Sotto Sotto

Sotto Sotto, the island of Italian purity in Inman Park, will turn 10 next year, and it is every bit the wonder now that it was when it opened in 1999. Then, Atlanta couldn’t get enough of country bread dipped in estate-bottled extra virgin olive oil); the dizzyingly wonderful mushroom risotto; the fresh fish specials; the now-famous tortelli di Michelangelo with its buttery sage sauce and plump veal-, chicken- and pork-stuffed pasta. And we still can’t. Sotto Sotto quietly remains an anchor to what’s real about the Atlanta restaurant scene: good cooking that uses honorable ingredients. Owner Riccardo Ullio’s passion for everything, from aged Balsamic vinegar to the World Cup (witness the flags adorning his restaurant Fritti, next door) pulses through Sotto Sotto, from the all-Italian wine list (which, to explore, is a little like daydreaming your way through Italy) to the menu of simple, all-out Italian soul food. (Full review)