Tresca

Tresca Restaurant Review:

Evolving from one of the North End’s fine-dining pioneers, Trattoria a Scalinatella, Tresca maintains some of its ancestor’s characteristics---above all an emphasis on tasting menus improvised (at least theoretically) to reflect your wine choices. The look, too, is much the same, borrowing heavily from that of a Tuscan villa. Other elements it has jettisoned---particularly the exceeding formality. We have mixed feelings on both counts. On the one hand, we’re rather more comfortable here---especially in the ground-floor lounge, cozy in winter and breezy in summer. On the other, pomp and circumstance has its place---and in Boston’s Little Italy, that place was here. The cuisine likewise has its pros and cons, turned out by a kitchen with a lesser technical grasp but, perhaps, somewhat more modern sensibilities, as seen in the use of chanterelles and toasted corn to fill ravioli or in the guilty pleasure that is a Nutella-and-caramelized banana-blessed dessert pizzetta. Ultimately, we suspect increased consistency will serve Tresca---and its customers---well.