Caffe Portofino Review

We visited on a Tuesday evening at 6:00. The place was nearly empty. We chose the Eggplant Napolitano to share as an appetizer and were quite pleased. My wife had the fish special -- Sea Bass Piccata -- and I had the early bird special Veal Ossobuco. The special just allowed me to get a bowl of the soup of the day for a few dollars less. The soup was "White Bean" which I took to mean Italian Cannellini beans. Was I ever surprised when the soup showed up filled with Black-Eyed Peas (which are actually beans but are not what I would call "white" beans). The soup was quite good, but definitely was not the Italian version I expected. The Sea Bass was perfectly cooked with a crisp edge and excellent Piccata sauce -- actually a quite amazing dish we would order again in a heartbeat. The Ossobuco was fork-tender (as it should be); some of the best I've had in quite a while. My wife had a glass of Prosecco and we shared a reasonably-priced bottle of Ca Montebello Pinot Nero (Italian Pinot Noir). Both wines paired well with the food. The waiter's English was broken and we had a little trouble communicating, but in the end the meal was quite a delight (except for the soup's confusing identity).