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Open: 11:30am - 10:00pm, 7 days a week
Reservation required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2012 (April 15, 2012 Itinerary)
Directions:
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The Meal:
If you are looking for a break from heavy wine country cuisine and want something more low key, you must try Rosso. I take that back....if you are in Santa Rosa, or anywhere in wine country, you MUST try Rosso! Tucked away in a rather tacky appearing strip mall (Creekside Center if you're familiar with the area), this place is a find. We were introduced to Rosso by my brother about four years ago and have made it a mandatory stop every time we visit Sonoma. Don't try to go on the 4th of July though....we had planned on lunch there that day and they were closed. Aside from holidays, they're open 7 days a week. Needless to say, missing Rosso almost ruined the trip for me.
Rosso's philosophy is "Passionate about Food, Wine and Soccer." They serve a menu of various Italian dishes, the highlight of which are their wood-fired Neopolitan style pizzas. We normally order a piadine, a pizza crust topped with a fresh salad with local ingredients (we like the caprese - patch tomatoes, homemade mozzarella, basil pesto, arugula as big as my hand, and balsamic vinaigrette), along with a wood fired pizza. Rosso also makes its own burrata, offers great cheese and meat boards, and features seasonal specials such as braised beef short ribs or polenta. Their food menu is complemented by a nice list of wines with a large selection by the glass from here, there (Italy) and everywhere.
The atmosphere is very laid back with Italian posters covering the walls and Italian soccer on the television. These people are super crazy about their soccer. On our first visit we were eating during the NBA playoffs and asked if they might switch one of the televisions to the basketball game. What?! Were we crazy?! This is a soccer place. They were airing what was likely a taped version of some minor Italian league game (as it was the middle of the night in Europe) and there was no way that was going to change. Outside of that the service has always been great. Rosso is very busy at night and doesn't take reservations so we normally go for lunch, but it is a great spot for lunch or dinner. Prices are reasonable: pizzas in the $13-$17 range and piadine and appetizers $9 to $15.
Ratings (out of 5):
Recommended food:The pizzas are great, but definitely try a piadine. Also, if they happen to have burrata on special, don't miss it.
Ratings (out of 5):
 FOOD | 5.00 |  SERVICE | 4.00 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 4.00 |  VALUE | 4.50 |
 OVERALL | 4.38 | ||
I would submit one piece of advice though... Despite the availability of a robust take-out menu, eat in the restaurant. Wanting to watch a 49'ers game back in our hotel, we ordered a couple of pizzas and salads for take out. When I went to pick them up, I watched piping hot pie after piping hot pie being paraded from the oven direct to hungry patrons who devoured them eagerly. They looked great. Having worked in multiple pizzerias in my college days, I can tell you that the medium-thick crust, smallish pies that they make are intended to be devoured as soon as they are removed from the oven. As they cool, the cheese hardens and the crusts quickly become overly chewy. Thus, by the time I was back in my hotel room, twenty minutes after picking-up my order, the pies were lukewarm and only mildly enjoyable (We had an Uuovo and a Porchetta). Nonetheless, I could instantly tell that the pie before me was conceived by a gifted pizza-maker and would have been spectacular straight from the oven. The Tuscan Wedge salad traveled well and was delightful.
ReplyDelete-Tim Malin