Courtesy of Sorella
Sorella, meaning “sister” in Italian, was named after one of owner Kyle Toner’s two daughters, but the food… It’s all Jersey boys at their finest. The owners of the newest Italian restaurant to hit the Bay View, located in the Kinn boutique hotel, are both from New Jersey and made their mark in Milwaukee at some of Milwaukee’s top listers over the years.
Having grown up in New Jersey as the Italian American daughter of a restaurateur and pizzaiola (pizza maker), I was excited to see if Sorella lived up to my “Jersey expectations” and tastes of the memories embedded in my food bank. All I can say is “Assolutamente!”
First and foremost, Sorella is doing a bang-up job with protecting their staff and customers as if they were, well their “sisters.” They have recently opened their dining room with high ceilings and tables spaced out for comfort. The patio with fire pit is open for those not ready to dine in and they just recently added curb side pickup powered by Toast. Sorella receives super high marks for paying attention to customer comfort. For example, on a recent night the owner saw someone struggling a little with a high-top seat and went in to retrieve a bar chair with a back for the guest’s comfort.
Sorella has a well-rounded wine list plus some stand out cocktails like the #310 with barrel aged Elijah Craig , Manchino vermouth and Amarena cherries; and Spritz Specialino with Amaro, prosecco and a splash of club soda and, of course.a negronis ($10-$12) Also available is a good selection of beer and cider.
Seasonal Menu
The menu is not large and will change with the seasons, but it is my favorite kind of menu; manageable, good choices, doing a few things and doing them really well. The dishes are meant for sharing to enjoy—a dining experience like a Sunday dinner at Nonna’s house. The menu starts with Fritti, meaning fried ($11-$12); the artichoke zeppola and a chickpea panelle were very good, but don’t leave without trying the arancini carbonara. These delicate rice balls—filled with pancetta, egg and peas, lightly coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried—had a crunchy exteriors with a creamy inside and were dusted with grated pecorino cheese and black pepper. The flavors of the beloved pasta carbonara were perfection.
There are three salad options ($11-$13), but the antipasto chop with all those bite-sized goodies that you would expect are present in every forkful and the parmesan vinaigrette was amazing. Italians love bitter greens and escarole is a favorite. Sorella pairs it with figs for a balance of sweetness, adds crispy chickpeas and dresses it with a light lemon vinaigrette. Also on the menu is a kale Caesar.
The antipasti (meaning before the pasta) has several options that could almost be a main course and were all stand outs. First, not seen on any other area menu, is a roasted Mortadella with olive salad. Even if you didn’t grow up in an Italian household, but had fried bologna sandwiches as a child, this dish will send you back in time. The tang of the olive salad paired with the fat of the mortadella is so good. The roasted cauliflower Amatriciana with pancetta and cherry tomatoes is brilliant for a gluten free alternative and mussels oreganata or shrimp scampi are tempting seafood choices ($9-$13).
There are three pasta dishes ($12-$14) on the menu and the cavatelli with “Monday sauce” is the one with homemade pasta. It’s a rich tomato-based meat sauce with a dollop of ricotta. The other two pasta dishes, both vegetarian and were cooked to al dente and piping hot and full of flavor.
The Secondi choices ($23-$29) include prime strip steak, a lovely roasted half chicken and a market catch cooked piccata style with lemon and capers. But the pork chop— Mamma Mia!—this was not only one of the best pork chops I have eaten, but the sweet cherry pepper sauce was fantastic. This was a typical dish in every home and restaurant in NJ and I almost burst into tears of joy with every bite. The only distraction was that the pork chop was covered with chopped parsley, which I found a bit superfluous, but it was definitely the dish that tipped the scale for authenticity.
These Jersey boys are the real deal. And if that isn’t enough, the woodfire pizzas had that amazing pliable crust that you were taught to fold in half before bringing to your lips. The slight char on the cornicione (crusty edge) and the puffy spot from the high heat of the oven add to the flavor. They have many options including thoughtful pairings like the fra diavolo with lots of sauce (no mozzarella), bacon, pecorino, thin slices of garlic that melt into the sauce and hot peppers. And seriously, Fugeddaboutit if you don’t order one of their desserts like the Nutella Calzone or the flourless chocolate and polenta cake ($3-$11).
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