BoccaLupo is one of the best new spots in Atlanta, and I couldn’t have been happier to have a recent date night there with my pasta loving wife. I dig the menu offerings. It’s basically a handful of stellar appetizers, and a bunch of pasta. I mean a lot of pasta. So many Italian restaurants have this standardized format where you to order a pasta (primi) then a protein (secondi), but BoccaLupo is like nah, we do great pasta, so hey man, why don’t you order a pasta? Then follow that up with another pasta? Sounds good.
On this evening, we started with fried cauliflower, which is fantastic. These days, cauliflower is nearly as available as Brussels sprouts, a movement I can get behind.
We then went on to crispy polenta, topped with kale mixed with bacon, and picked shrimp. These are super comforting and filling, but worth the space. It appears to be that Chef has a deft hand controlling fat and acid.
A special this evening was Italian white truffle tagliatelle pasta. A simple pasta water with butter emulsion, it was simplection. That’s when something is so simple but well done that it’s perfect. TRADEMARK.
True, it was $29, but try getting shaved white truffles for less. Totally worth it, and an ideal mid-meal dish to share.
I had the “ramen” for my main, which I’ve had a few friends knock and discount because “it’s not really ramen”, but I agree, it’s not ramen and it shouldn’t really be labeled as such, so as not to mislead certain expectations. What it is, is a hodgepodge of Italian, Southern, and Japanese components, each wonderful in their own right. Tender collards with plump boiled peanuts. Juicy shredded pork. Crisp and fresh scallions and radish. And finally, a super runny egg atop a heap of round extruded squid ink pasta. It’s not light, or subtle, but it packs a wallop of texture and flavor which I found to be mesmerizing. A powerful, memorable dish.
It’s funny to think about how far Bruce Logue has come from his early days at La Pietra Cucina, the space which never really fit the personality of the food, and was such an experience toss-up, when considering the uniqueness and fun and craveable destination that is BoccaLupo.