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Bada BING: Sopranos backs boasts with bold flavors
Here’s a sneak peek at a restaurant review scheduled to run in tomorrow’s (5-15-09) Dayton Daily News Go! section.
KETTERING — It takes a bit of audacity — perhaps a smidgen of chutzpah — to declare that you’d like to open two more restaurants before you’ve served a single meal at your first.
But that’s exactly what Mark Powers did back in March as he was preparing to open Sopranos Eatery & Spirits, the new Italian restaurant on East Stroop Road that Powers owns with two partners. Powers — a nephew of Duke Morris of Duke’s Golden Ox restaurant fame, and the brother of Reece Powers III, owner of the newly opened Duke’s in West Carrollton — said at the time that he was contemplating opening two more Sopranos, one each in northern and southern Montgomery County.
So far, Powers and Sopranos are backing up those confident words. Sopranos opened strong in April and has attracted steady crowds by serving robustly flavored dishes that merit return visits.
The tone is set early during a dinner visit when both the olive oil and compound butter served with the bread basket (you may have to ask for the butter) are generously spiked with fresh garlic and herbs. For garlic lovers, it’s a palate pick-me-up.
The Caprese Salad ($7.50) layers fresh mozzarella with sliced Roma tomatoes and fresh basil topped with a generous drizzle of good-quality Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. It’s big enough to share, and while it’s a very appealing starter now, it will be even better in a couple months when more flavorful (and hopefully local) tomatoes become available.
The “Sopranos Choice Dinner Pasta” offers several options for both the pasta shape (spaghetti, fettucine, penne or angel hair) and sauces (marinara, meat sauce, Alfredo, garlic & oil, and Bolognese), and meats (meatballs, sausage and chicken). The tangy marinara sauce has an appealing red-pepper note, and the Italian sausage packs a spicy kick. Prices start at $9.95 for pasta with marinara sauce and no meat, while the intense, tart, spicy and addictive Bolognese pasta costs $13.95.
The Bone-In Pork Chop entree ($15.50) consists of two thick, meaty six-ounce chops that arrived cooked to order with perfect criss-cross grill marks — and yes, they’ll cook it medium for you. The dish is served with apple risotto, adding a contrasting sweet note to the plate.
Veal Marsala ($15.50) was a winning dish from the “Vitello” menu that also includes Veal Parmigana and Veal Franchese. The marsala features tender and lightly floured veal sauteed with mushrooms, garlic and wine served over fettucine.
Sopranos also makes excellent thin-crust pizza, which is a good lunchtime choice. A nine-inch pizza with one topping is $6.95, and will likely provide leftovers.
The restaurant has a pastry chef who prepares a cheesecake special and Italian dessert specialties. The turtle cheesecake with pecan topping ($5.50) was a show-stopper and deserves a permanent place on the menu. The red velvet cake is also well-made, but is for those who like icing.
The restaurant has a bit of a dual personality: the bar side of the eatery has high-top tables and multiple flat-screen televisions that offer a sports-bar (but not the Bada Bing) experience, while the quieter restaurant side has four booths and multiple tables with a view of a projection screen that cycles through beautiful slide photographs of Florence and other Italian cities.
Sopranos and its food clearly have a bit of an attitude — and they’re both worth checking out.
— WHERE: 1222 E. Stroop Road in Kettering
— HOURS: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (bar stays open until 1 a.m. daily, and carryout is available)
— WHAT TO TRY: Caprese Salad ($7.50), Pasta with Marinara Sauce and Italian Sausage ($11.45), Bone-In Pork Chops ($15.50), Veal Marsala ($15.50), Turtle cheesecake with Pecan topping ($5)
— MORE INFO: (937) 298-2222
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By not perfect, just right!
May 19, 2009 1:40 PM | Link to this
Co-workers and I tried this for lunch last week and were very impressed. The bread is delicious with the olive oil and superb garlic/herb mixture! I wanted to take some of that home. Our meals were a variety of pizza, pasta, and salad with all three being delicious. The spinach salad with shrimp and fried mozzarella is excellent. It’s great to have a new Italian eatery with such a variety, value, and great tastes on the menu! Good luck to Sopranos!