restaurant and managed the shuffle well. He was efficient and quick.

The crust of the bread and tenderness of the inside is fantastic dipped in olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. The bread was also a great vehicle to mop up dressing and sauces.

The caesar salad was nicely chilled and each piece of lettuce was crisp and well dressed. The croutons were lightly herbal.

My absolute favorite appetizer I have eaten in the North End is the Grilled Italian Greens. The greens were nicely covered in this luscious, tangy gorgonzola and balsamic sauce. The combination of the crisp and bite of the escarole, radicchio, baby arugula greens, the chargrillled flavor and the sauces is an unbelievable combination. The thinly sliced and lightly crisp polenta is one of the best ever eaten. A great example of the sum is greater than the parts. It is such a great dish and I can not stop ordering it. Do not take this home, it is best devoured fresh.

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Panza Ristorante Revisited, North End, Boston

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I absolutely love Panza. The owner is friendly and I love the simplicity of the restaurant. The ingredients are fresh and flavorful and each dish is thoughtfully made. Giacomo’s is across the street, constantly has a long line and I think Panza Ristorante is a diamond in the rough.

The menu has a great variety of pastas, salads and appetizers.

The crunchy fresh bread with olive oil is a perfect beginning to the meal. We asked for a little butter and we finished the loaf up.

I was salivating all day thinking about the Grilled Italian Greens for $7. This is by far one of the best salads I have ever eaten. The warmed escarole, radicchio, baby arugula, perfectly crispy polenta, tangy gorgonzola sauce and lightly sweet balsamic drizzle really has complex flavors and makes you want more.

We also had some grilled vegetables, nicely charred and lightly drizzled in olive oil $5.

I tried the Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese Spring Roll $7 with honey thyme sauce. The spring roll was piping hot and the earthy mushroom and warmed goat cheese was really tasty, but the honey was an odd addition to the dipping sauce.

 

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Panza, North End, Boston

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For sometime, I lived in the North End and never tried Panza on Hanover Street. Panza is located across from Giacomo’s and next to the St. Leonard’s Church.

Perhaps I neglected the restaurant because it is on Hanover Street, notorious for restaurants being over priced. My friend raved about the restaurant recently and invited me to meet her there and I was thrilled and grateful for her suggestion.

At 6pm the restaurant was open and spacious and by 7pm every seat in the house was filled and a few couples were waiting for a seat at the door.

I had the grilled Italian greens which consisted of escarole, radicchio, baby arugula, crispy polenta, gorgonzola sauce and a reduced balsamic sauce.   This is a must have at the restaurant and I will be back again just for this starter.

The warm greens taste luscious with the cheese sauce.  The polenta was perfectly made, soft on the inside and crispy on the outside and flavor was enhanced by the sweetness of the balsamic.

We will be back for many more quality meals. I want to try the butternut squash and spinach and ricotta ravioli. Panza is fantastic and is  not as overpriced as most of Hanover.

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